Players Give Murray Disciplined Response

Before the Kings left Los Angeles to start their trip for games Tuesday and Wednesday at Nashville and Dallas, Coach Andy Murray was concerned about his team’s focus.

But Murray didn’t want his players looking back at the Kings’ consecutive home defeats by Nashville and Columbus. He didn’t want them to think about the four power-play goals they’d given up or the lone power-play goal they’d managed to score.

Instead, Murray wanted his players thinking about discipline. He talked to them about ill-advised retaliatory penalties and playing within the system. But most of all, he talked about individual responsibility.

“We have to have discipline as individuals to be prepared for every game on the ice, no matter how we are used,” Murray said before the trip. “If we miss a shift or whatever, we have to stay involved and not show poor body language ... we have to try and contribute in terms of the team.”

Murray’s strategy must have worked. The Kings returned to Los Angeles early Thursday with shutout victories over the Predators and Stars.

The Kings’ once struggling special teams are on a roll. In the wins, they scored three power-play goals and did not give up a goal in 15 short-handed situations.

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It shouldn’t be such a surprise to see the Kings getting things back together, now that center Jason Allison is back in the lineup and playing on a line with Ziggy Palffy and Adam Deadmarsh.

Allison made it back five weeks ahead of schedule after tearing one knee ligament and stretching another. He has played five games since his return.

Allison scored his first goal since his injury in the Kings’ 3-0 victory over Dallas on Wednesday, which featured three goals and eight points from his line.

Because of injuries, the line of Deadmarsh, Allison and Palffy has been intact for only six of the Kings’ 28 games but has accounted for 26 points -- 11 by Allison and 10 by Palffy. The breakdown: 11 goals and 15 assists.