Kings’ Chances Expired in Grant’s Tomb

Starting with center Ian Laperriere’s breakaway chance in the first period and ending with Glen Murray’s in the third, the Kings had their share of solid scoring opportunities against St. Louis goaltender Grant Fuhr in a 2-1 loss Saturday night.

But most of the time, they missed the net and when they did, Fuhr was able to shut the door.

“We had a couple of great chances to score but Fuhrsie came up huge,” Kings’ Coach Larry Robinson said. “Early on in the game, we had three or four good chances on the power play and as it turns out that made a big difference.

“We’ve had a number of chances throughout the year and people ask me why we miss the net so often. We hit the net in practice but then . . . in a game, we squeeze our sticks a little tighter, force some plays and try to be a little too cute by picking a small spot on the net.”

Laperriere could have given the Kings a 1-0 lead but his shot was blocked by Fuhr.

“I didn’t know that I had that much time but I saw a little hole on [Fuhr]’s blocker side so I said I might as well shoot it there,” Laperriere said. “I took a pretty good shot but he made a great save. It was my chance of the game.”

Defenseman Garry Galley also had a good chance to put the Kings ahead in the first period but his power-play shot from the left circle hit the left post.

“When I got the puck, I faked like I was going to shoot right away to see if [Fuhr] was going to go down and he kind of came out at me a little bit,” Galley said. “At that time, one of the things I always try to do is shoot it on the short side so at least if there is a rebound I might be able to have a crack at it as well. So, I cut it on the short side. It beat him but it just caught the post. . . . When you have a chance to score like that, it’s your obligation.”

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In six games against St. Louis this season, the Kings have led for only a total of 14 minutes 39 seconds. The last time they led the Blues was on Feb. 28 when they took a 2-1 lead in the second period in Los Angeles.

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There are 1,500 tickets remaining for Monday night’s Game 3 at the Great Western Forum, and 2,500 left for Wednesday’s Game 4. Details: (310) 365-3600.

Before Monday’s game, there will be a King fanfest in the Forum parking lot that will include interactive games and other events. Lee “Hacksaw” Hamilton will also broadcast live his sports talk show for XTRA (690).

The Kings will give away black towels for their “Blackout the Blues” promotion and are encouraging fans to wear black for Monday night’s game.

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St. Louis right wing Jim Campbell said his game-winning goal Saturday was the most momentous he has scored in a while.

“Since peewee, when I scored in overtime to win the state championship. I was 12,” he said.

Yet, he didn’t save the puck Saturday. “There’s bigger goals to be scored,” he said.

Nor did he save any pucks from the goals he scored as a member of the Mighty Ducks, who let him loose as a free agent after the 1995-96 season. “I only scored two when I played there,” he said, laughing.

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Fuhr was asked to describe the difference in him now compared to 10 years ago, when he was with the Edmonton Oilers for their five Stanley Cups in seven years.

“Oh, about 10 years,” he said.

No kidding. “I might see the game a little better now,” said Fuhr, whose 82 playoff victories rank third behind Patrick Roy’s 96 with Montreal and Colorado and Billy Smith’s 88 with the Kings and New York Islanders.

Fuhr attributed the Blues’ slow start Saturday to overconfidence, and he cautioned against letting that happen again.

“You want to win your first two games at home. If you don’t, you’re putting a lot of pressure on yourself,” he said. “If they start to believe they can win, we’re going to be in for a tough series.

“I’m starting to get better and better. I figure each time out, I’m going to get better and more comfortable.”

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The NHL rescinded a game misconduct penalty assessed against St. Louis enforcer Kelly Chase in Game 1 for not having his jersey tied down. Too many game misconducts add up to a suspension. However, the league ruled his jersey had been pulled off.