Scoring Balance Is Missing

With all-stars Luc Robitaille and Rob Blake no longer in the fold, the Kings trumpeted their new balance, but it has not materialized.

The Kings, last in the Western Conference, are decidedly unbalanced.

Their top scoring line of center Bryan Smolinski and wingers Glen Murray and Steve Heinze has piled up 17 points in five games, while the rest of the team has combined for 15, five by defenseman Mathieu Schneider.

“The balance is there from a talent perspective,” Coach Andy Murray said Monday, “but it hasn’t been there from a performance perspective.”

Ziggy Palffy, the Kings’ leading scorer last season with 89 points, has two goals and no assists. Jozef Stumpel, heretofore the Kings’ No. 1 center, has one assist and only four shots on goal. Adam Deadmarsh has one goal in four games. Lubomir Visnovsky, the NHL’s top scorer among rookie defensemen last season with 39 points, is scoreless and has been scratched for three consecutive games.

Heinze, meanwhile, has three goals and three assists, Glen Murray has two goals and four assists and Smolinski has one goal and four assists.

“They’re just doing what they’re supposed to do,” Andy Murray said. “I’m not jumping up and down about them. I think our one other [primary] offensive unit [Stumpel, Palffy and Deadmarsh] is not doing what it’s supposed to do.”

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Defenseman Mattias Norstrom, who suffered a rib injury early in Saturday night’s 1-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, sat out practice, as did Deadmarsh and defenseman Aaron Miller. Deadmarsh suffered a foot injury when struck by a shot by Miller late in Saturday’s game. Miller is suffering from a sore wrist.

Defenseman Jason Holland was recalled from the Kings’ American Hockey League team at Manchester, N.H., to replace Andreas Lilja on the 23-man roster.

TONIGHT

vs. Washington, 7:30

Fox Sports Net

Site-Staples Center.

Radio-KSPN (1110).

Records-Kings 1-3-1-0, Capitals 2-3-0-0.

Record vs. Capitals (2000-01)-1-1.

Update-In their only game of the season against the Capitals, the Kings probably won’t see five-time scoring champion Jaromir Jagr, who sat out the last two games because of a knee strain and is not expected to return to the lineup for another week. This is the last game of a five-game trip for the Capitals.

Tickets-(888) 546-4752.