Youth is served, but it’s another win for the aged

Never trust anyone over 30. That hasn’t found its way into the Kings’ marketing campaign just yet, but it certainly seemed to apply.

This was a young man’s world, or a least the dressing room was, with some indications that the rebuilding project was on the right path. Yet the message that came from Saturday’s 5-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks at Staples Center was clear:

Respect your elders.

Derek Armstrong, 35 and climbing, went old-time-hockey-like to the net, chipping in a rebound to break a 2-2 tie six minutes into the third period. Kyle Calder, with 30 rapidly approaching, hacked away at the crease to extend that lead 13 minutes into the period.

“You surround your young players with quality people,� Coach Terry Murray said. “That’s how they learn to become pros. When you have veterans putting on the work boots, doing the same things each game, that example is really important for young players to see.�

The Kings’ kids got an eyeful. Armstrong, almost a forgotten player the last month, went about his job, grinding through 11 minutes of play. But the few seconds it took to crash the net in the third period stood out. Kyle Quincey fired in that direction and Armstrong was there to get either a skate or a stick on the puck and the Kings had a 3-2 lead.

Calder followed suit, going to the net to chop in another rebound off a Quincey shot to give the Kings a needed cushion. “It’s a lot of fun being around such a young group, but you need guys with experience around,� said Calder, who has two goals this season.

Whether the two will stay around probably will be decided at the end of the season. Both will be unrestricted free agents.

Armstrong spent the last five seasons as a Gunga Din-like role model. But his water-toting days dwindled the past months, when he was a healthy scratch nine times in 10 games.

The Kings have 12 players 25 or younger. Of the last 12 goals the team had scored before Saturday, nine were by players under 25. The direction seemed obvious.

“I just had to stay positive,� said Armstrong, whose goal was his first since Feb. 15 of last season. “You show up and work and know that you will get another chance.�

Armstrong returned to the lineup three games ago.

“It was tough on him the first couple games,� Murray said. “Derek is an emotional guy. But I saw a lot of character in him while he was sitting. He is always very vocal in the room and the leader in the cheering section. Young players need to see that every day.�

Calder is in the last year of a two-year, $5.5-million contract and was mired in an 11-game goal-less streak. “I don’t look beyond this season at all,� he said. “We have a lot going for us here right now.�

The Kings showed a little of that Saturday, though their fast start disintegrated into a wobbly second period and a 2-1 deficit. The Kings hit the post three times on a second-period power play before Alexander Frolov finally swept the puck into the net to tie the score, 2-2, with 1:02 left in the period.

The old guys took it from there. “As you get older, it’s all about winning games,� Armstrong said. “As you get older, you appreciate winning games. I can help chip in goals during the game and play as well as I can. I’ll do everything to help us win.�

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