Flames Put 50 Shots on Goal and Win, 5-0, for a ‘Sweep’ of Kings

The Kings arrived here Monday with a season-high three-game unbeaten streak.

But they will be leaving Canada today with a two-game losing streak after dropping a “doubleheader” to the Calgary Flames.

The Flames, who Tuesday beat the Kings, 6-5, won Thursday night’s rematch, 5-0, before a sellout crowd of 16,762 at the Olympic Saddledome.

“Tonight, we weren’t in the game at all,” King Coach Pat Quinn said after his team was outshot, 50-25, and completed a five-game trip with a 2-2-1 record.

“Anyone who thinks this was a good trip is a pea brain,” left wing Dave (Tiger) Williams said. “Tonight was an utter disappointment.”

It was the fourth time in 29 games this season that the Kings have been shut out. They were blanked just twice in 80 games last season, both times by Calgary.

Calgary goalie Rejean Lemelin made 25 saves en route to his fourth career shutout. He also had blanked the Kings, 7-0, in a game last March.

“He’s a good goalie, but we didn’t test him very much tonight,” Quinn said.

Lemelin has 15 wins this season, tops in the National Hockey League. But he’s fourth in the balloting for the All-Star game behind Edmonton goalies Grant Fuhr and Andy Moog and Chicago’s Murray Bannerman.

“It’s voted by the fans, and it’s obvious that the big names are the ones that are going to get votes,” Lemelin said. “There’s no use crying about it.”

Said Calgary Coach Bob Johnson: “Any time you get a shutout, it’s a tribute to everyone who played. We didn’t give them any rebounds. Sometimes in a shutout, there’s luck involved. Our guys played very well.”

Calgary is unbeaten in its last 10 home games (8-0-2). Philadelphia is the only team in the league with a longer home unbeaten streak--11 games.

The Flame line of center Joel Otto, left wing Jim Peplinski and right wing Perry Berezan accounted for Calgary’s final four goals after Tim Hunter got the opener.

Otto had two goals and one assist, scoring consecutive goals in the first and second periods. Peplinski also had two goals and one assist. Berezan had one assist. Defenseman Paul Reinhart had two assists.

Otto went 23 games without a goal before ending the slump last Saturday against Hartford. He has scored a total of four goals in 27 games this season, including three in three games against the Kings.

“I seem to play pretty good against the Kings,” said Otto, who last year got his first NHL goal against Los Angeles. “I don’t know what it was tonight. Maybe it was luck. I hope I don’t go 23 games without scoring a goal again.”

The Flames, who have won four straight games and seven of their last eight, have the fourth-best overall record in the NHL at 17-8-3.

The Kings have the worst record in the league at 7-18-4.

King goalie Bob Janecyk was making his second start this month after being suspended for five games by the NHL for a stick-swinging incident with center Peter Zezel of Philadelphia.

After sitting out nearly two weeks, Janecyk suffered a groin injury when he returned from the suspension in a game against the Edmonton Oilers last week at the Forum. He missed the next four games because of the injury.

“I think Bobby played pretty well,” Quinn said. “He had to contend with getting run over.”

Janecyk was pushed into the net on the Flames’ second goal, which was scored by Peplinski at 7:31 of the first period. Janecyk was taken out of the play when the Flames’ Berezan was pushed into him by King defenseman Craig Redmond.

“Their second goal set the tone for the game,” Quinn said. “First, the referee didn’t have the courage to call it back. But even more disappointing was that we didn’t respond.”

Hunter had opened the scoring at 2:33 of the period on a rebound of his own shot. After Peplinski’s goal, Otto scored with 9:19 left in the period off a pass from Berezan.

Otto got his second goal of the night with 2:13 left in the second period on a slapshot from the left faceoff circle that went into the net off the chest of King defenseman Jay Wells.

Peplinski scored the final goal of the game at 4:26 of the third period.

King Notes The Kings open a two-game home stand Saturday night against the Washington Capitals. They will play the Toronto Maple Leafs next Wednesday in a game that matches the two worst teams in the NHL. . . . King defenseman Al Tuer and Calgary defenseman Neil Sheehy were involved in fights in the second and third periods.