A Triple-Triple Powers Kings Past Sharks, 11-4

A Monday morning warning: These overall NHL standings that follow and the Kings’ final score against San Jose are not misprints.

1. Pittsburgh, 24 points.

2. Montreal, 22 points.

2. Calgary, 22 points.

4. Los Angeles, 21 points.

Who would have thought the lightly regarded, Wayne Gretzky-less Kings would attain such lofty heights after 15 games? An 11-4 victory over the Sharks and a tripleheader of hat tricks by Luc Robitaille, Jari Kurri and Mike Donnelly on Sunday at the Cow Palace before a sellout crowd of 11,089 helped propel the Kings into hockey’s rarefied air.

The last time the Kings (10-4-1) reached double figures was on Feb. 18, 1989, an 11-3 victory over Quebec at the Forum. The Kings, winners of four consecutive games, had never scored 11 goals during a road game.

Helping them get there was the clinic put on by the line of Robitaille-Kurri-Tomas Sandstrom. The three combined for 17 points against San Jose’s sacrificial goalie, Arturs Irbe. Robitaille had five points, his ninth hat trick and two assists.

“It does get like firebrand hockey,” King Coach Barry Melrose said. “But you’ve got to let them go. The door was open and the horses were out of the barn. They deserved to have fun.

“Right now, they’re the best line in the NHL. Tomas was out of this world. Everyone’s eyes in the league are glued to that line.”

Said Robitaille: “Sure, I’ve had other streaks. But you want to keep them going as long as possible. We seem to know where we are on the ice all of the time. And all three of us, we’re shooting at the net and things are happening.”

Robitaille’s third goal of the game, which came on the power play at 52 seconds into the second period, also was his 300th in the NHL. His 15th of the season was a typical goal for him as he put it past the beleaguered Irbe, parked at the left crease, to make the score 5-1.

Kurri, who assisted on all three of Robitaille’s goals, continues to climb in the NHL record book. He had six points, on three goals and three assists. Less than four minutes after Robitaille completed his hat trick, Kurri scored his second goal of the game and 10th of the season, with the Kings playing shorthanded.

It came on a two-on-one, Kurri on the left wing and Robitaille on the right with Pat MacLeod the only Shark back.

The goal was Kurri’s 507th and briefly put him in a 16th-place tie with Jean Beliveau on the NHL’s all-time scoring list.

One period later, Kurri left Beliveau behind with goal No. 508, completing his 22nd hat trick, at 11:33 on a power play.

Sandstrom, meanwhile, scored once and had five assists for six points. Donnelly, scoring his first career hat trick, finished with four points.

For Sandstrom and Donnelly, the Kings’ change in offensive philosophy has helped.

“The different style fits me better and it fits the team better,” Sandstrom said. “Last year, we sat back, and with the players we have, we can’t sit back.”

Said Donnelly: “It’s an aggressive style to play and very demanding. You have to work hard every shift and every night. We’re not playing on the perimeter anymore. We’re playing hard.”

King Notes

Few would have guessed that left wing Tony Granato would have fewer goals than teammates Marty McSorley (six) and Warren Rychel (three) at this point in the season. In 12 games, Granato has one goal and five assists. “The back (injury) set him back,” King Coach Barry Melrose said. “Tony’s had a lot of chances. The trouble with Tony is that he’s so hard on himself. There were times against Hartford (last week) when he had chances, (but) his knuckles turned white because he was holding the stick so hard.” Granato’s one goal came in during the season opener against Calgary on Oct. 6.

Center John McIntyre (back strain, hip contusion), who sat out Saturday’s game against Buffalo, did not make this two-game trip, remaining in Los Angeles. Making the trip but not playing on Sunday were center Robert Lang and defensemen Brent Thompson and Jeff Chychrun. Melrose had planned to get Chychrun into the lineup on Sunday, but was unwilling to make any changes after Saturday’s effort against the Sabres.