Kings Lose Home Edge After Losing Their Cool : Stanley Cup playoffs: Robitaille and Blake take costly penalties in 5-2 loss to Flames.

The Kings performed a pretty fair imitation of another team on Friday in Game 3 of their Stanley Cup Smythe Division semifinal series against the Calgary Flames.

Oddly enough, they looked a lot like the Flames did on Sunday in Game 1, lacking scoring punch and lacking discipline. King left wing Luc Robitaille was the leading culprit as he did not score and could not control himself.

That was enough for the Flames to defeat the Kings, 5-2, at the Forum before a sellout crowd of 16,005. Calgary’s final goal came with King goaltender Kelly Hrudey pulled for an extra attacker, and Joe Nieuwendyk scored the empty-netter with 1:09 remaining. It was a three-point night for Nieuwendyk, who added two assists.

The victory gives the Flames a 2-1 lead in this best-of-seven-game series with Game 4 in Inglewood at noon on Sunday. Calgary has won two consecutive games after dropping Game 1.

Robitaille criticized the Flames for their lack of composure in the series opener, but on Friday he was the loose cannon. Robitaille received three minor penalties--a double-minor in the second and another minor in the third-- and he could have earned more time in the penalty box. The Flames did not score on any of their three power plays, but the penalties detracted from the Kings’ offense. They trailed, 3-1, when Robitaille received the double-minor for high-sticking and roughing Flame center Joel Otto late in the second, at 15:15.

After the Kings had drawn within 4-2, Robitaille punctured the Kings’ momentum, going off for elbowing Otto at 4:26 of the third.

“I was stupid,” said Robitaille, who was contrite. “It was my fault and it cost the team. I just can’t do it again.”

Robitaille had plenty of company in the senseless department. With 6:53 left, defenseman Rob Blake went off for cross-checking Nieuwendyk after the play was whistled dead when the Flames had missed scoring on a three-on-one.

“Anytime you’re on the power play, it can swing the momentum,” Flame forward Theo Fleury said. “When they killed the four-minute penalty to Robitaille, they had a lot of momentum. Fortunately, we got a shorthanded goal and got some of it back.”

Said Wayne Gretzky: “We’re not going to beat anyone if we take unnecessary penalties, especially in playoff time. Even if they don’t score, we’re tiring our own guys out. Calgary did it in Game 1 and it seems like we’ve been doing it ever since.”

King Coach Barry Melrose had private meetings with Robitaille, Sandstrom and Blake and said he was displeased with them as well as many others. Melrose won’t rule out making changes, including in goal.

His reaction to the penalties?

“(I feel like) choking things,” he said. “Just things. I’m a very aggressive person. Players just can’t do that. Calgary did it in the first game and we’ve done in the last two.”

The Flames took a 3-0 lead on two first-period goals by Otto and Fleury and one by Greg Paslawski in the second. The Kings finally broke through with rookie defenseman Alexei Zhitnik’s first playoff goal, at 10:01 of the second.

The other King goal came from Mike Donnelly at 2:49 of the third, 30 seconds after Fleury had given the Flames a 4-1 lead with a shorthanded goal. Calgary has scored three shorthanded goals in three games against the Kings and the Flames scored once with the man advantage on Friday.

Special teams have been a factor and the Kings’ power play has struggled greatly in the last two games. They are three for 23 in this series.

Boosting the Flames was one lineup change--in goal. The most surprising aspects in Game 3 was the identity of Calgary’s goaltender. Instead of Mike Vernon, who has started every playoff game for the Flames except one since the 1986-87 season, it was his backup, Jeff Reese in the crease.

Surprise, surprise.

It turned out that Vernon injured his ankle in Game 2. The Flames weren’t saying which ankle was injured. Perhaps everyone should have been tipped off on Thursday when the Flames questioned the actual nature of Gretzky’s injury. Either it was just an interesting coincidence or the Flames decided the best defense was a good offense.

Flame Coach Dave King wondered whether Gretzky’s back was acting up again or if there wasn’t some other, more serious injury. In the meantime, the Flames weren’t talking about one of their own injuries, which had occurred on Wednesday.

So, Reese was pressed into service and made his playoff debut for the Flames. Before Friday, he had played 101 playoff minutes, making two starts for the Toronto Maple Leafs. His appearance wasn’t a major shortcoming for Calgary because Reese came into this game with a 5-1 record against the Kings, holding an impressive goals-against average of 2.36. Friday, he faced 24 shots and made 22 saves.

King Notes

The Flames weren’t the only ones who tinkered with their goaltending lineup. King goaltender Robb Stauber, who had been demoted to No. 3 on Saturday and watched the first two games from the stands, made it to the team’s bench on Friday. Coach Barry Melrose said on Thursday that Rick Knickle would back up Kelly Hrudey, but he apparently changed his mind sometime before Game 3. . . . Defenseman Charlie Huddy, who left Game 2 because of a pulled groin muscle and did not return, played a regular shift Friday. He tested the injury during a brief workout at the morning skate and discovered it had improved enough for him to come back. . . . Defenseman Marty McSorley is suffering from a cold and it hampered his play a bit when his giveaway in the slot lead to Theo Fleury’s power-play goal in the first period.

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