Almost game time

The Kings will play their first preseason game Wednesday at Colorado, and that will be a day both welcomed and challenging. Terry Murray talked about how today was a tough one in practice, because players temporarily hit a wall after three days of nothing but tough practice.

“A little bit of a `hump day’ today,” Murray said. “This is a hard one. The third day, historically, it’s the way it is. You can see where the players lose a little focus, a little concentration, so you’ve got to keep reminding them to stay with it, to push through it. It’s been hard, especially when you end the session with 10 (skating) reps, the way we did. It’s pretty demanding, but overall good.”

So the sight of Avalanche jerseys will be welcomed by the Kings, but the schedule presents a challenge to the coaching staff. With two games against Phoenix on Thursday — one in L.A. and one in Arizona — the Kings essentially have three games in two nights. There are certainly enough players to go around right now, but players typically wouldn’t play back-to-back games this early in preseason, and league rules mandate that at least eight “veterans” must play in each preseason game.

The Kings are helped by the fact that recent first-round picks also count as “veterans,” so players such as Thomas Hickey, Brayden Schenn and Trevor Lewis will help, but Murray will have to get a little creative to make sure he’s getting the most out of his lineups.

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