Kings Turn Off Sabres’ Power

When left wing Tony Granato skated off with a five-minute, high-sticking major and an automatic game misconduct late in the third period, one natural reaction for the Kings would have been to let down.

Another would have been to blame referee Paul Devorski for taking the game out of their hands, considering that the Buffalo Sabres have the league’s fourth-best power play. But neither of the above occurred as the Kings turned misfortune into opportunity and scored a short-handed goal during Granato’s penalty on their way to a 5-2 victory Saturday night at the Forum before 16,005.

It was the Kings’ sixth consecutive victory at the Forum.

“The penalty-killers saved me,” said Granato, who high-sticked Dave Andreychuk just to the left of the Kings’ bench.

“It’s a long five minutes when you’re sitting there in the (locker) room.”

Granato also was helped, in part, when the Sabres took a minor penalty during his major penalty.

“We’ve responded well to these things,” King Coach Barry Melrose said. “Against the Islanders, we killed a penalty in the last 3:18 of a one-goal game. We’ve stood up very well.”

Marty McSorley’s shorthanded goal at 13:29 gave the Kings an extra level of comfort during Granato’s penalty, making it, 4-2. Right wing Dave Taylor did the hard work on the goal, leaving a drop pass for McSorley in the slot from the left circle.

The Kings (9-4-1) added one more on Tomas Sandstrom’s second goal of the game, on the power play, with 1:26 remaining.

The Kings’ woeful power play gave them a lead when Luc Robitaille broke a 2-2 second-period tie.

The Kings were seven for 64 on the power play in their last 10 games and were 23rd among NHL teams heading into Saturday’s game. Only Hartford has had less success on the power play.

When Sabre defensemen Randy Moller and Petr Svoboda went off for cross-checking in quick succession midway through the period, the Kings had a five-on-three advantage for about 1:30. With 30 seconds remaining on the two-man advantage, Robitaille took a centering pass in front from Jari Kurri and jabbed at the puck. Buffalo goaltender Tom Draper made the first save, and Robitaille managed to poke the second attempt past him with some help from Sabre defenseman Doug Bodger’s skate in the crease.

The goal, which came at 12:05, was Robitaille’s 12th of the season. He has 12 goals in the last 11 games.

One period later, instant replay prevented the Kings from taking a two-goal lead. Rookie defenseman Alexei Zhitnik launched a slap shot from the top of the slot, and left wing Lonnie Loach re-directed the shot from the right crease.

The goal light went on, but the Sabres immediately protested and the play was reviewed. It was ruled no goal because Loach directed the puck out of the air past Draper with his left glove.

Earlier, left wing Mike Donnelly’s breakaway goal at 3:41 of the second period started the comeback when the Kings were trailing, 2-1. Donnelly, a former Sabre, chased down a loose puck at Buffalo’s blue line and went in all alone with Moller in pursuit. Using his speed, Donnelly shifted the puck to his forehand and put it between Draper’s pads.

King Notes

A depressed-looking Wayne Gretzky gave an interview on Saturday’s Hockey Night In Canada during the Pittsburgh-Toronto game. “We have a lot of big decisions to make in the next couple of weeks,” said Gretzky, who is sidelined indefinitely because of a herniated disk. “The future is out of my hands.” Gretzky discussed the possibility of surgery, which has been viewed as a last resort from the beginning. He said the recovery period for lower back surgery is about four to six months. With his unusual ailment, the recovery period could be doubled. “I’m still very positive and very focused about the (rehabilitation) program. Now, I’ve got to be honest about what will happen to my life. Am I going to have surgery? I hope I can come back. But the reality is telling me, maybe I’m not going to come back.” Gretzky, however, tried to downplay that last statement when he was asked about it at the Forum before the Kings’ game. “I was hot and I was probably tired,” he said of looking depressed. “Nothing has changed. I’m doing rehab about every two, three days. I’m just frustrated. It’s been about eight weeks. It’s hard not playing.”

One of the Kings’ physicians, Ronald Kvitne, who has been treating Gretzky, said Gretzky’s feelings are natural. “It’s a day-to-day thing,” Kvitne said. “You can’t compare his injury to anyone else’s. He’s going to have good days and bad days. Every patient experiences this.” Kvitne said that that surgery is still a last resort. Even before the surgery option, a nerve block could be used if Gretzky fails to keep progressing. “We want to make him pain-free,” Kvitne said. “So his rehabilitation and activity level can increase.”

Center John McIntyre, who was injured during Thursday’s game against New Jersey, sat out with a back strain and a hip bruise. McIntyre missed the third period against the Devils and didn’t practice on Friday. Defenseman Charlie Huddy, who missed Friday’s practice with a bruised foot, did play against the Sabres and took a regular shift.