Kings, Dionne Show They Can Tie Canucks, at Least

The Kings have improved offensively, tightened their defense and are beginning to sort out their three-goaltender rotation, but they still haven’t figured out a way to beat the Vancouver Canucks.

Some progress was made Friday night in the Pacific Coliseum when the Kings managed a 3-3 tie with the Canucks, who had beaten the Kings in three previous meetings this season.

However, the tie frustrated the Kings on another front. They had hoped to reach .500 on this trip. With a 17-18-4 record, they can do that when they play host to Edmonton tonight. Vancouver is 11-23-4.

Again, power plays were a factor. Four of the game’s six goals were with the mad advantage.

In the last game between the teams, power plays were the difference. The first seven goals in the game came on power plays. The Kings had more chances (eight) but the Canucks had more success, scoring on four of five power plays.

That game was a watershed of sorts for the Kings. Coach Pat Quinn was not happy with his team’s play and let the players know. The players were angry at themselves and went on to beat two tough teams, Boston and Philadelphia.

That interlude served to underscore the Kings’ habit of lifting their level of play against the excellent teams. Unfortunately for the Kings, when they play the mediocre teams, they perform on that level, too.

The play Thursday night was of a generally high level for the Kings, with a few exceptions. Turnovers, that old nemesis, were a problem in the late second period and for parts of the third.

Marcel Dionne’s game-tying goal, at 3:55 of the third period, typified alert play. He followed Grant Ledyard’s shot, which he knew to be one of the hardest on the team, looking for the rebound.

Dionne was in place for the rebound and flipped the puck high over Vancouver goaltender Frank Caprice for the power play goal.

Each team scored on its first power play chances, but Vancouver (11-23-4) got an even-strength goal to give them a 2-1 lead at the end of the first period.

On that goal, Dan Hodgson shot from the point, beat defenseman Steve Duchesne, and followed the rebound to score at 11:00.

Jimmy Carson had a backhand shot with 11 seconds left in the period that Caprice got a pad on for the save.

After a lopsided first period--Vancouver holding the skating and shooting edge--the second period dawned bright for the Kings. They scored only 41 seconds into the period on a finesse goal from an unlikely source. Dave (Tiger) Williams took the puck alone along the left boards, skated in front of Caprice and made a move that took the Vancouver goaltender by surprise. Of course, any fancy stickhandling from Williams is an unlooked-for marvel.

Williams’ goal tied it at 2-2. He also crashed into Caprice after the goal, and the collision left the Canuck goalie lying on the ice for a few minutes, shaken. That was more like Williams.

The Kings were unable to score on their only power play of the period, against the Canuck’s 20th-ranked penalty-killing unit.

Vancouver had two power plays in the period and scored on one. The Kings had a breakdown on defense, a rare lapse with a fine penalty-killing unit, and that error allowed Tony Tanti’s go-ahead goal at 16:30.

The goal was set up by Lidster’s shot from the right point. With the Kings allowing three Canucks in front of goaltender Roland Melanson in the slot, it was mathematically inevitable that one of the Vancouver players would knock in the rebound. Tanti did.

King Notes Vancouver goaltender Richard Brodeur was hit in the kneecap with a puck during the pre-game warmup and did not start. Frank Caprice, who started in goal for Vancouver, was knocked down on Dave (Tiger) Williams’ goal in the second period, and had he been seriously injured, the Canucks would have had no other goaltender to call on. . . . King right winger Bryan Erickson, who had been out since Dec. 17 with a knee injury, played sparingly Friday night. . . . King defenseman Craig Redmond has been reassigned to the Kings’ AHL team for conditioning as he recovers from knee surgery. The Kings recalled defenseman Peter Dineen from New Haven, Conn.