Kings Tune Out in Nashville

Welcome to Music City USA.

With two days of rest, facing an expansion team more pesky than potent, the Kings got a front-porch view of goals by Cliff Ronning, Drake Berehowsky and Rob Valicevic in a 3-2 loss to Nashville that further cemented their destiny.

Three goals, all scored in goalie Stephane Fiset’s face by players who weren’t particularly hindered by the King defense.

Three games against the Predators in their first NHL season and three losses.

Or six points.

“Right now, it’s the difference between us being in a playoff position and not being [within a point of] a playoff position,” Coach Larry Robinson said. “That’s what it comes down to.”

Calgary’s 5-1 loss to Toronto opened the door for the Kings to move within five points of eighth place--and final playoff spot--in the Western Conference.

Again, the Kings had the door shut on them. They are 1-5 in their last six games.

“We’re getting chances,” Robinson said. “It’s not that we try to find a way to win. It’s that we try to find a way to lose. That’s very frustrating.”

The Predators camped out in front of Fiset like there was a Boy Scout jamboree in town. Only his acrobatics kept more goals from being scored.

“You’re going to make your mistakes,” Robinson said. “Hockey is a game a mistakes. They made plenty of mistakes too. But it’s the willingness to stick your nose in there and play, do whatever it takes, that helps you win. The reason we aren’t any better than we are right now is because we’re too much of a perimeter team.”

The reason Nashville is as good a team as it is--which isn’t very good, mind you, but good enough to have tied the Kings for 10th in the Western Conference with 61 points--is because the Predators go to the net and take their chances.

There’s an economic reason for it.

“A lot of guys need new contracts, and we’re going to work hard right to the buzzer,” said Nashville’s Scott Walker, who had an assist on the game-tying goal by Berehowsky in the second period.

The Kings have similar motivation, though they have responded differently. Eight Kings who played Saturday night are seeking contracts for next season.

“I think the guys are working,” captain Rob Blake said. “I don’t think it’s because of a lack of effort. I mean, we were up against a team in Colorado [in a 7-2 loss last Sunday] that we’re probably not going to beat if we play our best game. Talent-wise we can’t match up to them.”

But this isn’t Colorado. That comes Monday in Denver when the trip ends.

This is Nashville, the last stop before the archives for several NHL players.

On the game-winning goal, Valicevic--a 28-year-old lifetime minor leaguer who hadn’t been in the NHL long enough to play against the Kings--took a pass from Sebastien Bordeleau--who was given away for a draft choice by Montreal last summer--and popped the puck past Fiset at 11:29 of the third period. Valicevic was alone in front of the net when he got the puck.

“It was a three on two, and they’re going to get a good shot on a three on two,” King defenseman Rob Blake said.

However, Robinson said: “On the winning goal, we weren’t outnumbered. It was a three on three. I think we just let our man stand there and knock the puck in. It’s not like we didn’t have chances, but I see them going to the net with much more passion than our guys.”

It’s one of the reasons that the Kings have scored only nine goals in their six-game trudge to oblivion.

Nashville goalie Tomas Vokoun turned back 34 shots, many of them rebounding to spaces where they were there to be had for second chances.

“But you’ve got to be there to bang them in,” Robinson said.

It’s the same thing he’s been saying since October.

“Same story, different city,” he said.

In this case, Music City, where the hits don’t necessarily keep on coming.