Kings Turn Game Up Again, 6-2

For the Kings, it’s early.

It’s also confusing.

With the season three games old, there doesn’t yet seem to be any way to tell which team is going to show up to put on those silver and black uniforms.

There are the confident, tough, defensive-minded Kings who beat the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday night, 6-2, after similarly shutting down the New York Islanders, 4-1, in their season opener.

But there are also the overconfident, defensively inept Kings that got blasted out of the Forum several nights earlier by these same Canucks after loafing through a practice session the day before as though they already had won the Stanley Cup.

Can a team suffer from a split personality?

The Kings certainly figured to suffer Tuesday night.

The Canucks figured to be sky high, coming off a big win to play their home opener at Pacific Coliseum before a sellout crowd of 16,123.

The Kings, on the other hand, figured to be hitting rock bottom. Most of their defensive line was back home. Marty McSorley has a twisted knee, Tim Watters bruised ribs, Tom Laidlaw a bad back, Bob Halkidis the aftereffects of shoulder surgery and Brian Benning one final game left on his suspension.

Their goalie, Kelly Hrudey, was on the bench, getting his first rest of the season.

That left backup Daniel Berthiaume in the net and newcomers such as Dennis Smith, Rod Buskas and Rene Chapdelaine on the defensive line.

Moreover, the Kings could have been down emotionally after enduring a verbal attack from their coach, Tom Webster, following their dismal practice last Friday.

All in all, it figured to be another tough night Tuesday.

So go figure.

The Kings put together a strong, balanced all-around game, getting two goals in the first period, four in the second and an impressive defensive effort throughout.

They spread the scoring around with Luc Robitaille, Brad Jones, Bob Kudelski, Todd Elik, Rob Blake and Jay Miller each getting one.

Robitaille’s goal was his team-leading third of the season. His assist on Elik’s goal was his 400th NHL point.

On defense, the Kings held the Canucks to just one shot on goal through nearly the first 16 minutes of the game and only two shots through 19 minutes.

Vancouver helped out by blowing several scoring opportunities, one on a four-on-one rush when Petr Nedved missed a five-foot shot on an open net.

The Canucks should have known it wasn’t going to be their night when their goalie, Kirk McLean, was slammed to the ice, stunned, after being cracked in the head with a stick inadvertently by one of his own men, Garth Butcher.

The Canucks drop to 1-2.

The Kings are 2-1, but now must go home to face the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday, the Boston Bruins on Saturday and the St. Louis Blues on Sunday.

The big question is, who will be there to face them, the Kings of Tuesday or the Kings of doomsday?

King Notes

King With a Large Empire: Owner Bruce McNall was in Paris Sunday, watching Saumarez, the horse he owns with Wayne Gretzky, win the $1-million Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. He was home in Los Angeles Monday for a coin show. And on to Vancouver Tuesday for the Kings game. Now you know why he bought his own plane. . . . Before the game, the Canucks announced the release of defenseman Bob Dollas. A member of the Canadian National team last year, Dollas had yet to appear on the ice for Vancouver.

The Canucks appeared to have wasted a pick in the waiver draft last week when they selected veteran defenseman Randy Gregg from the Edmonton Oilers. Gregg subsequently retired. But the Canucks are still hoping he will change his mind. . . . Darcy Rota, the first former player to serve as a director of media relations in the NHL, is leaving the Canucks after 3 1/2 seasons to serve as a special assistant to John Ziegler. His place will be taken by Steve Tambellini, another former player.