Karalahti Gets Nod Over Visnovsky

Defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky, a fixture in the Kings’ lineup last season, was scratched again in favor of Jere Karalahti.

“When Lubo’s on top of his game, he brings a little more offense than Jere does,” Coach Andy Murray said before Thursday night’s game against the St. Louis Blues. “But Jere brings a little more grit. And against this particular opponent, we think the grit element maybe is necessary.

“He’s also got a good shot from the blue line, and he’s coming off a very good game in Dallas. You have to have a reason to take a guy out of the lineup, and we have no reason to take Karalahti out right now. He played very well.”

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Like they usually seem to do in the early part of the season, NHL referees are cracking down on penalties.

“They’ve been calling them tight,” Murray said. “There are a lot of young referees ... and they’re calling everything right now.

“It’s like when you come out of the RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] training center in Regina, you’re going to give a lot of tickets in your first month or two on the job, and that’s exactly what’s happening. They’re following it by the book, doing exactly what they’ve been told. They’re calling a lot of penalties.”

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Assistant coaches Mark Hardy and Ray Bennett collided during the morning skate at Savvis Center.

Neither was injured.

“I’d forgotten what it felt like to get the wind knocked out of you,” said Hardy, who played parts of 10 seasons with the Kings. “Now I remember.”