Nothing Doing for the Kings

The Kings got a harsh dose of reality Wednesday. If they learned nothing else against the Edmonton Oilers, the Kings found out that this rallying for a playoff spot business isn’t as easy as they had been making it look for the last month or so.

All those kind bounces and fortunate breaks ended with a thud during a 7-0 drubbing from the Oilers before an announced crowd of 15,666 at Staples Center.

Instead of drawing within two points of the San Jose Sharks, sixth in the Western Conference standings, and the seventh-place Oilers, the Kings stayed put in a tie for eighth with Phoenix.

Playing well against struggling teams such as the Sharks and Coyotes is one thing. Playing well against rising teams such as the Oilers is quite another. There went the Kings’ six-game unbeaten streak.

Bad luck cost L.A. on Edmonton’s first goal, but then goalie Felix Potvin gave up a couple that he almost certainly would have liked to have another crack at stopping. Edmonton goalie Tommy Salo had no such breakdowns in stopping 28 shots for his ninth shutout this season.

“I couldn’t stop anything tonight,� Potvin said. “I didn’t make a key save right off the bat. Some nights, the puck just seems smaller.�

In the end, it didn’t matter much that King defenseman Lubomir Vishnovsky accidentally kicked the Oilers’ first goal past a helpless Potvin. Or that Mike Comrie’s wraparound try should have been stopped. Or that Potvin got a glove on Doug Weight’s point-blank shot on a two-on-one break.

The plain fact is that the Kings gave up three goals on six shots in the game’s first period and paid a steep price. Attempts to rally were fruitless as Salo turned the Kings away repeatedly.

Perhaps the Kings were due for a clunker after going 9-1-2 since trading defenseman Rob Blake to the Colorado Avalanche. The Oilers were unbeaten in 10 consecutive, but lost Saturday to the New Jersey Devils and Monday to the Philadelphia Flyers.

“In terms of effort, I thought we had a lot tonight,� King Coach Andy Murray said. “Give credit to the Oilers. Salo was outstanding. The Oilers were very deserving of the two points. We’ve got to look at it like it’s a playoff series. Whether we lost the first game by one goal or seven goals, we’ve got to come back and win the next one.�

The next one is Saturday against the Mighty Ducks, who were thumped, 8-0, on Wednesday by the Dallas Stars.

“Felix has been outstanding for us,� Murray said of Potvin, who before Wednesday was 9-2-2 with a 1.90 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage since the Kings acquired him Feb. 15 from the Vancouver Canucks. “He’s the main reason our hockey club has been playing as well as it has. Felix Potvin will be back in net Saturday. There’s no reason to expect anything but a stellar performance from him on Saturday.�

A bit of bad luck 7:47 into the game set the tone early for Potvin.

Edmonton defenseman Eric Brewer raced down the left wing toward Potvin’s net early in the opening period. Brewer’s pass to Shawn Horcoff on the right wing ticked off the stick of retreating winger Glen Murray. The puck then struck Vishnovsky’s skate and was in the back of the net before Potvin could react.

Next, Comrie swept behind the net without a King within the same area code and slipped the puck off Potvin’s left leg and into the back of the net at 11:09.

Finally, after King defenseman Mattias Norstrom mishandled the puck at the Oiler blue line, Weight raced up ice on an odd-man rush. Potvin deflected Weight’s shot from near the bottom of the left faceoff circle. But the puck tricked into the net at 17:51.

Game over.

Except that there were 40 more minutes of frustration left for the Kings, who were blanked by the Oilers, 5-0, in Potvin’s debut Feb. 20 at Edmonton.

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WEST RACE

Top eight positions qualify for the postseason:

1. Colorado 107

2. Detroit 99

3. Dallas 92

4. St. Louis 95

5. Vancouver 86

6. Edmonton 85

7. San Jose 83

8. Kings 79

9. Phoenix 79