Murray Faces a Tough Choice

Andy Murray is still undecided.

Is the King coach better off putting Jason Allison and Ziggy Palffy on the same line, or keeping his most dangerous offensive players apart?

“It’s too early to tell,” Murray said. “Who would not want to play with Ziggy Palffy? And who would not want to play with Jason Allison?

“Obviously, if you can balance out a couple of lines it makes you tougher to check. If you play everybody on one line, you hope they can dominate everybody. So, you can look at it either way. We seem to have had some success when they were separate as well as when they were together.”

Adding to the argument to keep them apart, Murray said, has been the emergence of Randy Robitaille, who, with Adam Deadmarsh sidelined, has been skating on the top line with Allison and Bryan Smolinski.

Robitaille has four goals and three assists in 12 games since returning from his demotion to the minors.

*

Nelson Emerson, sidelined since Oct. 30 because of post-concussion syndrome, returned to practice this week and said he is free of the headaches that plagued him for weeks. “I was pretty scared,” said Emerson, who has suffered numerous concussions in his career, the latest Sept. 29 in an exhibition game against the Colorado Avalanche.... Since the Oct. 24 trade that brought Allison and Mikko Eloranta to the Kings and sent Jozef Stumpel and Glen Murray to the Boston Bruins, Allison has 13 points in 14 games while Stumpel and Murray have combined for 13 in 15. Eloranta has four points in 12 games.

TONIGHT

vs. Edmonton, 7:30 Fox Sports Net

Site--Staples Center.

Radio--KSPN (1110).

Records--Kings 7-11-3-2, Oilers 15-7-3-1. Record vs. Oilers--1-0.

Update--Jamie Storr, who will make his third consecutive start in goal for the Kings, has never lost to the Oilers, compiling a 3-0-1 record with a 2.50 goals-against average.

Tickets--(888) 546-4752.