KINGS NOTEBOOK: GOOD EFFORT NOT ENOUGH.

Byline: Matt McHale

DALLAS - Bryan Smolinski has been one of the Kings' top offensive players, but when he was held without a shot in last Thursday's loss to the Dallas Stars at Staples Center, coach Andy Murray knew he had to say something.

``I told him we needed to get the most out of our better players,'' Murray said after Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Stars. ``We did not come away with a win tonight, but we got outstanding efforts by a lot of people, Bryan included.''

Smolinski said he didn't get down about his game after the loss at Staples Center. He responded with two assists in the Kings victory over Colorado on Sunday. He is second on the team in scoring with 43 points in 46 games.

Early in the third period Wednesday, when the Kings outshot the Stars 18-8, Smolinski had an excellent scoring chance with Dallas on the power play. He broke in on Dallas goaltender Ed Belfour, but was stopped.

``They're getting all I have,'' Smolinski said. ``It's frustrating and more frustrating when you don't play well. You just have to make sure that doesn't happen.''

--What's next: Defenseman Garry Galley said tonight's game in Nashville is critical for many reasons, but the most important might be not letting down after playing so well against Dallas.

The Predators (18-25-6) beat the Kings three times last year in their first season in the NHL. They lost 2-0 to the Kings on opening night in October but are known as a hard-playing team.

``A night like this can be frustrating and you can't let it carry over, especially when you are playing back-to-back games,'' Galley said. ``Forget their record, Nashville always come to play every night. If we don't remember that, they could steal one from us.''

KINGS vs. NASHVILLE

Time: 5:30 p.m. at Gaylord Entertainment Center

TV/Radio: No TV; KRLA-AM (1110)

MATCHUP: The two teams have not played since opening night when Stephane Fiset shut out the Predators 2-0. Kings coach Andy Murray thought so much of that game that he held out Fiset on Wednesday to keep him fresh for tonight's game. The Predators are coming off a 2-0-1 road trip that included a victory over Edmonton, which is battling the Kings for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Cliff Ronning is a Top 20 scorer with 17 goals and 45 points. Rookies Randy Robitaille and David Legwand are among the rookie goal leaders with nine each, but Legwand is out with a broken left foot. Defenseman Kimmo Timonen will miss six weeks with a broken right wrist. Tomas Vokum, who lost to the Kings opening night, has been replaced as Nashville's top goaltender by Mike Dunham.

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Box: Kings vs. Nashville (see text)