Kings coach Todd McLellan: 'We don't deserve to be in the playoffs'

The Los Angeles Kings fell to the Arizona Coyotes 5-2 on Monday and are now nine points behind the fourth-place Coyotes in the NHL West race for the division's final postseason berth. 

Kings coach Todd McLellan was brutally honest about his team's playoff hopes following the defeat. 

"Let's face it, we don't deserve to be in the playoffs if we don't have the intensity to play to get to the playoffs," McLellan said, per Tom Gulitti of the NHL's website. "It's as simple as that. I think there's enough guys that have been there and know that the journey to the playoffs is just as hard as the journey through the playoffs.

"We have a pipe dream of making the playoffs with the type of commitment and intensity that we brought to the rink tonight, and maybe a couple of other games over the last little bit."

Los Angeles has lost three straight and dropped six of its past seven contests to fall to seventh in the division. The Kings host Arizona again on Wednesday evening.

"We haven't had any intensity, anyone competing," Kings defenseman Drew Doughty added. "I shouldn't say that. We've had some guys competing every single game, and we've had others take games on, play good games, and take games off. I mean, we're down 4-1 in the third period, I'd sure hope that we're playing a little more desperate, but it's absolutely ridiculous that we didn't play like that in the first or the second."