Robitaille Scores Twice, Gains Tie : Kings: His 59th goal of the season, with 1:28 to play, catches the Flames, 3-3, in a possible first-round playoff preview.

Lasting images of the Kings’ 3-3 tie against the Calgary Flames, also known as a possible Smythe Division semifinal playoff preview:

--King left wing Luc Robitaille’s tying goal with 1:28 left in regulation, with goaltender Kelly Hrudey pulled for an extra attacker. Robitaille, taking a no-look pass from Dave Taylor, beat Calgary goaltender Mike Vernon on the stick side out front in the slot. It was Robitaille’s 59th goal of the season and second of the game.

Robitaille’s goal made the score 3-3, completing the Kings’ comeback. Calgary had retaken the lead, 3-2, on Gary Suter’s goal at 17:05. Suter’s shot from above the left circle on a drop pass from center Paul Ranheim finished off a three-on-two when the Kings got caught up ice.

--Calgary center Joe Nieuwendyk, coming down the right wing and cutting to the middle while being checked by defensemen Mark Hardy and Tim Watters, to score the tying goal with 5:57 remaining. The puck went off Nieuwendyk’s skate and over the goal line shortly before a three-way collision between Nieuwendyk, Hardy and Hrudey knocked the goal off its magnets.

His goal made the score 2-2 after it held up to review. Video goal judge John Pemberton only needed one look at the replay to back up the officials.

--A Flame player, pick anyone on their roster, skating off to the penalty box. In the first two periods, the Kings had eight power plays and scored on two. Even Vernon got in the act, tripping up King forward Gary Shuchuk with the play heading the other way late in the second period.

--Hrudey. If anything, the recent image of the embattled Hrudey has been somewhat fuzzy. He has been fighting flu off and on the past month and struggling to regain his position of No. 1 goaltender.

Tuesday, he was solid in front of a sellout crowd of 16,005 at the Forum, making 31 saves. It was only his third start in the last 17 games. Now, Hrudey is unbeaten in his last three, defeating the New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers and tying Calgary, inching closer to Robb Stauber, who, at least unofficially, has been the Kings No. 1 goalie.

A loss would have mathematically eliminated the third-place Kings (37-33-10) from finishing second in the Smythe Division. It will still be a difficult task as they are seven points behind second-place Calgary (40-29-11). With the Kings’ loss to Minnesota, coupled with Calgary’s back-to-back victories over the San Jose Sharks last weekend, some of the luster was off this game in regard to second place.

“Us and Calgary don’t like each other,” King Coach Barry Melrose said. “This is what’s great about hockey. There is yapping, screaming and yelling at each other. People hitting each other over the head. That’s what hockey’s all about.”

Said King center Corey Millen, who had one assist: “It was pretty intense out there, a lot of hitting. We were trying to set a tone in this game since both teams know we’ll probably be meeting in the first round.”

More important, the victory opened the gap between the Kings and fourth-place Winnipeg, which lost to Philadelphia. The Jets trail the Kings by three points.

The Kings have four games remaining: two against the Sharks and two against the Vancouver Canucks. Two of the four are at the Forum. Calgary has home games against the Canucks and the Sharks and road games in Vancouver and Edmonton.

After two periods, the Kings led by 2-1 on second-period goals by Robitaille and Mike Donnelly (27th). Both goals came on the power play. Calgary’s first goal of the game, by center Robert Reichel, came on the power play at 8:32 of the first period and gave the Flames a 1-0 lead.

King Notes

Defenseman Rob Blake, who suffered a bruised lower back during the first period on Saturday against the North Stars, did not play against the Flames, but might not return to the lineup until shortly before the playoffs. Coach Barry Melrose wants to be careful with Blake, keeping him out of action as a precaution.