Kings Lose, Look More Like Themselves : After Victories at Montreal and Quebec, They Fall to Flyers, 5-3

The Kings were flying high after they opened a five-game trip with surprise wins over Montreal and Quebec on Monday and Tuesday nights.

But the Philadelphia Flyers brought them back to reality.

Tim Kerr tied a National Hockey League record Thursday night with his 28th power-play goal of the season, and rookie Pelle Eklund had two goals and an assist to lead the Flyers to a 5-3 victory over the Kings before a sellout crowd of 17,211 fans at the Spectrum.

Kerr scored his 43rd goal of the season, this one with 41 seconds left in the first period, when he lifted the rebound of his own shot over King goalie Roland Melanson on a power play to give Philadelphia a 2-1 lead.

Melanson protested the goal, claiming that Kerr scored after the net had been knocked off the left magnet, which helps to hold it in place.

However, referee Mike Noeth apparently didn’t see that the net had been knocked loose and allowed the goal. Noeth was a last-minute replacement for Dave Newell, who was unable to get a flight out of Chicago.

Melanson was still angry after the game.

“They gave them a goal at the end of the first period,” Melanson said. “It (the net) was four or five inches off. There are three guys supposed to call it, and they didn’t.”

Kerr said he didn’t know the net was dislodged until he viewed the television replays.

“It definitely was three or four inches off,” he said, “but there was a lot of snow around the post . . . and referees don’t see that well, anyway.”

Kerr tied the record for power-play goals set by Phil Esposito in the 1971-72 season and matched by Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders in 1980-81.

“It’s a great honor,” Kerr said.

But he was quick to credit his teammates.

“Give credit to the other guys on the power play,” Kerr said. “They’re the guys who have gotten me the puck all year.”

Kerr expects to take the lead soon.

“It shouldn’t be a long, drawn-out thing,” he said.

The Flyers had four more power plays after Kerr’s goal, but they failed to score again.

“After Tim’s first goal, everyone was looking for him,” Flyer Coach Mike Keenan said. “We were pressing and trying to get him the puck, and the power play was not effective because of that.”

Kerr said: “After I got the first one, there were definitely guys looking for me on both teams. They (the Kings) were looking for me twice as much.”

Philadelphia, which never trailed, opened the scoring at 11:44 on Eklund’s first goal, which shot past Melanson’s left skate. Eklund deflected a shot by Brad McCrimmon.

The Kings tied the game on a power play, with wing Bryan Erickson hitting a slapshot from the top of the right face-off circle past goalie Darren Jensen at 14:25.

However, the Flyers scored three consecutive goals to take a 4-1 lead into the third period.

The Kings scored two third-period goals to close the score to 4-3, but Mark Howe scored an empty-net goal for the Flyers with 29 seconds left.

“We just weren’t good enough,” King Coach Pat Quinn said. “They had better chances than we did.”

The Kings (19-34-6) remained in third place in the Smythe Division, one point ahead of the idle Vancouver Canucks. They will play the New Jersey Devils Saturday afternoon at the Meadowlands.

The Flyers, who have the second best record in the NHL (40-16-4), have a nine-point lead over the Washington Capitals in the Patrick Division.