Excuse Andy Murray if he seems a little distracted, but he has a lot on his mind.

His Kings complete a five-game road swing tonight against the Blackhawks at the United Center. And, while they're finishing this trip, they're also beginning a long stretch without franchise center Jason Allison, who'll miss 8-12 weeks due a torn MCL and a sprained ACL in his right knee suffered during a collision with Thrashers defenseman Andy Sutton on Tuesday in Atlanta.

	The Kings will have to make do without their franchise player.

In a highly competitive Western Conference, Murray darn well knows he and his team don't have time to pine over the loss of their top player. He knows that simple fact of NHL life from experience.

Last season, Murray successfully dealt with similar injury problems when high-scoring right winger Ziggy Palffy and top-four defenseman Mathieu Schneider both spent the month of December on the injured list. Without either player for 14 games (Schneider actually missed more time), the Kings still managed to post a respectable 6-4-4 record.

Now, with Allison out of the picture for a long while, Murray again must adjust a tattered lineup. Until now, he's been making due without key defeseman Aaron Miller, who hasn't played a game this season after undergoing abdominal surgery in September. (Miller could be back in two weeks.)

And, Murray hasn't had Palffy on his bench for six of the club's last seven games due to a strained left groin. The coach, however, is optimistic that his goal-scoring winger could return tonight. "We targeted him to be back for the Chicago game," Murray said. "So, we hope he'll be ready to go."

While Palffy could return, fellow first-liner Adam Deadmarsh might miss some time due to a wrist injury. Deadmarsh, whose own medical problem has been lost in the bad news surrounding Allison, suffered his injury as a result of a fall during the Kings' 5-1 loss in Columbus on Sunday. Deadmarsh dressed for Tuesday's game in Atlanta, but didn't play during the last two periods.

On Wednesday night, Murray figured Deadmarsh would miss the game against the Hawks. At this time, Murray claims, the extent of his injury is not known. The coach says that team doctors will examine Deadmarsh when the club returns to L.A. after Thursday's game.

Meanwhile, in Allison's absence, Murray will move versatile Bryan Smolinski from the wing to the middle. "He [Smolinski] has been a good player for us," Murray said. "Two years ago, I felt he was our most valuable player."

He'll have to be again, if he's to replace the team's top scorer -- even for a couple of months.

Murray teaches and preaches a 'team' game. And, indeed, the Kings listen well to their savvy coach. With their strong two-way game, the Kings have a 5-2-2 record. Without Allison, though, they'll have to take their "team" game to another level to stay near the top in the West.

For these wounded Kings, that tough assignment begins tonight in Chicago.

E.J. Hradek writes hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.