Kings Still Upbeat Despite Latest Loss

Marty McSorley was perched atop a table Sunday night after a 3-2 loss to the Mighty Ducks. He didn’t look or sound too worried. Neither did his coach or any of his teammates. They seemed to be in agreement that, by and large, the Kings were playing pretty well.

So, I bounced a statistic off Marty.

“Do you know that the Kings have gone 38 games without winning two in a row?”

I wanted his honest opinion. Was this is a significant statistic or a meaningless one?

Marty didn’t blink. As usual.

“Most of those 38 were last year,” he said. “You almost can’t count last year.”

I suppose not. Last year was the year the Kings came unglued. Last year was the year Marty got shipped to and from Pittsburgh like a Federal Express package. Last year was the year the Kings practically went from first to worst.

By the time he got back, Marty almost didn’t recognize his old team.

“I have to be honest and say the effort just wasn’t there,” he said. “For a lot of these guys, things just weren’t the same. Their confidence just plain took a beating.

“I think this year it’s different. We’ve made some big changes. We’re playing the style that best suits our hockey club.

“It’s coming. It really is.”

I sure hope he’s right. As the incredible shrinking mini-season continues, the Kings had better hit their stride in a hurry. They are already 2-5-1, and seven of those games were at home.

A full house turned out Sunday to see the Kings and Ducks, neither of whom have been setting the ice afire. The past week had been a particularly terrible one for Les Canards, who gave up 21 goals in three games, making you wonder if they pulled their goalie in the first minute instead of the last.

The Kings had done considerably better Saturday night, defeating what might be the best club in hockey, Detroit. But 2-5-1 is 2-5-1, which is why I thought Barry Melrose might be a tad more sad.

Instead, Melrose fooled me. Not exactly upbeat but far from irate, the King coach said after the tough-luck Duck loss: “We’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing. We’ve just got to continue playing like we are.

“It’s certainly not the record we want, but I can’t fault the way we’re playing. We proved that we can beat any club in the NHL, because Detroit’s one of the elite. I know it sounds like a (broken) record, but the wins will come for us.”

Good to hear. Otherwise, this is going to be a long short season, if you know what I mean.

Because this club doesn’t have 84 games to straighten itself out. Thanks to that lockout that delayed the season, the Kings can’t lollygag in getting their act together.

“No, you don’t have 84. But no sense panicking, either,” McSorley said.

“There’s a lot of--lot of--hockey left.”

Four road games come next, against pretty fair teams--St. Louis, Toronto, Detroit and Dallas. During this time, the Kings will keep trying to adjust to their new playing style, a style many fans have been recommending for years.

Less offense, more defense.

“Look at us tonight,” McSorley said. “We gave up three goals and got beat. How many times are we going to get beat, only giving up three goals?

“We haven’t scored five goals in a game all season. Look around this room. You know the goals are going to come.”

Kelly Hrudey feels the same way. Hrudey is trading off in goal with the new kid in the crease, Jamie Storr. Against the Ducks, Hrudey lost sight of the game-winner, a long slapper by Tom Kurvers with 2:57 to play, only because he was double-screened by two teammates.

“I think we’re playing a lot better than our record,” Hrudey said. “If we keep playing this hard, we’ll be OK.”

Being held to two goals by the leaky Mighty Ducks hadn’t discouraged the Kings a bit, much to my surprise.

Or two victories in eight games.

Or no consecutive victories over 38 games.

“We’re looking better night after night,” Pat Conacher said. “I really believe that.”

Good. Definitely good to hear.

Me, I would have thought a 2-5-1 team would be a little cranky.