Robitaille Leads Kings, 6-3, Putting Crimp in Calgary’s Plans

In a game that to them carried little more significance than an exhibition, the Kings played as if it were important Friday night in a lengthy, penalty-marred 6-3 victory over the Calgary Flames.

And by beating their first-round playoff opponents for the second time in three nights, the Kings again denied the Flames a chance to clinch first place in the National Hockey League overall standings.

That would be worth $200,000 and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs to the Flames, so they weren’t about to go quietly.

They started their No. 1 goaltender, Mike Vernon, but he was gone by the start of the third period, ejected for using his stick to spear the Kings’ Mike Allison at 16 minutes 18 seconds of the second period.

Luc Robitaille scored his 49th and 50th goals and added an assist, establishing a single-season club record for points by a left wing, and rookie goaltender Glenn Healy stopped 46 shots for the Kings, who scored four power-play goals to increase their club-record season total to 102, including nine in two games this week against the flickering Flames.

Are the Flames worried?

“If you look at it from our point of view,” said Flame captain Jim Peplinski, “there wasn’t a lot of good things in the way we played the last couple of games except that they weren’t playoff games.

“These games mean more than people realize. Our game has got to be a lot more disciplined.”

The spearing call against Vernon after a scrum in front of the Calgary net was one of only 19 penalties called against the Flames, who have lost three straight games to the Kings at the Saddledome.

Vernon was ejected, referee Mike Noeth said, because the major spearing penalty carries with it an automatic game misconduct.

Unlike a match penalty, though, it does not automatically warrant a hearing (and possible suspension) from the league office, Noeth said.

Still, Coach Robbie Ftorek of the Kings met after the game with the officials and said he would push for a hearing.

A suspension to Vernon, of course, would severely hinder the Flames in their best-of-seven Smythe Division semifinal series against the Kings, which begins next Wednesday at Calgary.

Vernon has been in goal for 38 of the Flames’ 47 victories.

Even with Vernon in goal, the Flames had their problems.

With Calgary defenseman Gary Suter in the penalty box for holding, Paul Fenton gave the Kings a 1-0 lead 4 minutes 28 seconds into the game, scoring his 20th goal on a rebound.

The Kings didn’t get another shot on goal the rest of the period, but managed to maintain their lead through the first 20 minutes as Healy stopped all 14 shots by the Flames.

At 21 seconds of the second period, Robitaille made it 2-0. The Flames’ Joel Otto was in the penalty box for high-sticking Healy when Robitaille beat Vernon with a shot from the right circle.

Joe Mullen cut the Flames’ deficit to 2-1, scoring a power-play goal on a rebound at 3:41.

The Kings, though, got a second goal from Robitaille, who scored on a 10-foot shot from the right side at 8:45.

Then, when Ron Duguay re-directed a pass by Mike Allison for a goal at 13:29, the Kings led, 4-1, despite being outshot, 31-12.

They wound up being outshot, 49-21.

But they made it 6-1 in the third period, scoring twice in a 55-second span against Vernon’s replacement, Doug Dadswell. Steve Duchesne scored from the right circle at 6:25 and Phil Sykes scored from the left circle at 7:20.

The Kings’ victory enabled them to finish their season series with the Flames all even at 4-4.

King Notes

Luc Robitaille, who has 107 points, broke a record previously held by Charlie Simmer, who had 105 points for the Kings in the 1980-81 season. . . . Robitaille is the fourth King player to score 50 goals in a season, joining Simmer, Marcel Dionne and teammate Jimmy Carson, who leads the Kings this season with 55 goals. . . . The last time the Kings had two players surpass the 50-goal plateau in the same season was in the 1980-81 season, when Dionne scored 58 and Simmer scored 56. . . . Carson increased his point-producing streak to 12 games with a third-period assist. . . . Joe Nieuwendyk of the Flames, who was on pace to break Mike Bossy’s rookie record of 53 goals, hasn’t scored in seven straight games. He leads the league’s rookies with 92 points, including 51 goals. . . . Jay Wells, who had missed eight straight games and 18 of 20 with a groin injury, returned to the lineup. . . . Ken Hammond, who had missed six games with a sprained ankle, and Phil Sykes, who missed two with a next strain, also returned. . . . Jim Fox, Dean Kennedy and Larry Playfair continued to nurse injuries.

Dave Taylor, Bob Bourne and Tom Laidlaw were given the night off. . . . The Kings’ 9-7 victory over the Flames Wednesday night in their final home game of the regular season improved their record at the Forum to 19-18-3, the only time all season they were above .500. . . . Paul Guay was assigned to the Kings’ American Hockey League affiliate at New Haven, Conn.