The Los Angeles Kings were tabbed a top-five team in the Western Conference to start the season, neatly summed up in the marketing-department tagline “The time is now." Anyone who bought into that slogan must be wondering where the offense is – and so is coach Terry Murray.
 EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – When the Los Angeles Kings walked into their locker room on Sunday morning, it was evident that change was in effect.
A trade? A coaching change? Somebody recalled? Sent down?
Well, there could be something imminent if their offense continues in inertia, but change was tangible in the line combinations after a 2-1 loss to Chicago the previous day.
“I kind of figured it would be one of those days,” veteran forward Jarret Stoll said.
The Kings’ well-documented lack of offense could be measured in a 0-4-1 record through Sunday against top-tier teams San Jose, Detroit, Vancouver and Pittsburgh.
Even in victory – a 2-0 triumph over the Sharks temporarily ended the skid – the Kings look like a blue-collar team with not enough skill up front. The Kings shot at and missed at least two open nets against Chicago and another in an overtime loss to Dallas last Thursday.
All of that led coach Terry Murray to mix it up.
He moved Stoll to right wing with Simon Gagne and Mike Richards, and moved Dustin Brown to left wing with Anze Kopitar and Trent Hunter.
Andrei Loktionov is back at his natural center position with Kyle Clifford and the demoted Justin Williams.
“This is the first real big jumble we’ve had,” Brown said Sunday. “We haven’t scored a lot of goals. We haven’t produced a lot of chances to score. Sometimes jumbling the lines will spark some new chemistry with some players.
"That’s for the coaches to decide. Players play. We’ve all played with each other for the most part, so it’s just a matter of finding ways to get more opportunities for this team."
Stoll, a 20-goal scorer last season, has two this season. Brown has one goal in the past 14 games and Williams has no goals in the last 15 games.
“Usually when we have a big bingo shuffle like this, maybe things have gone stale or to the point where our offense has been struggling pretty bad and (we need to) get something going; kick-start the offense,” Stoll said. "Maybe some guys find chemistry that hadn’t played together. So you never know.”
Murray continually points to his team’s long-standing trend of passing too much. He watched the Blackhawks generate shots and rebounds from the neutral zone against his club and figured it should be a blueprint.
“All they’re looking for is to bring people to the net for second and third opportunities,” Murray said of Chicago. “That’s an attitude that we have to get settled on on a consistent basis.”
Murray is running out of answers as to why his club ranks 28th in five-on-five scoring in the NHL, and the preseason buzz surrounding the club’s potential seems excessive.
The Kings were tabbed a top-five team in the Western Conference this season and the marketing department thought up the motto of “The time is now."
Asked if those lofty expectations were weighing down the players, Murray said, “There’s no way that’s affecting our game. But the fact that offensive players who are supposed to produce go through an extended period of time and not getting any results – that does bring on a little extra pressure.
“You’re trying to do too much now instead of keeping the game simplified and moving it and shooting. That’s the part that we have to just take a deep breath on and relax and play the right way.”
Notes
Dallas G Kari Lehtonen will miss at least three weeks after injuring his groin Saturday trying to stop a shot from Coyotes D Derek Morris. This is the third time Lehtonen has missed time with groin issues. He missed 35 games in 2005-06 and 16 more two years later with Atlanta. Andrew Raycroft, who is 0-5-0 with a 3.50 goals-against average this season, will see the majority of starts while prospect Richard Bachman will be the backup. Bachman ranked fourth in the AHL with 28 wins last year and was 7-6-1 with a 3.13 GAA for the Texas Stars. … Phoenix LW Ray Whitney continues to marvel at 39. His great hands were on display in a win against Anaheim and he had a goal in a win against Dallas. … D Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s 11 points in 20 games is a byproduct of his partnership with Brent Burns, whose puck moving provides Vlasic with more offensive-zone time in San Jose. … Has Teemu Selanne regretted coming back for a 19th season considering the debacle that is Anaheim’s start? “You try to stay positive and find some bright sides, but I don’t really see any bright sides really,” Selanne said Sunday. “It’s just unbelievable right now. I don’t know what to say.” The Ducks have won once in their last 14 games, falling to 6-13-4.
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