Kings’ defense is suddenly shaky

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The Kings’ home-ice perfection is over, and they have lost consecutive games for the first time this season.

Most glaring, they have given up 11 goals in the last two games, a 6-3 loss at San Jose on Monday and a 5-3 loss to Columbus at Staples Center on Wednesday.

Before that, the Kings hadn’t allowed more than two in the previous six games, averaging a single goal-against.

‘I’m talking about myself personally here, but obviously it’s a mental game out there,’ defenseman Matt Greene said. ‘In terms of defense, you have to think a little bit more on how we act and right now, personally, I’m not doing it. It’s not lack of effort. It’s not lack of commitment. It’s just the mental side of the game right now.’

Coach Terry Murray, asked specifically about the defense pairing of Davis Drewiske and Jake Muzzin, said,’They need to be better.’

Murray was particularly disappointed about losing a third-period lead.

‘We just need to figure out what we need to do here to shut games down,’ he said.

--Robyn Norwood