Just for Variety, Heinze Sits Out

Coach Andy Murray didn’t take long to make his first decision after rejoining the Kings: Steve Heinze, take a seat.

Heinze is tied for third on the team with 15 goals, but after going 17 games since scoring his last on Jan. 15, the winger was scratched from the lineup for Thursday’s game against Nashville, sitting out for the first time this season.

“We’re just trying to see if we can create a little more productivity,” said Murray, who inserted Nelson Emerson into Heinze’s spot on the No. 2 line. “I think he’s trying so hard that he’s pressing a little bit, and sometimes you take a mental break from it and you come back the next game and you’re maybe a little more refreshed or whatever....

“I don’t question Steve Heinze’s heart or his work ethic. We’re just giving him a break.”

Heinze, signed as a free agent last summer to a three-year, $6-million contract after former King Luc Robitaille signed with the Detroit Red Wings, has scored two goals in his last 24 games. He scored a career-high 27 last season with Columbus and Buffalo.

The Kings have been much better on the road than at home, having lost only four games in regulation outside Staples Center since October, but that doesn’t make them any less determined in their effort to secure home-ice advantage for the playoffs.

“You always want home ice in the playoffs,” said assistant coach Dave Tippett. “If you get home ice in the playoffs, that means that you’ve earned that right by being higher in the standings. You always want to shoot for that.”

The Kings, 15-4-4-2 on the road since the end of October, have not had home-ice advantage in a series since 1992, when they lost a first-round series in six games to Edmonton. They’ve had home-ice advantage in a best-of-seven series only five times, winning two.