Kings Keep Hopes Alive With Victory

Yanic Perreault scored two goals Friday night as the Kings defeated the Calgary Flames, 4-3, in a crucial Western Conference game for both teams.

Perreault ended a seven-game scoreless streak and increased his season total to 23 goals as the Kings became the fourth team in the last seven games to keep Calgary from boosting its record to .500.

The Kings kept their slim hopes alive by moving within eight points of Winnipeg for the final Western Conference playoff spot, but there are only five games to play.

“We’re just trying to gain some respect,” Perreault, the second-year center, said of a team that has the fourth-worst record in the league. “Our playoff chances are slim, but we’ve got to try and win every game.”

Perreault has come up big for the Kings in a season when several of their star players, including Wayne Gretzky, were traded. He has six game-winning goals and has had success on the road--13 of his 23 goals.

The Flames lost the chance to make up ground in the race to improve their playoff position behind Detroit, Colorado, and Chicago, the three front-runners in the Western Conference.

With the loss, the Flames remained three points behind the idle St. Louis Blues, who hold down fourth spot.

At one stage this season, the Flames were a dozen games under .500--that was Nov. 24 when they were 3-15-4--before beginning a long climb to respectability.

Vladimir Tsyplakov and Dimitri Khristich scored the other goals for the Kings, who which had lost their last six regular-season games in Calgary, dating back to March 28, 1995.

Cory Stillman, Michael Nylander and German Titov scored for Calgary, which finished its seasonal series against the Kings with a 3-1-1 record.

Calgary Coach Pierre Page felt one problem was that the Flames got away from their defensive style and tried to put on a show.

“For the first time in a while, we had our legs back. The players said: ‘Let’s put on a show. Let’s make it happen.’ All of a sudden, L.A. was scoring.”

Stillman agreed with Page.

“We play a style where defense comes first,” the rookie center said. “We have to get back to basics.”

King goaltender Byron Dafoe faced 32 shots. Calgary’s Rick Tabaracci faced 26.