First Things First for Robinson

The Kings, who have won eight of their last 12 games, still have a difficult stretch of games to go before they can proclaim themselves a playoff contender.

Nine of their next 13 games will be on the road, including back-to-back games at Dallas and St. Louis this week and back-to-back games at Montreal and Ottawa the first week of December.

The Kings, however, are confident they will not fade.

“We’re setting some firsts this season,” Coach Larry Robinson said. “And we hope that they don’t stop.”

The Kings so far have ended lengthy losing streaks at Tampa Bay, Detroit and New Jersey, and their overtime victory Sunday at Colorado ended a 20-game winless streak in overtime games (0-5-15). Their last previous overtime win also was against the Avalanche, 5-4, on April 14, 1996.

The Kings are 11-8-4 and the last time they were three games above .500 this late in the season was before the last game of the 1992-93 season, which also is the last time they made the playoffs.

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When goaltender Stephane Fiset is hot, he is one of the best in the NHL. Just ask his former Avalanche teammates, who lost to Fiset on Sunday.

“[Fiset] is a good goalie--no, he’s a great goalie, actually,” Colorado Coach Marc Crawford said. “You’ve got to bear down when you’re playing against him. He’s capable of beating [teams by himself].”

In his one season in Denver, Fiset was 22-6-7.

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The Kings are 5-4 against Western Conference opponents and 3-1 in the Pacific Division. . . . Their successful comeback against the Avalanche was their first in games in which they trailed after two periods. . . . Glen Murray has 15 points in his last 11 games.