Stumpel Could Be the Go-To Guy

If Coach Larry Robinson had been asked before the season where he wanted the Kings to be going into next week’s all-star break, he would have been happy with second place in the Pacific Division.

But that doesn’t mean the Kings are not looking to make additional personnel moves.

“There are going to be nights when you don’t have all cylinders [going] and [that’s] when you want to have that guy or guys who can win games on their own without any help,� Robinson said.

“For example, there are nights when things aren’t going that well for a team like Pittsburgh. But [the Penguins] have a [Ron] Francis, [Stu] Barnes or [Jaromir] Jagr, who can win the game by themselves.

“That’s the point where we have to get to. . . . [Jozef] Stumpel can be that guy, but whether he can do it on a consistent basis, we don’t know.�

Since the start of the season, the Kings have often been mentioned as a team interested in trading for restricted free-agent holdout Sergei Fedorov once he signed with Detroit. If such a deal is going to be made, the Kings are not tipping their hat.

“We’ve had discussions with Detroit, but I wouldn’t say anything [is] close,� General Manager Dave Taylor said. “The impression I got is that they want to sign him and keep him.�

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The Kings are 14-1-1 when they score first and 8-0 when they lead after the first period. They are 11-1 when they score four goals in a game and 5-0 when both Yanic Perreault and Luc Robitaille score.

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King prospect Pavel Rosa has had a forgettable season and is still sidelined because of post-concussion syndrome. Rosa, who played in one game with Fredericton of the American Hockey League in October, had been cleared to resume practice two weeks ago but has not done so.

TONIGHT

vs.

Edmonton

* 7:30

* Fox Sports

West

Site--Great Western Forum.

Radio--XTRA (690).

Records--Kings 17-18-8; Oilers 13-22-9.

Record vs. Oilers--1-1.

Update--The Kings scored two third-period goals to win, 3-2, at Edmonton last week. Right wing Glen Murray has five goals and 14 points in his last 12 home games. Center Ray Ferraro is one point shy of 700 and Luc Robitaille is eight short of 1,000. Edmonton’s lineup will be different with recently acquired forwards Bill Guerin and Valeri Zelepukin in uniform after their trade by the New Jersey Devils.