Storr No Threat to WWF

On Friday, the Kings skated. Pucks flew. There was occasional contact. It was a work day.

And everybody came off the ice no worse than when they went on.

That was opposed to Thursday, ostensibly a day off, with only fitness maintenance in a Nashville gymnasium. That was followed by the loss of a goaltender.

Jamie Storr, a free-spirited backup goalie, turned an ankle while wrestling with Coach Larry Robinson and sat out Friday’s practice.

Goaltender coach Don Edwards stood in during Friday’s drills, and Ryan Bach was recalled from the Long Beach Ice Dogs to back up Stephane Fiset for tonight’s game against the Nashville Predators.

“It was my fault,” said Storr, who will not skate until Monday. “I came up from behind him to wrestle him and stepped on his foot and turned my ankle.”

Storr is coming off a 2-1 victory at Boston on Tuesday, his first win since Feb. 26.

The King schedule is spread out enough the rest of the season so that Storr was probably going to have another week before his next start, either April 11 at Dallas or April 12 at Nashville.

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The last time Pavel Rosa was recalled from the Ice Dogs, the Kings were in need of scoring. He had two goals against the New York Islanders in that first game, Dec. 17.

The Kings are in a drought again, having scored only seven goals in losing four of their last five games, and Rosa is back.

“He’s back because he deserves to be back,” said Robinson, who pointed to Rosa’s recent numbers: three goals in his last two games, eight in his last five, nine in his last seven.

“He’s been playing great lately.”

He has also been playing a new position. Ice Dog Coach John Van Boxmeer moved Rosa to left wing from his usual right side, even though Rosa is a right-handed shot.

“Personally, I didn’t think I could play the position,” Rosa said. “Then in the first game, it clicked right away. I said, ‘I’ll try it, but it’s not my choice,’ and then I had a goal at Orlando.”

And the goals kept coming.

“I enjoy it now,” Rosa said. “I think it can help me stay up here, being able to play both the right wing and left wing.”

TONIGHT at Nashville

5 PST

* Site--Nashville Arena.

* Radio--KRLA (1110).

* Records--Kings 28-41-5, Predators 26-42-7.

* Record vs. Predators--0-2.

* Update--Nashville has been something of a nemesis for the Kings in its first NHL season, winning, 3-1, on Nov. 12 and 4-3 on March 4. Fiset gets his first shot at the Predators after Manny Legace and Storr were found wanting. Nashville lost, 2-1, to the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday after being beaten by the Flyers, 8-0, earlier in the season.