EL SEGUNDO — There’s no time for ego-stroking during a playoff race.

Produce, and play. Struggle, and sit. Kings coach Darryl Sutter isn’t always easy to understand, but his way of distributing minutes to his forwards is clear-cut and based on results, not resumes.

That’s why veterans such as Dustin Brown, Jarret Stoll and Justin Williams now find themselves in third- and fourth-line roles, while traditional grinders such as Dwight King and Trevor Lewis are top-six wingers.

The Kings have scored two or fewer goals in six of their last eight games, which led Sutter to make some notable changes in practice Monday, in advance of Tuesday’s game at Colorado.

King continued his steady climb through the lineup and is now on the first line with Anze Kopitar and Marian Gaborik. He flipped spots with Trevor Lewis, who is now on the second line with Jeff Carter and Tyler Toffoli.

The Kings have a third line of Stoll, Williams and Jordan Nolan, and a fourth line of Brown (the team captain), Kyle Clifford and rookie Nick Shore.

”Right now, we’re moving guys around, trying to get some guys going,’’ Sutter said Monday. ”I mean, everybody talks about these lines that are special and all that, but we have guys who haven’t scored a goal for 10 games, or two in 20, things like that. … We’ve got some guys who have slipped again.’’

Sutter’s ”0 in 10’’ criticism hits two players exactly. Stoll hasn’t scored in 10 games and has 1 goal in his last 19. King is scoreless in his last 10 but he has generally been creating scoring opportunities.

Then there’s Williams, with one goal in his last 13 games, and Brown, with one goal in his last 12 games.

It’s difficult to determine when it’s time to shake up line combinations. Over the past three seasons, the Kings have been consistently inconsistent when it comes to goals, with five games periods of productivity followed by five-game periods of drought, for no particular reason.

This season seems a bit different. For much of it, the Kings have been a one-line team, the one centered by Carter. When the Carter line has thrived, most notably in October and late February, the Kings’ offense has been threatening. When that line slumps, the Kings don’t have much else to offer.

Still, there’s a sense that the Kings are never too far away. Even in a 1-0 loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday, the Kings outshot the Penguins 31-18. In their last three games, the Kings have outshot opponents by a margin of 89-59.

”We have to bear down on our chances,’’ Brown said. ”Individually and collectively, I think there is more concern on the offensive side of the game when you lose 1-0 and you don’t have those chances. We’re generating good chances. It’s just a matter of bearing down.’’

The other lines, even the one centered by Kopitar, have contributed only sparingly, and no one is spared from critique.

Asked about the progress of Shore, a 22-year-old center who has zero goals and three assists in 19 games — almost all in a fourth-line role — Sutter said, ”He’s going to have to get on a better (scoring) clip if we’re going to make the playoffs.’’

STILL WORKING

Alec Martinez, out with concussion symptoms, skated alone for a third day but has yet to rejoin teammates in practice. Martinez has missed 13 consecutive games.