Norstrom Says Time for Talk Is Over

It’s time for the last-place Kings to stop rationalizing and start producing, captain Mattias Norstrom said late Saturday night.

“Let’s stop talking about, we’re only early in the season,” he said. “We’ve played a quarter of the season. This is desperate time. That’s right now for us, and that’s got to show on the ice if we’re going to have any success at all.”

If the Kings don’t start winning, Norstrom said, they know what’s next.

“There will be changes in player personnel,” he said. “I don’t think anyone wants to be part of that, but that’s the hockey business.

“That will happen.”

Coach Andy Murray told the Kings before Saturday night’s 4-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, their eighth defeat in 10 games, that they would have to win 40 of their last 64 games to make the playoffs.

It wasn’t necessary to spell out their plight, Norstrom said.

“We’re all aware of the situation,” he said. “The fact is, we need to put 40 wins on the board and if we can’t deal with that reality, we’re in big trouble.”

A few hours before Sunday night’s game, while his teammates napped upstairs in their rooms, Adam Deadmarsh sat in the hotel bar, sipping on a coke and watching the Green Bay Packers play the Atlanta Falcons.

Which meant only one thing: The Kings’ leading scorer was out of the lineup again, sidelined this time because of a strained stomach muscle suffered Saturday night in a first-period fight with the Red Wings’ Darren McCarty.

Deadmarsh has sat out three games and left two others because of injuries. The winger, who leads the Kings with 16 points, said he hoped to play Tuesday night against the Calgary Flames, but he didn’t sound too sure.

“I’m pretty sore,” he said.

With a roster spot to fill after Mathieu Schneider was put on the injured list last week, the Kings plan to recall winger Brad Chartrand today from their American Hockey League team at Manchester, N.H.