Cavallini Shoots Down Kings

Gino Cavallini scored from the blue line on a hard slap shot with 6:05 remaining and Peter Zezel added an insurance score with 1:34 left, giving the St. Louis Blues a 6-4 victory Thursday night over the Kings.

Cavallini’s 17th goal and Zezel’s 19th climaxed a five-goal St. Louis rally. Sergio Momesso scored twice for the Blues, enabling them to offset a four-goal Los Angeles first period.

Defenseman Steve Duchesne registered his first three-goal NHL performance for the Kings, scoring twice in 41 seconds.

Duchesne’s goals, giving him 23 for the season, eclipsed a one-season record of 22 for a Los Angeles defenseman set in 1981-82 by Larry Murphy. The Kings also set a team record for the fastest they have scored three goals when Wayne Gretzky scored his 48th of the year in between Duchesne’s first two.

Right wing Mike Allison’s work off the boards and pass from behind the end line enabled Duchesne to beat St. Louis goaltender Greg Millen from high in the slot at 12:18 of the first period.

Gretzky scored 21 seconds later, rifling a slap shot from in front through Millen’s stacked pads. Duchesne scored again at 12:59 with a wrist shot to Millen’s stick side off Gretzky’s feed.

Brett Hull scored his 29th of the year for the Blues at 14:46, but Steve Kasper won a faceoff in the St. Louis zone and Duchesne whistled a 40-foot wrist shot past Millen to make it 4-1 with two seconds left in the first period.

Bernie Federko’s pass from the right faceoff circle ricocheted off a Los Angeles defenseman into the net, helping the Blues trim the Kings’ lead to 4-2 on a power play at 9:30 of the second period. Cavallini afterward broke out alone from St. Louis’ zone and eluded Dave Taylor’s check to set up Momesso’s first goal as the Blues made it 4-3 at 18:33.

St. Louis outshot Los Angeles 16-2 during the second 20 minutes.