Kings seek to end early-season skid in St. Louis

After rousing the crowd in their season opener, the Kings have provoked only a series of groans since by failing to win another game and losing one of their two most significant contributors to injury.

They will play their second straight match in St. Louis on Monday, seeking to slam the brakes on a four-game skid after they fell 7-3 to the Blues on Saturday in their first full contest without top defenseman Drew Doughty.

In Friday’s overtime loss to the Dallas Stars, Doughty sustained a lower-body injury late in the second period where a check from defenseman Jani Hakanpaa resulted in knee-on-knee contact. Doughty had to be helped off the ice and was spotted by the St. Louis press corps Saturday using crutches.

“It’s hard to replace Drew Doughty,” Kings Coach Todd McLellan told reporters. “I don’t think I’m saying anything that’s not obvious, it’s hard to replace him in (all) those situations, but it’s a great opportunity for some other people.”

Up front, center Anze Kopitar has been the fulcrum of the Kings’ attack, but even he saw his four-game goal streak snapped as he did not register a point in the blowout loss.

After dropping three one-goal games in a row and drawing some strength from special teams early on, the Kings came unglued on Saturday. They scored first, but then surrendered four power-play goals and a shorthanded tally while coming up empty on four power plays.

“It’s definitely not a game that we want to play, we’re embarrassed right now,” winger Alex Iafallo told reporters. “Obviously each period, we’ve got to come together, whether it’s the power play, penalty kill, everything hurts.”

Doughty will be evaluated more thoroughly on Tuesday when the Kings return home to await the Winnipeg Jets, their first opponent in a five-game homestand that begins Thursday.

In the meantime, veteran Olli Maatta made his season debut on Saturday and another defenseman, Austin Strand, was recalled from the minors. Sean Walker and Alex Edler should both see additional power play time, with McLellan also alluding to a potential group of five forwards.

Elsewhere in the lineup, Kings winger Vladimir Tkachev, whom McLellan subtly suggested was one of the players unprepared for a physical game against Minnesota and who saw his minutes slashed against Nashville, has been a healthy scratch in two straight games.

St. Louis’s season has begun famously. They are one of five teams in the NHL that has yet to lose a game in regulation or overtime. They rank second in power-play conversion rate and are tied for second in penalty-kill percentage.

Winger Jordan Kyrou paces the club offensively with eight points in four games, trailed by veteran David Perron’s seven, a total boosted by his hat trick against the Kings on Saturday.

Eleven players on the St. Louis roster are averaging a point per game on the young campaign. Jordan Binnington had won all four decisions in goal and the Blues have doubled up opponents 22-11 thus far, tying them for the league’s second-best goal differential.

KINGS AT ST. LOUIS

When: Monday, 5 p.m.

Where: Enterprise Center

TV/Radio: Bally Sports West/iHeartRadio