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Kings' Doughty says team needs 'a sense of urgency' to turn season around

Jean-Yves Ahern / USA Today

Friday's loss to the Montreal Canadiens was enough for Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty.

Doughty recorded one goal and an assist in the 6-2 defeat, which dropped Los Angeles to 15-10-5. The Kings sit a point out of a wild-card spot and, while Doughty isn't worried, he wants his teammates to play like they want to see the playoffs.

"We need to have a sense of urgency, that's for sure," Doughty told LA Kings Insider Jon Rosen. "I can tell you that we're not yet worried that we're not going to turn it around and we're not going to make the playoffs or anything like that. We know we still will do that. We just need to turn this thing around quickly, because we're losing points and other teams are gaining ground on us."

Doughty believes games against Eastern Conference opponents are ones the Kings should win, but the team is 1-3-0 in its last four - all against Eastern teams.

"I definitely think the Western Conference is a lot more physical and a lot tougher in that sense to play in. It's a grind," Doughty said. "When you come out to the east, it’s kind of more run-and-gun and offensive game. So we need to play good defense, because if we play good defense and keep ‘em off the scoresheet, that’s how we’ll win."

The Kings can end their Eastern Conference stretch on a positive note with a visit to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday.

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