It's Now or Never for Los Angeles Kings to Get the Most out of Their Lineup

After lifeless defeats to the Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks, time is running out for the Los Angeles Kings' playoff hopes. They currently sit three points behind the Calgary Flames and two behind the Winnipeg Jets, with a game in hand on each squad.

The team was seemingly headed in the right direction only days ago, but a few questionable roster decisions have caught up and conspired to stifle LA's offense during the worst possible stretch of the season.

If head coach Darryl Sutter's squad is to scrap its way to the postseason, it must optimize its lineup, putting its players—and, consequently, the team—in the best positions to succeed.

Fortify the Bottom 6

Juan Ocampo/Getty Images

LA's offense has dried up in the past two contests, producing a measly two goals over that span.

Given the streakiness of the team's attack in 2014-15, it must find strength in numbers—in depth. The third and fourth lines, as presently constructed, simply don't offer enough offensive potential to support the Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter units.

Nick Shore boasts a surprisingly mature game for a 22-year-old, but he's managed just one goal—off his skate, no less—and seven points in 30 games.

That just won't cut it when slotted next to captain Dustin Brown.

Meanwhile, Mike Richards has continued to toil on a unit with Kyle Clifford and Jordan Nolan. He's miscast as a disciplined, steady fourth-liner—he's a gambler and heart-and-soul playmaker who requires at least a modicum of skill to finish off his passes.

Nolan and Clifford don't appear to understand how to play with Richards, often hesitating for a half-second both in possession and on defense.

On Monday night, Clifford gets petrified by the loose puck, losing inside leverage on Niklas Hjalmarsson at the point. This allows the Blackhawks defender to stroll into the slot and rip a shot by Jonathan Quick:

Shore and Richards exchanging spots on the depth chart would place them in the right situations to thrive.

The rookie's expectations would be whittled down to safe, high-energy hockey, whereas Richards would enjoy some talent on his wings and decreased defensive responsibility. He's just not dependable enough in his end anymore.

Under this setup, the Kings would create the luxury of three scoring lines and bolster the reliability of their fourth group.

At the moment, the third line isn't meeting its offensive quota while the fourth line flounders in its own zone. LA can't afford to keep forcing square pegs into round holes:

	GF60	Pts/60
Richards with Jordan Nolan (current line)	0.95	0.47
Richards with Justin Williams (3rd line)	2.92	1.16
Shore with Dustin Brown (current line)	0.92	0.92
Shore with Jordan Nolan (4th line)	1.63	0.81

Jarret Stoll's recovery from a concussion complicates matters.

According to LA Kings Insider's Jon Rosen, the center took line rushes with the third group and is primed to join the fray against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.

This will likely relegate Richards to the press box.

Despite Stoll's irreproachable guts and work ethic, he's struggled mightily all season, hurting his unit's offense while slipping on the defensive end. He's best suited for a fourth-line role at this point, although Shore can already fill those shoes.

Sliding the 32-year-old back onto the third line would yield the same toothless bottom six that has plagued the club since the start of 2014-15.

Blue-Line Adjustments

Harry How/Getty Images

Drew Doughty is fried.

Leading the league in ice time and surpassing his career average by more than three minutes per game, the All-Star defenseman seems to be running on fumes.

As a result, he posted an uncharacteristic stat line of five points and a minus-two rating in 15 contests over the month of March.

Sutter has paired him with Jake Muzzin again, and the duo simply has not coalesced this season. It has posted a goals-for percentage of 44.6 in 2014-15 after putting up a mark of 59.6 in 2013-14.

It's clear as day that the abnormally heavy workload has taken its toll on Doughty:

	October	November	December	January	February	March
Games	11	13	14	11	12	15
Points	5	8	9	8	6	5
Plus/Minus	Even	+5	-2	-1	+3	-2

He can't do it all himself. He's still trying to, though, which is leading to a slew of turnovers and blown coverages.

Andrej Sekera is the man who deserves the additional minutes, as he's performed admirably since coming over from the Carolina Hurricanes. Unfortunately, Rosen reported that he's injured and did not skate on Thursday.

Next in line to munch extra minutes, then, should be Muzzin...on a different unit.

While the 26-year-old has faltered on the top pairing, he's played well alongside Matt Greene. When facing lower competition next to the hard-nosed veteran, his goals-for percentage rises to a sparkling 61.1.

LA must reduce Doughty's burden by two or three minutes per night, because riding him into the ground has utterly snuffed out his impact.

Meanwhile, Brayden McNabb is expected to reclaim his third-pairing spot.

McNabb brings his share of physicality while also sporting a long reach and decent mobility. His puck-handling and decision-making have gradually improved as the season has worn on, as well.

Slotting in beside Alec Martinez, who has played on the right side before with some success, could offer a nice third pairing reminiscent of the McNabb-Sekera duo that delivered the goods for a brief spell—that twosome controlled 80 percent of the goals scored and 61.2 percent of the shot attempts when iced together.

With Slava Voynov suspended and Sekera out, the personnel at Sutter's disposal is far from ideal.

Nevertheless, he must conjure some magic in a hurry for his squad to correct its course and string together wins before reaching the finish line.

Outlook

Mike Stobe/Getty Images

The Kings are nowhere near as awful as they've looked in consecutive 4-1 losses to Minnesota and Chicago, and the key to playing to their potential is finding the right balance on offense and defense.

That means emphasizing individual strengths and distributing minutes more evenly.

Relying on one particular line or pairing isn't in this club's DNA, so it must form a stronger united front to mask weaknesses, smother the opposition and claw back into postseason contention.

LA will sink or swim based on its ability to deploy its troops in judicious fashion.

Statistics courtesy of Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com, NHL.com and Hockey-Reference.com.