One Goal Is All Kings, Dafoe Need : Hockey: Goaltender shuts out Blues and Lacroix scores on power play for 1-0 victory.

It’s hard to say what was more surprising for the Kings on Tuesday night in their 1-0 victory against the St. Louis Blues.

Goaltender Byron Dafoe’s first NHL shutout?

Or that the Kings held the Blues without a shot in the final five minutes at the Kiel Center?

Actually, Dafoe has earned the right to have the adjective surprising dropped from in front of his name, especially after recording the first King shutout on the road since March 9, 1991, when Kelly Hrudey beat Quebec, 3-0. Left wing Eric Lacroix scored on the power play from a sharp right angle to decide it 49 seconds into the third period as he one-timed a pass from Wayne Gretzky for his third goal of the season.

“See what happens when we keep our shots down?” King Coach Larry Robinson said.

He was kidding, sort of. The Kings (6-4-4) were outshot, 33-27, but it was a major departure from the recent past when Dafoe faced 107 shots in consecutive starts late last month. Robinson was especially pleased by the effort in the final minutes, when the Kings didn’t allow any quality scoring chances.

“That’s more of a plus than the shutout; to be able to do that against a good offensive team when the game is on the line means more than the shutout,” he said.

But, of course, Dafoe will take it. And teammate Sean O’Donnell made sure he got the game puck as a memento.

“I started thinking about it at the end of the second period,” Dafoe said. “And when we got the goal a minute in, it was added pressure. . . . The defense was outstanding in the first two periods. We only had about an eight-minute lapse in the third where we were running around a little bit.”

His biggest save came in the second period, at 3:14, when the Blues had a short-handed two-on-one with King forward Vitali Yachmenev as the only player back. St. Louis left wing Shayne Corson, coming down the right wing, passed to center Dale Hawerchuk in the middle. Dafoe stopped the puck in the crease but it did not come close to crossing the line.

“I made a two-pad stack,” Dafoe said. “I stopped it, and it rolled behind me.”

His teammates, however, stepped up later in the period when the Blues had a five-on-three advantage, starting at 13:38 when Lacroix went off for interference/obstruction. King defenseman Marty McSorley was already in the penalty box for a five-minute fighting major for punching enforcer Basil McRae.

The Blues, who have lost four consecutive games, had only two shots on the power play as the Kings stayed in a tight triangle. And defenseman Darryl Sydor, whose miscue led to the winning goal on Saturday against New Jersey, was the leader on the penalty-killing unit, clearing the zone twice and blocking another shot to get the puck out of the zone.

“I thought Sydor did a great job,” Robinson said. “And when they did get past him, Byron was there to make the save. That was the difference in the game.”

Another improvement was the gradual elimination of mistakes.

“We’re getting there,” Robinson said. “You can count the mistakes on your hands now. You don’t have to use your feet and your toes.”

King Notes

Montreal called the Kings to see if they were interested in defenseman J.J. Daigneault, who was traded to the Blues on Tuesday. King General Manager Sam McMaster declined to make an offer. “He’s just another depth defenseman,” McMaster said. “He’s not a fourth or a third.” Dallas defenseman Grant Ledyard is apparently in disfavor with the Stars, but McMaster hasn’t had any conversations yet with Dallas General Manager and Coach Bob Gainey. “I like Grant Ledyard,” said McMaster, noting that he could help on the power play. . . . Enforcer Troy Crowder was a healthy scratch against the Blues. King goaltender Kelly Hrudey practiced an extra 45 minutes with the coaching staff after Tuesday’s morning session, then headed to Phoenix to practice with the Roadrunners, joining teammate Philippe Boucher. Hrudey and Boucher are scheduled to play with the Roadrunners on Friday and Saturday. . . . Left wing Vladimir Tsyplakov, who signed with the Kings on Sunday, made his NHL debut and had one shot on goal. He wore No. 9.