Kings Lose to Penguins Before 17,385

It was just an exhibition game between the Kings and the Pittsburgh Penguins, but it was still a matchup of Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux and it drew 17,385 to the Richfield Coliseum Monday night.

Lemieux recorded an assist on every goal as the Penguins beat the Kings, 3-1. It was the Kings’ first defeat in the exhibition season.

Gretzky had the assist on the Kings’ only goal, passing the puck back to Steve Duchesne, who was trailing on a breakaway. Duchesne’s goal at 4:39 of the first period beat Tom Barrasso and gave the Kings a brief lead.

Rookie goalie Robb Stauber, who decided in June to skip his senior year at the University of Minnesota to sign with the Kings, played the entire game Monday night. He made some impressive saves and had little chance at any of the shots that beat him--Bob Errey’s rebound of a Lemieux shot in the first period, Dan Quinn’s tip of a centering pass by Lemieux on the power play in the second period, and Jimmy Johnson’s shot after a Lemieux pass as Johnson stood at point blank-range.

King Notes

The Kings will take a 1-1-1 record into their game against the Quebec Nordiques Wednesday night in Denver. The game will be televised live at 6 p.m. on Prime Ticket. . . . Tickets for the Kings’ regular-season games went on sale at 10 a.m. at the Forum, and by noon all the tickets that had been made available had been sold out for all four games of the opening home stand, both games against Montreal, all games against Calgary and the game against Philadelphia. . . . Dave Taylor, still having problems with a cervical strain, has returned to Los Angeles for treatment.