Kings Fall to 17 Points Out of First : Pro hockey: They lose to division-leading Calgary, 5-0. Webster is cleared to return as coach Wednesday.

First, the good news: Tom Webster has been cleared to resume coaching.

Now, the bad news: He has to coach the Kings.

Webster, medically cleared after ear surgery two weeks ago, will be behind the bench Wednesday night.

He will resume control of a team that returns winless from a three-game trip, the latest loss administered by the Calgary Flames Monday night, 5-0, before an Olympic Saddledome sellout crowd of 20,107.

The Kings have lost four of their last five and nine of 13 to drop to 28-33-6, a full 17 points behind the Smythe Division-leading Flames (33-21-13) with 13 to play.

The only thing that stands between the fourth-place Kings and elimination from the playoffs is the Vancouver Canucks (20-38-11), a team playing worse than the kings.

But not much worse.

For a while, the Kings’ problem was their defense. But now, the offense has sunk to samelevel.

On the three-game trip, the Kings were outscored, 19-5.

“Usually after a game, I never know who scored for us,” said co-interim coach Rick Wilson. “Tonight, I had no trouble.

“Calgary did a good job of keeping us out of the slot and the scoring areas. We did a lot of bobbing and weaving, but came up empty.”

It was the Kings’ seventh consecutive road loss. The last time they won away from home was at Calgary Feb. 6.

This was also the place they suffered their only other shutout of the season. The score that night, Oct. 25, was also 5-0, and the goalie was Rick Wamsley, same as Monday.

This time, Wamsley faced 26 shots.

King rookie goalie Robb Stauber, making only his second NHL start, faced 30 shots.

In his NHL debut Friday night, he gave up six Winnipeg Jet goals on 13 shots.

“It’s been a struggle since the day I got here,” said Stauber, who was sent back to the Kings’ New Haven Nighthawk farm club after the game. “I haven’t instilled confidence in the guys and that’s my job. It’s not like I haven’t tried. I just couldn’t do it.”

Wilson thought that perhaps the velocity of the shots at this level had caught Stauber off guard.

“It looked like he wasn’t ready on several of them,” Wilson said. “He looked good around the net, but maybe he got a little nonchalant on the longer shots.”

Stauber, informed of Wilson’s velocity theory, didn’t buy it.

“I’ve seen guys down there shoot like that,” he said, “although not like up here where everybody can.

“Tonight, it felt like the net was the size of one on a soccer field. I felt like I was full of holes.”

Paul Ranheim got the opening goal, his 22nd of the season, at 2:18 of the first period. Ranheim’s 25-foot shot from the left side sailed over Stauber’s stick.

Then came the first of two scores via deflections, the puck going in off Joel Otto’s stick after Ranheim had fired from the left circle. The goal, Otto’s 11th, came 57 seconds into the second period.

After Joe Nieuwendyk’s first of two goals at 13:38 of the period, Tim Hunter deflected Dana Murzyn’s shot into the net at 14:58. Hunter got credit for his second goal of the season.

Nieuwendyk closed out the scoring in the final period with his team-leading 39th goal.

King Notes

Joining Robb Stauber on the trip back to New Haven is left winger Scott Bjugstad. Both players had to be sent back by today to be eligible for the American Hockey League playoffs. . . . Tom Webster hasn’t coached since leaving in the middle of a Feb. 3 game against Calgary because of dizziness, caused by an inner-ear problem. Webster’s troubles began when he fell in the shower in his Edmonton hotel room Jan. 26. He underwent surgery Feb. 20 to stop leakage of fluid from the ear.

Webster has spent the past three days working with goalie Kelly Hrudey. Hrudey skipped this trip to further recuperate from a bout with mononucleosis that has sidelined him for much of the last six weeks. “He looks a lot stronger,” Webster said. “He doesn’t feel anywhere near as bad as he’s been.” Hrudey will probably be Ron Scott’s backup Wednesday against the Montreal Canadiens and, according to Webster, could get the start Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Still no word on the trade front. King General Manager Rogie Vachon spent all of Monday on the phone, trying to swing a deal for a defenseman. Since Wayne Gretzky is an untouchable and Vachon has already declared the team’s leading goal-scorer, Luc Robitaille, won’t be moved, the team doesn’t appear to have a lot to offer. The trading deadline is noon today.