Good Start a Must for a Good Finish

The Kings have yet to lose two consecutive games this season but their slow starts have cost them, considering that they are 8-0 when they have scored first. In the 17 other games, they are 3-9-5.

“We don’t want to get scored on first,� Coach Larry Robinson said. “We’re just kind of feeling ourselves out a little bit. We want to play physical but at the same time we don’t want to get caught. We’re always [beginning games] in between being aggressive and being physical but also at the same time not just running around.�

Whenever the Kings start by taking chances offensively, their defensive discipline has suffered. What has kept the team in games has been their overall hustle, which Robinson says is much better than in years past.

“We’re still shooting ourselves in the foot sometimes,� he said. “But overall, I can’t complain about the effort.�

*

Rob Blake is the leading King vote getter for this season’s NHL All-Star game, to be played in Vancouver on Jan. 18 between teams representing North America and the rest of the world. Blake has 11,309 votes and ranks 12th among North American defensemen. Jozef Stumpel is the only other King ranking among the top vote getters. With 8,194, he is seventh among World team centers.

TONIGHT

Los Angeles vs.

New Jersey

* 7:30

* Fox Sports

West

Site--Forum.

Radio--XTRA 690.

Records--Kings 11-9-5; Devils 17-7.

Record vs. Devils--1-0.

Update--The Kings finished 1-1-1 on a recent trip against three of the top Western Conference teams--Colorado, Dallas and St. Louis. Center Jozef Stumpel has 15 points in his last 13 games and a team-high 28 points. Left wing Vladimir Tsyplakov leads the Kings with a plus-14 rating, followed by center Yanic Perreault at plus-13. Philippe Boucher and Aki Berg are tops among King defensemen at plus-nine. Goaltender Stephane Fiset, who blanked New Jersey, 3-0, on Nov. 4, is expected to start tonight. The Devils, whose eight-game winning streak ended in a loss to Florida last week, have struggled since. New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur leads the league in total wins, goals against and save percentage.