Kings Maintain Downward Trend

This was insult added to injury.

The Kings’ search for good news went unrewarded Thursday. They played without their three top offensive forwards -- Pavol Demitra, Craig Conroy and Alexander Frolov -- and then proceeded to play without much passion.

By the time the Dallas Stars polished off a 4-1 victory at Staples Center, two things were clear: the Stars could get to work on another “Pacific Division champions” banner, and the Kings could put a temporary hold on printing Stanley Cup playoff tickets after losing for the fourth time in five games.

“We had better put a stop to this,” assistant captain Luc Robitaille said. “We have no choice. Yeah, we were missing some key players, but that is not a reason to be out-worked and that is what happened out there tonight.”

The Stars’ Jason Arnott scored two goals and Stu Barnes had a goal and two assists. The Kings, who gave up three goals on the first five shots against the Phoenix Coyotes on Tuesday, gave up two goals on the first five shots Thursday.

All of which meant a little more than the Stars’ increasing their lead to 14 points.

The victory gave Dallas a little revenge. The Kings had won five of six games against the Stars this season, including a rally from a three-goal deficit in the third period for a 6-5 victory on Feb. 12.

But the Kings had other things to worry about Thursday.

“We have played awful the last little stretch,” assistant captain Aaron Miller said. “We play St. Louis Saturday and we have to win that game.”

With key players on the Kings’ roster who seem primed for a guest shots on “Grey’s Anatomy,” the team’s playoff chances hovered in a gray area.

The loss dropped the Kings into seventh place, one point ahead of the Vancouver Canucks, and left them only four points from the 10th-place San Jose Sharks.

“I’m sick of being out of the playoffs,” said center Eric Belanger, who returned to the lineup after missing one game with a hyperextended left elbow.

“You work hard all year, go through all the bumps and bruises, and you end up outside looking in when the playoffs come. It [stinks]. But we’re still in [a playoff spot]. All we have to do is win our games and we’ll be fine.”

That may hinge on news from the training room.

Conroy, who was struck by a puck against the Sharks Monday, said he was cleared by the team doctor Thursday and would be in the lineup Saturday.

Demitra’s status, though, remained a question, after he suffered a likely concussion when he was clobbered by the Coyotes’ Keith Ballard on Tuesday.

After extensive prodding Thursday, King Coach Andy Murray admitted that Demitra had blurry vision in his right eye and “possible concussion-like symptoms.”

Demitra, who was among the NHL leaders in goals the first three months of the season, has played in only eight of the Kings’ last 25 games because of injuries.

Losing Demitra, Conroy and Frolov -- whose status is week-to-week with a separated shoulder -- left the Kings without their top offense line, one that has carried them at times this season.

“It’s unreal, I’ve never seen anything like the last three years,” Belanger said.

“It seems like every year, at this time of the season, we lose key players. There’s nothing you can do about it. We have 20 guys out there and we have to do the job.”

That didn’t happen Thursday.

Fans had barely finished shelling out money for parking, food and drinks when the Stars struck, scoring on their first shot on goal.

Arnott redirected a Philippe Boucher shot past goaltender Mathieu Garon for a 1-0 lead two minutes into the game.

Arnott made it 2-0 three minutes later, planting a shot into an open net after the puck was tipped to the side by Barnes.

Little went right for the King from then on.

“As hard as it may seem to believe, we do have some players who are trying,” Murray said, adding, “scoring goals seemed easy for them. You like to make it more difficult.”