Kings rookie Alec Martinez is making an impact

When the Kings recalled defenseman Alec Martinez from Manchester (N.H.) of the American Hockey League on Nov. 23, he feared he was leaving his housemates in the lurch.

“I keep sending them rent checks so I’m not dogging them on that,” said Martinez, who shared a place with several other Kings prospects. “I actually left them a check.”

The way he’s playing, his room in Manchester will be vacant for a while.

Martinez scored the tying goal and set up the winner Saturday in the Kings’ 3-2 overtime victory over the Detroit Red Wings, a standout effort in a solid team performance. He made the winning goal possible when he broke up a passing play in the Kings’ zone, got the puck to Dustin Brown and went to the net to draw a Detroit defenseman away from Anze Kopitar. That left Kopitar free to accept a fine pass from Brown and rifle the puck past Chris Osgood 4 minutes 4 seconds into sudden-death play.

Martinez, who grew up in the Detroit suburb of Rochester Hills, Mich., said he anticipated a pass coming to Johan Franzen on the weak side.

“I was able to get a stick on it, deflect it,” Martinez said. “Brownie made a good play to Kopi and I just drove the net to try to open up that pass and fortunately it went in.”

His goal, which deflected off a Detroit player, had brought the Kings even at 7:18 of the second period. It was his second goal this season, tops among the Kings’ defensemen.

“My game is just getting pucks to the net. You get it to the net, anything can happen,” Martinez said. “I got a good bounce. It feels good to contribute.”

Coach Terry Murray, who called Martinez’s play in launching the three-on-two “textbook, how you draw it,” said the rookie is rounding into a good two-way player.

“He’s got nice skills, he can really skate, and he shoots the puck very well,” Murray said. “He’s got nice vision and he’s starting to do a really good job on the defending part of it.”

Martinez is likely to stay while defenseman Willie Mitchell recovers from a broken left hand. He might keep a spot beyond then but just in case, he still has that place in Manchester.

“That’s a decision for the management,” he said. “I’m just taking it one day at a time and try get better every day.”

Slap shots

Two successful penalty kills Saturday extended the Kings’ home penalty killing streak to 43 for 43. … Drew Doughty played a career-high 30 minutes 41 seconds. … The Kings held their holiday party Sunday and did not practice. They are scheduled to resume practice Monday at 11 a.m. at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo.

helene.elliott@latimes.com

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