Frustrated, Tired Team Takes Off to ‘Recharge’

The Kings took Thursday off to “recharge batteries,” Coach Andy Murray said, “after we hit the wall physically last night.”

Playing their fourth game in six nights to open the season, with the first three in the Eastern time zone, the Kings had two strong periods, held a 4-0 lead, then blew it in the third and were tied by the St. Louis Blues, 4-4.

“We couldn’t make the passes we made in the first two periods,” Murray said. “We didn’t get all the pucks that we were getting.”

Saturday at Buffalo they played 20 minutes before blowing a 2-0 lead and losing, 5-2; then on Wednesday night they played 40 minutes.

It’s sort of like the playoffs last season, when the Kings were swept by the Detroit Red Wings.

“I think what we have to do is to play to the standard that we set [during the regular season last year],” Murray said. “In the playoffs, we didn’t play to that standard and for the last 20 minutes [Wednesday night] we didn’t play to that standard against St. Louis.”

The result was a full house at Staples Center that was rocking and rolling for two periods but then turned on the Kings and booed them off the ice at game’s end.

“People were recognizing our effort,” Murray said. “We came out and got a 4-0 lead and they responded to that. The problem is that we didn’t send them home satisfied. I want our team to know these people pay our bills.”

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King goalie Stephane Fiset skated Thursday for the first time since suffering a knee injury Sept. 22 in an exhibition at the Arrowhead Pond.

Jamie Storr has been in goal for all four of the Kings’ games and is expected to be there tonight at Staples Center against the Boston Bruins.

TONIGHT

vs. Boston

Fox Sports Net, 7:30

* Site--Staples Center.

* Radio--KRLA (1110).

* Records--Kings 2-1-1-0, Bruins 3-0-1-0.

* Record vs. Bruins (1999-2000)--0-0-2.

* Update--That the Kings are penalty-prone (they have faced 29 power plays so far) is not lost on Bruin Coach Pat Burns, who figures to dress seven defensemen, adding Paul Coffey to the lineup. Coffey has been sidelined the last three games because of a shoulder injury, but even at 39 is a valuable puck distributor on the power play. The Bruins are one of the NHL’s surprises after starting last season 0-5-4. They haven’t beaten the Kings since Oct. 15, 1997.

* Tickets--(888) 546-4752.