After 3 Losses in Row, Kings Take Offense and Beat Devils, 9-6

The Kings belabored the obvious Saturday night. It has long been said that hidden inside an inconsistent team is an offensive powerhouse waiting to break out and break away.

And it has often been said, especially at the start of the season, that mistakes and a loose defense would undermine that potent offense.

It all came to pass in the Kings’ 9-6 win over the New Jersey Devils before 11,273 fans at the Forum. There was an impressive display of firepower, especially in the Kings’ five-goal second period, alongside an embarrassing show of mistakes.

King Coach Pat Quinn was especially displeased with the Kings’ play in the first period, when they allowed the Devils (12-9-2) to get two goals in 18 seconds near the end.

“The one (goal) that was most disastrous from a mental standpoint was the one with two seconds to go,” Quinn said. “You can’t win a lot making those kinds of errors. It is the type of dumb, stupid play that was hurting us.”

Happily for the Kings, who broke a three-game losing streak and are 9-14-2, not everyone was making errors. Team captain Dave Taylor put in another night of hard, bruising work, enabling linemates to benefit from his willingness to battle for the puck along on the boards. As testimony to his selflessness, three of Taylor’s four points came on assists.

To Taylor, it was a matter of just doing his job. “I try to be the first player to force the play in,” he said. “Historically, most of my goals have come from rebounds or on the scramble. They call them garbage goals, but I’ll take them.”

It was a confidence-boosting performance by a host of Kings. Bryan Erickson had four points, Grant Ledyard and Marcel Dionne both had three and Jay Wells and Garry Galley both had two.

Dionne wasn’t satisfied with the array of goals, however. He said he was disgusted with the lack of progress the team is making in key areas. As an example, he pointed to the Kings’ 113 goals against, the highest in the National Hockey League.

“I was embarrassed with that 11-5 loss to Vancouver,” Dionne said of last Tuesday night’s game. “Our goals against has to come down, it’s a no-no, it’s got to stop. I’m happy with the win, but it’s always a dogfight. Somebody has to take charge. Somebody has to be upset with five goals in our building.”

It was hardly the fault of King goaltender Darren Eliot, who had not started in 23 days. Eliot did play in Vancouver, coming in to relieve Roland Melanson, but he was pulled after giving up 7 goals in 24 minutes.

If Quinn and his staff give Eliot a favorable evaluation, it may only further cloud the Kings’ delicate three-goaltender rotation.

Good news was mixed with bad for the Kings. Luc Robitaille, the team’s second-leading scorer, went out after the first period with a sprain of his right knee. Defenseman Ledyard, whose three points was a career-high, went out in the second period with a bruised left shoulder.

“In the first period . . . each error turned into a goal,” Quinn said, describing a period in which the Devils emerged with a 4-3 lead. “It scared out guys. Fortunately, we got semi-back on track.”

So much so, that the Kings went into the third period with an 8-5 lead.

The Kings’ first five goals came off New Jersey goaltender Alain Chevrier. After quick goals by Erickson and Wells in the second period, making it 5-4 Kings, the Devils pulled Chevrier and sent in Chris Terreri.

Terreri was greeted with wave after wave of King rushes. Rarely have the Kings been as offensively dominant in a game.

The Devils tied it at 5-5 at 10:52 on a goal by Jan Ludvig, but that was all the scoring the Devils could get in the period.

The Kings then burst loose for three goals to take a three-goal cushion into the final period, in which Dionne and the Devils’ Aaron Broten both scored.

The first period had looked disasterous for the Kings. Though the team was playing well, mistakes cost it a 3-1 lead.

Ledyard scored first for the Kings, at 9:44, but one minute later, the Devils’ Pat Verbeek skated around Dean Kennedy to give New Jersey its first goal.

Less than a minute after that, Garry Galley, another King defenseman came up with a goal. Taylor took a tour around the Devil net and shoveled a pass to Galley, who scored on a sharply-angled shot from the right side.

Morris Lukowich’s goal at 14:47 gave the Kings the 3-1 lead and well reflected the way in which the Kings had dominated the game.

But a pattern had emerged: for each goal, an answering goal. Less than 1 1/2 minutes after Lukowich’s goal, Peter McNab scored for the Devils.

Even though the Kings had kept the puck out of their own zone and dictated the pace of play, New Jersey was making more of its chances. The Devils had got off only five shots on goal, but they had two goals.

The Kings were likely shaking their heads, marveling at their ability to combine excellent play with the puck and poor play without it. Then came the Devils’ two quick goals at the end of the period, by Kirk Muller and Doug Sulliman.