Bylsma Refuses to Feel He Has Secured a Spot

Winger Dan Bylsma no longer has to check the board when he reports for work at Staples Center to see if he’s playing.

He is, and has been in every game since Dec. 22.

But he still checks.

“I don’t think of a comfort zone,” said Bylsma, who earlier in the season spent time in Long Beach of the International Hockey League and Lowell of the American Hockey League to stay in shape for his occasional Kings’ appearance. Mostly, though, he wore street clothes while he watched the Kings play.

“I’m always going to be one step from the minor leagues,” he said then, but it’s a giant step now.

“He’s a ‘glue’ player,” Coach Andy Murray said. “A ‘glue’ player helps hold the team together.”

In Bylsma’s case, that means he kills penalties, works hard as a checker on the fourth line and stays positive, no matter what.

And his importance showed in the third period Monday when he was on the ice in the final minute of regulation play, while the Kings were trying to hold onto a 2-2 tie with Vancouver.

There’s pressure in all of those roles.

“Rob Blake, everybody says that we play the way he plays, so he has pressure,” Bylsma said. “Ziggy [Palffy] scores goals, and he’s under pressure to score them. Me, I’m under pressure to play as hard as I can because that’s the only way I can stay here.”

Blake and Palffy can have a couple of off nights, but Bylsma can’t afford any, so he might be under the greatest pressure of all.

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Aki Berg was stunned when he was run into the boards by Vancouver’s Todd Bertuzzi in the second period and did not return to the game. Berg will be evaluated today.