Coach Wants to Get Tough

Since training camp opened, the Kings are 5-2-1. Unfortunately for them, all five victories were in exhibition games and they head for Dallas and their first road game of the season with a 0-1-1 record.

Based on their spotty play in a tie with Phoenix and one-goal loss to the second-year Minnesota Wild, the Kings are struggling to get their regular-season act together. And the last thing Coach Andy Murray wants is to have the Kings play like a team thinking it is better than it is.

“Some of our leading players have not been as good as we needed them to be,” Murray said Monday. “All we ever ask of our players is to play as hard as they possibly can. Some of our guys have not played hard enough.”

To shake things up, the Kings recalled winger Rob Valicevic from the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League and assigned center Randy Robitaille to the Monarchs.

“We wanted to add a little bit more grit to the lineup,” said Murray, who also hinted that he may make a few line switches. “Randy Robitaille is the result of having some of our better [skilled] players not playing good enough. When you are trying to change the chemistry, you end up changing one of the other guys instead of one of your better [skilled] players.”

Winger Adam Deadmarsh played for the first time this season in Sunday’s loss to the Wild and said he noticed a difference.

“I don’t know if we’re feeling comfortable or what, but we definitely have to get our work ethic back,” he said.

Deadmarsh spent most of training camp rehabilitating wrist and groin injuries.

“We don’t have a run-and-gun skilled hockey team,” he added. “We can’t take nights off and win off skill.

“We all can work a little bit harder. The guys have the skill. There’s no question about that. But we showed last year that the way we needed to play was to work hard as a team. That’s how you win hockey games.”

TONIGHT

At Dallas, 5:30 PST

TV--Fox Sports Net.

Radio--KSPN (1110).

Site--American Airlines Center.

Records--Kings 0-1-1-0; Dallas 1-1-0-0.

Record vs. Stars--(2000-2001) 3-2-0-0.

Update--The Kings didn’t fare well against the Stars at their old place, Reunion Arena, where they went 2-10-3-1. A change of scenery may do them some good.