McKenna Displays a Very Short Fuse

The Kings were expecting trouble, so Steve McKenna got the call to play fourth-line winger Saturday night at Montreal.

Their suspicions were borne out early.

When Montreal’s Scott Thornton shouldered the Kings’ Len Barrie at the red line during pregame warmups, and Barrie countered with a stick, the lines were drawn.

McKenna quickly joined the fray until order was restored.

Briefly.

That’s how long McKenna was on the ice in the first period: two shifts, 19 seconds, nine penalty minutes.

“There was a little push and shove,” said McKenna, downplaying the pregame issues. “And then, [Jim Cummins and McKenna] just decided we were going to go and dropped gloves.”

It came 2:38 into the game, one second into McKenna’s first shift.

McKenna and Thornton got into it at 10:49; the Kings’ Craig Johnson and Igor Ulanov at 19:27; and the Kings’ Ian Laperriere and Arron Asham at 2:35 of the second period.

*

They go, they come. Kings’ defenseman Rob Blake was sidelined again Saturday night because of a sore groin that does not seem to be improving, but winger Ziggy Palffy will join the team in New Jersey today.

Palffy, who was put on the disabled list Friday in a procedural move to clear a roster spot for Jere Karalahti to replace Blake on the ice, has missed the last four games because of back spasms. He will work out with the Kings on Monday in New Jersey and the plan calls for him to return to the lineup Tuesday against the Devils.