Kings wary of falling into last season’s trap

An 0-2 start is no reason to panic. But for the Kings, who finished two points behind Calgary last season for the third Pacific Division playoff spot, losing to San Jose and Arizona reminded them of the potential consequences of letting points slip through their gloved fingers.

“I think everyone understands in here that we haven’t played very well in these first two games,” team captain Dustin Brown said. “And a lot of it has a lot to do, especially in the first game, with our compete level, and that’s unacceptable to have a low compete level.

“There’s one thing since I’ve been here — even when we had those bad teams, we always played hard. And that’s been addressed over the last couple days.”

Brown said they didn’t need a team meeting to reinforce the urgency of hitting stride soon and avoiding the trap they fell into last season, when they thought they’d make their annual late push and sneak into the playoffs. That was the feeling around the NHL too, that the Kings would go on a run and get in and wow, wouldn’t they be dangerous.

Fine in theory, but they never made that run.

“I think all of us bought into that idea that we’d turn a switch last year and we were unable to,” Brown said Monday, after the Kings practiced for Tuesday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks at Staples Center.

“It was addressed immediately when you get knocked out of the playoffs that we don’t have that switch and we have to have a lot more urgency in our games. We’ve done five-game segments, and last year you could see the trend: We weren’t winning those five-game segments and kept saying, ‘We’ll get the next one.’ It’s just bringing urgency to the games now.”

Coach Darryl Sutter wants to establish consistency to stabilize a team that went through considerable off-ice turmoil. “You can’t have highs and lows in your season if you want to be a playoff team,” he said. “We’ve played two teams already that weren’t playoff teams last year so now we’re playing one [Tuesday] that was, so our game has to be ramped up a little bit.”

Defenseman Drew Doughty said he’s not worried, but cautioned there’s no time to waste even at this early stage. “We’ve definitely got to pick it up,” he said. “We’re losing games that we shouldn’t be losing — division games, too. We need to win this next game.”

The Commish visits Southern California

Commissioner Gary Bettman, in Anaheim on Monday for the Ducks’ home opener, said the league will continue its case-by-case policy in addressing incidents such as the domestic abuse case of former Kings defenseman Slava Voynov and the drug-related cases that involved former Kings forwards Jarret Stoll and Mike Richards.

Voynov’s voluntary departure to his native Russia after serving jail time meant the NHL didn’t have to rule on his future here. “The fact is we always knew that as the situation unfolded that we were going to have to be observers for the most part and take a back seat to the legal proceedings,” Bettman told The Times. “They ultimately played out in a way which made it difficult, if not impossible, for him to continue his career in the NHL. Whether or not something else happens in the distant future, I’m not going to prognosticate and it’s not something we’re focused on.”

The NHL hasn’t intervened in the case of Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane, who faces rape allegations connected to a an alleged incident at his home. “Talking generally now, when there’s allegations and nothing more, you need to see what law enforcement is going to do,” Bettman said. “They have more access to information than anyone else and we’re not privy to everything they have. So we’re observing, we continue to monitor and if at some point in time there’s an appropriate decision to make then we’ll make it.”

He also said the league is monitoring the rising number of positive cocaine tests among players, a trend mentioned by Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly in an interview with TSN last week. Daly said he didn’t think there were more than 20 positive tests, but NHL players aren’t tested as comprehensively as those in other leagues.

Touching on other topics, Bettman said he believes the goal of Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli to break even financially instead of sustaining losses in double-digit millions “is not too distant in the future.” He also said the new three-on-three overtime “has been fun,” and he’s comfortable with the new coach’s challenge. “We’re still in the infancy of both, so we’ll see what happens but I’m optimistic,” he said.

Slap shots

Although No. 1 draft pick Connor McDavid is still seeking his first point for Edmonton, several other rookies have had good beginnings. Start with Oscar Lindberg, who is only the sixth rookie in NHL history to record a goal in each of his team’s first three games of the season. Detroit’s Dylan Larkin, 19, has a goal and two assists and a plus-6 defensive rating in two games, and Chicago’s Artemi Panarin has two goals and four points in three games while playing alongside Kane.

The National Women’s Hockey League — the first to pay female players — launched its first season Sunday with four teams: the Boston Pride, Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale and New York Riveters. Unlike the WNBA, which has gotten financial and strategic support from the NBA, the NWHL isn’t affiliated with the NHL. But according to the NWHL’s website, Bettman sent a statement of support and wished the new league well.

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