It’s Kind of Bash Kings Do Not Need

Wayne Gretzky and Luc Robitaille held a Kings’ reunion party Wednesday night, but unfortunately for their old team, all the fun was at its expense.

Gretzky raised his league-leading scoring total to 48 points with three assists and Robitaille scored two goals as the New York Rangers dominated the Kings, 4-0, before a sellout crowd of 18,200 at Madison Square Garden.

In being held scoreless for the sixth time this season--tied for most in the league with Buffalo--the Kings were overmatched against the streaking Rangers, 9-1-1 in their last 11 games, and goalie Mike Richter, who extended his unbeaten streak to nine.

The Kings’ power play was horrible once again, stumbling on all four opportunities. They have not scored in their last 33 power plays and have lost 10 of their last 14 games.

“I thought that we played better than we have in our last couple of games, but they’re a pretty skilled team that likes to pass the puck around,” said King goalie Byron Dafoe, who dropped to 7-6-1. “They’re always looking for that better shot. We just didn’t get any offense tonight and once we got down 2-0, it made things that much tougher.”

After being outshot, 20-3, in the first period in a loss against the New York Islanders on Tuesday, the Kings gave up only six shots on goal in the first period against the Rangers.

The Kings’ problem, however, was that the sharp-shooting Rangers do not need many chances with Gretzky, Robitaille and team captain Mark Messier.

“Everyone’s getting used to Wayne now,” Robitaille said. “There are some players who are so great they don’t play like anyone else in the league. All you have to do is get the puck to him. He’s been real good to me.”

Robitaille’s first score was a power-play goal on an assist from Gretzky. Robitaille beat Dafoe to the glove side with a slap shot from the right corner that gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead 4:37 into the game.

Gretzky got his second assist later in the period when he fed Brian Leetch in the slot 12:16 into the game.

“We just started the game the wrong way,” Dafoe said. “They have the best power-play team in the league and tonight we kind of forgot that we have a good penalty-killing team too.”

Whenever the Kings did have a solid scoring opportunity, Richter was there. He finished with 37 saves in recording his 16th shutout and second of the season.

In the second period, things got worse for the Kings when they gave up their fifth short-handed goal of the season. This time, it was Messier who joined the party when he stole the puck from the Kings’ Neal Broten in the neutral zone and then scored on a breakaway 3:16 into the period. The goal was Messier’s 16th and gave New York a 3-0 lead.

The Rangers’ final goal was vintage Gretzky. The league’s all-time scoring leader waited behind the Kings’ net before sliding the puck under Dafoe’s stick to Robitaille, who scored from near the right post 9:42 into the third period.

If the Kings need any inspiration to help them get out of their current slump, they need only look at the Rangers, who earlier this season lost seven of nine games.

“They’re a young team that’s working hard,” said Gretzky, who extended his scoring streak to 10 games. “They have a good future ahead of them. They just have to be patient.”

For now, however, the Kings can only try to hang together and hope for a victory Friday at Buffalo as their four-game trip continues.

* BAD TRADE?: While Wayne Gretzky is still a prolific scorer, none of the players acquired from Blues are playing for the Kings. C6