Kings of the Road After Long Drought

The nettlesome, nagging winless streak on the road was like an unwanted house guest and was finally banished before causing irreparable damage.

With their 4-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night, the Kings ended a winless streak of 15 games away from home with a measure of offensive aplomb and defensive responsibility. They also won for the first time outside California since Nov. 7.

Now they have a streak of their own: Three consecutive victories for the first time this season. The last time the Kings won three games in a row was last season (March 9-13) at Chicago, Winnipeg and Toronto.

Leading the way were goals from three players who haven’t been scoring much lately-- defensemen Steven Finn and Philippe Boucher and center Robert Lang, who added an assist. Goaltender Byron Dafoe won for the third time in as many games, making 32 saves, and Yanic Perreault scored an empty-net goal with four seconds to play.

A quick summation of life in the post-Wayne Gretzky era: The Kings (21-32-15) are 3-1 since the trade and have pulled themselves off the ground and back into the playoff race. With 14 games to play, the Kings moved past idle Dallas into ninth place in the Western Conference, drawing within four points of eighth-place Toronto.

The chilly, bitter scenes of winter have slipped away. Winning has become more routine, which is probably why the Kings were slightly more subdued in their postgame celebration.

“We need more than a little streak right now,” said King Coach Larry Robinson, looking relieved after his team held off the Blackhawks’ third-period surge.

“We need a big streak in order to get back in this. We dug ourselves a pretty big hole. But everyone is sticking together.”

Said center Kevin Todd: “It’s a good confidence boost for the younger guys. We’ve got three wins in a row. But . . . we’re not in the playoffs. . . . We can’t be satisfied until we get there.”

It was a complete effort. Lang, who has struggled greatly at times, looked strong at both ends of the ice and had a hand in both of the Kings’ first-period goals. He scored his fourth of the season on his first shift and set up Finn’s third of the season. Lang had not scored a goal on the road this season and it was his first anywhere since Jan. 16.

Boucher’s goal, his fifth, made it 3-0 at 4:52 of the second period, and the Blackhawks didn’t stir until the third period, cutting the lead to 3-2 on goals by Joe Murphy and Tony Amonte. The Kings seemed to be in their own zone for most of the final five minutes, including three consecutive faceoffs in the final minute.

Chicago Coach Craig Hartsburg, whose team is 1-7 in its last eight games, noticed the difference in the Kings, who looked lackluster in their previous appearance at the United Center during the Gretzky trade rumor-fest.

“I thought they played with a lot more spirit and played harder,” he said. “Obviously, there’s a lot less distractions around their hockey club. They’ve got some kids there who are playing with a lot of enthusiasm.”

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King Notes

Right wing Shane Churla (bruised hip) did not play against the Blackhawks and is day to day. . . . Rookie defenseman Aki Berg rejoined the Kings on Friday, taking the place of John Slaney, who has a broken right hand.