KINGS NOTEBOOK: TEAM TRYING TO GET MORE FROM BROWN.

Byline: Rich Hammond Staff Writer

EL SEGUNDO - Dustin Brown hadn't scored a goal since he became of legal drinking age.

Then again, Brown just turned 21 on Nov. 4, but until he scored twice Tuesday night in Toronto, Brown had gone 11 games without a goal and 17 games without a point. That's a lifetime for Brown, a young player trying to make a name for himself in the NHL for something other than hard hitting.

Brown landed in coach Andy Murray's doghouse this month for poor overall play and had his minutes reduced sharply, but Brown responded with a solid road trip and got his reward Tuesday.

``When you don't score, you get down a little bit,'' Brown said. ``You end up putting pressure on yourself more than anything. You're holding the stick too tight or trying too hard, trying to do too much and you end up doing nothing at all. It's nice to get a couple goals, because now I can just relax out there a little bit.

``I can keep playing my game and not think about how many games it's been since I scored.''

The Kings aren't counting on Brown to be a scoring leader. His main value comes from his massive open-ice hits and his all-around physical play, but they would like him to fill a role similar to Adam Deadmarsh, a big hitter who can also camp out around the net and finish scoring chances.

--Hanging in there: Mathieu Garon will make his third consecutive start in goal for the Kings tonight, coming off a 36-save win in what arguably was the team's best goaltending effort of the season.

``I felt good,'' Garon said. ``I feel like, in the last three weeks or so, my game has been really sharp. I wouldn't necessarily say that I'm getting better every day, but the more you play, the better you feel.''

--Coming to town: The Kings will visit rinks in six cities, including Simi Valley and Valencia, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday as part of a program to reach out to fans and youth hockey players.

The players will be split into six groups and will conduct on-ice clinics and field questions from fans. Players will visit the Easy Street Arena in Simi Valley, the Valencia Ice Station, the Pasadena Ice Skating Center, Glacial Gardens in Anaheim, the Ontario Ice Skating Center and the Aliso Viejo Ice Palace.

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KINGS vs. CAROLINA

- Rich Hammond