Murray Says Latest Loss Is a Low Point

After a videotape review, a 90-minute flight over the Canadian Rockies in which to ponder it and a light workout in a different city Wednesday to forget about it, Coach Andy Murray offered his critique of the Kings’ 4-0 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night:

“Our worst game of the year.”

Outscored, 8-0, in the first two games of their four-game trip, the Kings have lost consecutive games for the first time since mid-November. They’ve been shut out in consecutive games for the first time since February 2001.

The last time they lost consecutive games, they responded with a four-game unbeaten streak that helped turn their season around.

The last time they were shut out in consecutive games, they responded with a 13-2-5-2 stretch run that carried them into the playoffs last season.

“We’re not going to quit now,” Murray said. “If we wanted to quit, we could have quit in November. There’s no reason to panic.”

Defenseman Aaron Miller, however, said he found it “perplexing” that the Kings showed such little passion against the determined Canucks after losing two days earlier to the Phoenix Coyotes by the same score.

“Maybe we got too comfortable winning [six] games in a row,” he said. “Maybe we started to think we’re a little better than we are.”

Said defenseman Mattias Norstrom: “We know what a tight race it’s been, and what a tight race it’s going to be right down until the very last game. I don’t think we needed a wake-up call, but it is a wake-up call [to remind us] that we need to bring that little bit extra every night if we want to be successful.”

The Kings fell to second in the league in power-play conversion and penalty-killing percentage after failing to score in six man-advantage opportunities and giving up three power-play goals against the Canucks.... Ian Laperriere, who missed Tuesday’s game to stay home with his wife, Magali, after the Monday night birth of their son, Tristan, rejoined the Kings on Wednesday night and will play tonight.

*

TONIGHT

at Edmonton, 6 PST

Site--Skyreach Centre.

Radio--KSPN (1110).

Records--Kings 36-24-9-4, Oilers 34-26-11-3.

Record vs. Oilers--1-1.

Update--The Oilers, clinging to the eighth and final playoff slot in the Western Conference, have outscored their opponents, 18-5, during a six-game winning streak.