Slide Has Forced L.A. to Play Catch

EDMONTON, Canada —  In their quickly dissolving drive for the playoffs, the Kings haven’t been as bad as they were during a midseason 14-game winless streak.

They might be worse.

In December and January, as their injuries piled up, the Kings held on long enough to earn 11 points while going 0-3-9-2, the third-longest winless streak in team history.

These days, with plenty of healthy players and a few new ones acquired in trades before the deadline, the Kings aren’t getting any points in the standings.

The Kings have lost five consecutive games in regulation for the first time since December 1999, and, more important, have slipped in the race for the final two playoff spots in the Western Conference.

Perhaps the only solace is that tonight’s game is against the Edmonton Oilers, one of three teams the 10th-place Kings are chasing. If the Kings win, they will be only two points behind the Oilers with five games left.

“We’re fortunate that we’re in a situation where we can still catch them,” defenseman Mattias Norstrom said. “That’s our only job now. I don’t know any other way to look at the situation we put ourselves in.”

The Kings’ last trip to Edmonton was memorable, with Jason Holland and Joe Corvo scoring in the final 1:10 of a 4-3 victory Jan. 31, but the Kings won’t want to wait that long tonight.

Their slow start in a 1-0 loss to the Vancouver Canucks got them in enough trouble Wednesday night. The Kings played as if their defensive zone was sloped downward, getting outshot at one point, 22-4, on the way to a season-low 15 shots.

“A number of the players that we count on making good decisions and good plays for us didn’t do that,” King Coach Andy Murray said. “When you’re turning the puck over, usually it’s coming back down your throat, and that’s what happened in the first two periods.”

A loss or tie won’t help the Kings against the Oilers.

“Desperate times call for desperate plays,” Norstrom said. “We need to show that desperation from the drop of the puck until the horn goes off at the end of the game.”

TONIGHT

at Edmonton, 5 PST, Fox Sports Net 2

Site -- Rexall Place.

Radio -- KSPN (710).

Records -- Kings 28-25-16-7, Oilers 33-27-12-5.

Record vs. Oilers -- 2-1-0-0.

Update -- The Oilers have been the league’s best late-season turnaround story, moving into playoff contention because of a 14-game point-scoring streak (8-0-2-4). The Oilers’ last loss in regulation was Feb. 25 against the Mighty Ducks. Ryan Smyth’s goal with 6:22 left was the difference in the Oilers’ 2-1 victory Monday over the Kings.