Kings’ Losing Streak Reaches Six, but They See Some Positive Signs

As owners of the worst record in the National Hockey League, the Kings look for positive signs wherever they can find them.

And so, although their losing streak reached a season-high six games with Thursday night’s 4-3 loss to the Boston Bruins at Boston Garden, they are encouraged by their first two games under new Coach Rob Ftorek.

“At least we have a feeling that we’re climbing toward something and taking the steps that will get us there,” Jim Fox said.

Thursday night’s loss before a crowd of 11,889 was the Kings’ second one-goal loss in as many nights and extended their winless streak to eight games, but they’ve allowed only 6 goals in 2 games after giving up an average of 6.2 a game in their previous 13.

But that, the players said, probably has more to do with the mere presence of Ftorek, who Wednesday replaced the deposed Mike Murphy, than with any changes Ftorek might have implemented.

“The reason for the coaching change is that we weren’t keeping the puck out of our net,” defenseman Mark Hardy said. “I think the guys said, ‘Boy, if they get rid of the coach, I’m next.’

“And I think if you’re put on the spot like that, you start thinking about keeping the puck out of the net.”

Unfortunately, while concentrating on keeping the puck out of their net, they didn’t put it into the Boston net frequently enough to end a six-year losing streak at Boston Garden.

They’ve lost 10 straight games here since beating the Bruins on Jan. 24, 1981.

The loss also extended their winless streak against former King goaltender Doug Keans, who is 2-0 against his former teammates this season and 6-0-2 against them in his career.

Asked about Keans, who faced 35 shots, Ftorek said: “We were crashing the net well, but Boston cleared people out from in front of the net and eliminated sticks.”

The Kings, who built a 2-1 lead on first-period power-play goals by Bob Carpenter and Paul Fenton, lost their advantage during a second period in which they were outscored, 3-0.

“We had a lot of power plays and a lot of penalties to kill, and we had to do some juggling,” Ftorek said of the second period. “When you do that, you lose a little bit of flow. I don’t think we were rattled, but they took advantage of the situation.”

In fact, the Kings had two manpower advantages in the period, and killed only one penalty.

Maybe Ftorek was rattled.

Making a return to the scene of some of his earliest triumphs as a player, the one-time schoolboy legend from Needham, Mass., was the subject of much media scrutiny before the game.

Ftorek, who led Needham High to consecutive state championships in 1969 and 1970, amassing a record 115 points as a senior, said interviewers brought him “close to tears” reminiscing about his past triumphs at the Garden.

“But,” he said later, “I was fine during the game.”

Ftorek, described during his senior year by the Boston Globe as “the legend after whom all future high school hockey tournaments should be named,” said he was disappointed with the loss.

“But I think that was more my fault than the players’ fault,” he said. “I didn’t do a few things right at the right times. It’s a learning experience sometimes, and unfortunately we ended up losing on this learning experience.

“I talked to the boys about it, and I don’t know if they understand it or not, but that’s the way I saw it.”

He declined to elaborate.

However, asked later to compare the difference between coaching in the American Hockey League, which he had done for the last 2 1/2 years before being hired by the Kings, and coaching in the NHL, he said:

“In the AHL, you coach to teach, and in the NHL you have to coach to win.”

He hasn’t done that yet, but he said it’s only a matter of time.

“I don’t think it’s going to be that difficult of a job,” he said.

But, as Murphy found out, that’s easier said than done.

King Notes

The Kings, who are 7-19-4, are 0-7-1 since beating the Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 25. They’re 0-4 on this trip, which ends Saturday night at Hartford. . . . Rookie defenseman Wayne McBean will fly to Finland next week to join the Canadian junior national team for the world junior championships Dec. 26-Jan. 4 at Moscow. “It will be a positive experience,” said McBean, 18, who was the No. 4 selection in the NHL draft last June and is the second-youngest player in the league. “I’ll get a lot of ice time.” . . . Rookie Bob Kudelski, who has 1 assist in 26 games, will be assigned to the Kings’ American Hockey League affiliate at New Haven, Conn. . . . Dean Kennedy was scratched for the fifth straight game. . . . Jimmy Carson has gone four straight games without a point.