Flames trump Kings’ offensive burst

The Kings came into this season hoping to bulldoze their opponents, but so far they’re performing more like a backhoe.

They dug themselves another quick hole Saturday night against the visiting Calgary Flames, dug themselves out with three consecutive goals in the third period and then everything caved in down the stretch, as the Flames scored three straight of their own to win, 6-4, in front of the sixth sellout crowd of the season at Staples Center.

Daymond Langkow scored the winner with just under five minutes left, cleaning up a loose puck in front of the net and beating goalkeeper Jason LaBarbera. Kristian Huselius scored an empty netter in the final minute, clinching Calgary’s fifth straight victory.

“It’s hard to win when you allow six goals,” said Kings center Anze Kopitar, whose 17th goal of the season gave the Kings a 4-3 lead at the 10:12 mark of the third period.

The Kings gave up two goals in the first four minutes. It was the 12th time in the last 13 games the Kings gave up the first goal. In seven of those games, the first goal came in the game’s first four minutes.

“It seems like, at this point, we need that goal to get going,” said defenseman Tom Preissing. “That’s ridiculous. To spot teams a goal in this league, you’re starting off on a bad foot.”

Alexander Frolov gave the Kings some life after he stole the puck from Calgary goalkeeper Miikka Kiprusoff behind the net and beat him back out front at 6:14 of the second period. It was the seventh goal of the season for Frolov and third in the last three games.

Calgary right wing Jarome Iginla took back the two-goal advantage when he scored a power-play goal off a pass from Anders Eriksson at the 13:24 mark of the second period. For Iginla, it was his 12th power-play goal of the season, his 32nd overall and 58th point, all of which are second best in the league.

The Kings scored three goals in the first half of the third period to take a 4-3 lead.

Brad Stuart scored his fourth of the year on a wrist shot from just inside the blue line at the 2:08 mark and Ladislav Nagy tied the score with his ninth goal of the season and fourth in three games. Frolov found Nagy alone on the opposite side of the crease and he beat Kiprusoff at the 4:48 mark, just as Stuart was leaving the penalty box for a hooking penalty.

The Kings came into the game with the league’s fourth-most efficient power-play unit and Calgary had the fifth worst penalty-killing unit, but the Kings took a total of only five shots while going scoreless on their five man-advantage situations.

They finally took advantage when Cory Sirich drew a four-minute double minor penalty for a high stick that drew blood from the nose of Kyle Calder, and the Kings then had a two-man advantage for 2:25 after Matthew Lombardi was called for hooking. Rob Blake’s slap shot trickled behind Kiprusoff and Kopitar was there to slam it in the net, giving the Kings a 4-3 lead at the 10:12 mark.

“They came with a big flurry in the third,” said Iginla.

It wouldn’t last long. Huselius scored at the 13:05 mark of the third, and Langkow scored the winner at 14:55.

dan.arritt@latimes.com