No Vacancies for Visnovsky

Before Lubomir Visnovsky suffered a knee injury in the first period of a 2-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Jan. 18, Coach Andy Murray said the compact Slovak was playing better than any of the Kings’ other defensemen.

But when Visnovsky was ready to return to the lineup Saturday, Murray said he couldn’t find a place for him, the Kings having won five of six games.

“I think you have to have a reason to replace a player,” Murray said Sunday. “I talked with him and told him, ‘I can’t put you in because I don’t know who to take out.’ You’ve got to have credibility as a coach, and I couldn’t go to any of the other guys and say, ‘You deserve to come out.’ ”

That might not be the case tonight, when the Kings play the San Jose Sharks at Staples Center, and Jaroslav Modry could be the odd man out.

Modry, 31, was selected to play in the All-Star game last season en route to scoring a career-high 42 points, and he started strongly again this season, scoring nine goals in the Kings’ first 31 games. But he hasn’t scored a goal in 27 games since and his defense has lagged too, Murray said.

“Mo needs to be one of our best defensemen every night because that’s what his capabilities are,” Murray said. “He’s a guy we rely on, and if he’s a guy we rely on he has to be reliable. We need him to be more reliable.”

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TONIGHT

vs. San Jose, 7

Fox Sports Net, ESPN 2

Site -- Staples Center.

Radio -- KSPN (710).

Records -- Kings 24-26-4-4, Sharks 21-26-6-5. Record vs. Sharks -- 1-3.

Update -- This is the last game of a seven-game trip for the Sharks, who have lost five of six games, including a 3-1 loss to Dallas Sunday. Since the Sharks swept a home-and-home series against the Kings last month, they are 2-6, the Kings 5-2.

Tickets -- (888) 546-4752.