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GAME REPORT

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First Period: BLUES 0, KINGS 0

* Highlight Reel: Welcome to “Get Geoff Courtnall Night” at the Great Western Forum. He became the man the Kings love to hate after crashing into rookie goalie Jamie Storr in Game 3 on Monday, setting up the Blues’ four-goal rally and changing the course of the series. Glad everyone dressed in black. Here’s a stick upside Courtnall’s head from defenseman Doug Zmolek. Here’s an elbow. Here’s a shove. Here’s a . . .

* What You Won’t Find in the Box Score: Stephane Fiset, back in goal because Storr has post-concussion syndrome, looked sharp in his first appearance since giving up eight goals in Game 1. Perhaps his best save was on a blistering shot from the blue line by Pierre Turgeon in the final moments of the period. Fiset handled that one and 12 others without pause.

* Winning Number: Zero goals against Fiset were just what the Kings needed to rebuild their sagging spirits.

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* Wrong Number: Zero goals for the Kings, who desperately needed a quick lead to bolster their confidence.

Second Period: BLUES 1, KINGS 0

* Highlight Reel: Forget Pavol Demitra’s goal to give the Blues a 1-0 lead at 8:05. It was routine stuff--another St. Louis goal from point-blank range. Fiset made the play of the period by dashing out of his net to smother the puck as Steve Duchesne raced out of the penalty box and into the attacking zone. A tentative goalie might have allowed Duchesne to catch up to the puck and get off a shot without a defender in sight. But Fiset moved decisively to snuff the chance.

* What You Won’t Find in the Box Score: Another brilliant play by Courtnall to set up Demitra’s goal. Falling to the ice face first after getting hammered in the back by a King, Courtnall managed to get the puck to Demitra for a quick shot past Fiset.

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* Winning Number: Given the Blues’ relentless attack on the King net, giving up only one goal was something of a moral victory.

* Wrong Number: The Kings were outshot, 29-14, after two periods--a difficult burden for Fiset and a sign of the Blues’ dominance.

Final: BLUES 2, KINGS 1

* Highlight Reel: The puck was clearly past the goal line, giving the Kings the apparently game-tying goal at 10:10. The sellout crowd of 16,005 celebrated. The Kings celebrated. But not so fast. Referee Stephen Walkom had already whistled the play dead. Walkom, stationed on the left-wing boards, could not see the puck squirt past Grant Fuhr. Had he been on the right-wing boards, he would have had a better view of the play.

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* What You Won’t Find in the Box Score: St. Louis’ Craig Conroy scored the game-winner on a quick wrist shot that glanced off Fiset’s right arm first and then the nob of his stick. Amazing bounce, to be sure. But after all, that’s happened in this series. What did you expect?

* Winning Number: Eight power-play goals for the Blues for the series.

* Wrong Number: The Kings went 1 for 29 on the power play for the series.

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