Kings Can’t Hold Three-Goal Lead Against Flames

The Kings lost, once again, to the Calgary Flames, the defending Stanley Cup champions.

That might not sound so bad, but they blew a three-goal lead along the way. And it was a rookie who scored the winning goal.

Flame rookie Paul Ranheim knocked a puck out of the air and past a flustered Kelly Hrudey for Calgary’s 5-4 victory before a sellout crowd of 16,005 at the Forum Wednesday night.

The Kings have lost four in a row, dropping to 7-10 and falling into a three-way tie for last place in the Smythe Division.

The Flames, who have won three in a row, increased their lead in the Smythe Division to seven points, improving their record to 10-4-4.

Including this season’s two losses, the Kings have been defeated by the Flames 10 times in a row, dating to last season’s playoffs.

Of the winning goal, Ranheim said: “Theoren (Fleury) was driving down the left side and the pass was meant for Mark Hunter, but I didn’t know that at the time. I reached out and got a piece of it when it was about two feet above the ice, and it floated in. It seemed like it took all day to go in. Hrudey was going to his left, and there’s no way he’s getting it.

“It was just one of those things.”

There have been too many of those things for the Kings.

King General Manager Rogie Vachon said before the game that there would be some changes made if things don’t turn around soon.

But owner Bruce McNall was so distressed after the game that when asked if there would be any moves made, he said: “You don’t want to panic when you’re in a rut. Besides, I don’t want to let any of these guys go now. I want them to suffer along with me and all the fans in L.A. I don’t want to let anyone out of this hole.”

Wayne Gretzky, for one, is visibly suffering. Looking shaken, he went over the same ground he has covered after the last few losses.

“We’re frustrated as a team. We’re disappointed in ourselves. It hurts to lose. It’s hard “(Calgary) played strong. They came back hard. But we got ourselves in penalty trouble.”

Not a good idea against the Flames, the best power-play team in the league. The Flames scored three of their goals on power plays.

“Unfortunately, the power play killed us,” King assistant Cap Raeder said. “Five on five, I thought we did a great job.”

Raeder was standing in for King Coach Tom Webster, who was behind the bench for the start of the game, but when the team came out for the start of the second period, his assistants had taken over. Webster was back in the locker room, where he had been advised to stay because of the flu.

Several of the Kings have taken turns with the flu bug in the last few weeks, and they apparently passed it on to their coach.

So far, Gretzky has escaped the bug. He had a goal and two assists against the Flames.

Gretzky had put the Kings ahead, 3-1, with a goal 37 seconds into the second period. The score came after Gretzky had put a centering pass in front of the net, hoping to set up his teammates. Instead, the puck glanced off the skate of Calgary’s Dana Murzyn and past goaltender Rick Wamsley.

Gretzky set up another score when he sent a pass from behind the net to Hubie McDonough, who flipped the puck past Wamsley, giving the Kings a 4-1 lead at 5:17 of the period.

But the Kings were unable to put the Flames away.

Al MacInnis, star of the Stanley Cup finals, led the charge as the Flames tied the game before the end of the second period.

On a power play, MacInnis sent a pass from the left-side boards out to Gary Suter, who scored on a slap shot at 11:51.

At 17:06, King defenseman Petr Prajsler left Gary Roberts alone in front of Hrudey. Roberts took advantage by scoring on a shot that hit the left post and ricocheted behind the King goaltender.

One of MacInnis’ powerful slap shots from the blue line found its way through a lot of skates and legs and bounced off Mark Hunter’s leg for the tying goal at 18:05. Hunter, taking advantage of the power play, had planted himself right in front of Hrudey, blocking the goaltender’s view of MacInnis.

Hrudey never saw what hit Hunter.

At least the Kings got Hrudey some goals this time. The last time these teams played, the Flames embarrassed the Kings before their home crowd with a 5-0 shutout.

The Kings avoided a shutout with two early goals--one that Steve Kasper pushed into the left side of the net after Luc Robitaille had redirected a centering pass from Gretzky, and a second on the power play that John Tonelli scored off a pass from Kasper.

Hunter put the Flames back within a goal with his first score of the night, a power-play goal that he shot directly off a pass from Doug Gilmour.

King Notes

The Kings have not won at home since beating Detroit Oct. 8. . . . Mike Krushelnyski is expected to be back from his wrist injury and in the lineup for the game Saturday. . . . Barry Beck shook off the flu to play Wednesday night, but a puck hit his right thumb during the first period and he missed the rest of the game. The X-rays showed no break. . . . Marty McSorley played on a line with Jim Fox and Mike Allison Wednesday night. McSorley has played at forward almost as much as he has served as a defenseman this season. In the game at Boston he was moved back and forth in the course of the game. Asked if he considered McSorley a forward who could also be a defenseman or a defenseman who could also be a forward, Coach Tom Webster said: “I don’t think of him as either. I think of him as both.” . . . In 10 consecutive losses to the Flames, the Kings have been outscored, 61-31.