New Line Helps Lift Kings Out of the Blues : Hockey: Millen, Donnelly, Karjalainen spark rally from 4-1 deficit to 6-5 victory over St. Louis.

A year ago, one man was playing in Sweden, another in New Haven, Conn., the third in Binghamton, N.Y.

Now, they are all Kings, united on a line that has breathed speed and life into a team in desperate need of both.

Take Thursday night, for example.

Facing the St. Louis Blues, the Kings were down two starters, wing Jari Kurri and defenseman Rob Blake both out with flu.

They were also down 4-1 in the second period and looking helpless against a Blues’ team fired up by Brett Hull’s bid to get his 50th goal in fewer than 50 games for the second consecutive season.

But spearheaded by Mike Donnelly, Corey Millen and Kyosti Karjalainen, the Kings rallied with two goals in the second period and three in the third to upset the Blues, 6-5, before a sellout St. Louis Arena crowd of 17,808.

Donnelly, who joined the Kings from New Haven last season, had two goals (his 19th and 20th) and an assist; Millen, who came to the Kings last month from the Binghamton Rangers in a trade, also had two goals (seventh and eighth), including the winner; and Karjalainen, who was called up from the Kings’ Phoenix Roadrunner farm team this week, added two assists. The Swedish-born Karjalainen has spent the past four seasons playing in his native country.

The victory ended a six-game winless streak (0-3-3) for the Kings, the last three games ending in ties. That means they have a four-game unbeaten string.

“We all hung tough tonight,” King goalie Kelly Hrudey said. “It’s about time.”

Although Hrudey didn’t know it, he had just about run out of time after St. Louis took a 3-0 lead in the first period on goals by Rick Zombo (second), Hull (49th) and Adam Oates (10th).

“We got off to an absolutely horrendous start,” King Coach Tom Webster said.

So much so that he was ready to pull Hrudey and give untested rookie Darryl Gilmour some work in an apparently lost cause.

But Luc Robitaille saved Hrudey and probably the game.

By one second.

In the final second of the first period, on a power play, Robitaille scored his 21st goal on a slap shot from the right circle to keep the Kings, and Hrudey, in the game.

After Nelson Emerson’s 19th goal gave the Blues a 4-1 lead early in the second period, the Donnelly-Millen-Karjalainen connection went to work.

Goals by Millen and Bob Kudelski (16th) made it 4-3 heading into the third period.

Donnelly tied the game at 5:48 of the final period with a wrap-around, climaxed by a quick shove through the legs of St. Louis goalie Guy Hebert.

After Ron Wilson’s fourth goal again put St. Louis on top, 5-4, Donnelly again tied it by redirecting Karjalainen’s shot past Hebert at the 11:17 mark.

And Donnelly, who had only seven goals and a total of 12 points in 53 games with the Kings last season, was the key figure again when his team went ahead for good 14:40 into the period.

When Lee Norwood’s shot was blocked by Hrudey, the puck bounced off the King goalie, past St. Louis’ Brendan Shanahan to Donnelly.

Up the ice, Millen started looking around for a path to the Blues’ goal. There was plenty of open space, so he began yelling.

“I heard him screaming,” Donnelly said with a smile.

And he responded with a perfect pass onto the stick of the speedy Millen, who put the puck between Hebert’s legs.

The Kings are 18-19-10, St. Louis is 21-19-8 and Hull is at 49 goals in 48 games.

Describing the big night he and his linemates enjoyed, Donnelly kept referring to them as the third line.

“We’re the third line,” he insisted, “and that’s never going to change.”

Some would say it already has.

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