Kings in No Mood to Celebrate After Beating Avalanche

Ray Ferraro scored two goals.

The Kings beat the Colorado Avalanche, 4-2, Saturday night for their fifth victory in six games.

It was their second in a row at home, which is only the second time that has happened all season.

And the Kings scored a goal on the power play, which has suddenly been turned on after a season in the darkness.

But for all of the positives for the Kings at the Great Western Forum, the mood of an announced crowd of 13,553 and 19 players in Kings’ uniforms was downcast during the first period when Glen Murray lay on the ice, yelling, holding his knee.

What is it with Kings’ games against Colorado? The last time they played, on Oct. 18, the Kings lost goalies Stephane Fiset and Jamie Storr, both of whom were hale and hardy and in the lineup together Saturday night for the first time since.

This time Murray, the Kings’ leading scorer last season with 29 goals and well on his way to eclipsing that with 15 this season, was victimized by Avalanche defenseman Aaron Miller, who came in with a knee of his own. Miller caught Murray behind the right knee, which bent awkwardly over Miller’s leg as Murray crumpled to the ice along the boards behind the Avalanche net at 12:48.

He screamed and play stopped. A few of the Kings hovered about, and others stood silently in front of the bench, worried. Throughout the plague of injuries that has struck the Kings, Murray has stood out, playing more minutes than anyone, working everywhere on the power play and penalty killing.

As Murray lay on the ice, the Kings’ 2-0 lead, fashioned on goals by Ferraro and Luc Robitaille, was largely forgotten.

As Murray was wheeled from the ice on a stretcher, the Kings’ glances turned into stares and a long night of push and shove was promised. Indeed, seemingly every whistle through the first two periods was accompanied by a waltz or two on the ice, and a glove in the face--or on the ice.

By evening’s end, with early tests showing that Murray has a severely strained knee ligament that probably is going to cost him several weeks, order had been restored, and the Kings added a second-period goal by Ferraro and a third-period score by Jozef Stumpel.

The victory gives the Kings 29 points, sending them over the Calgary Flames in the standings, not yet in playoff range but it’s visible now after seemingly being a mirage only a week ago.

Victory came with early scoring by Ferraro, who deflected a shot from the blue line by teammate Mark Visheau past goalie Craig Billington at 2:40 of the first period.

The Kings’ Donald Audette was tied up with Colorado’s Wade Belak in front of the net, rendering Billington largely blind to the whole show.

Robitaille’s goal later in the period was his 497th, leaving him just short of becoming the 27th NHL player to score 500, and only the sixth left wing.

Only Robitaille took a pass from Stumpel, who was behind the goal, and flipped it past Billington for a 2-0 lead.

Goal 3 came courtesy of Ferraro, who slapped in a rebound at 8:29 of the second period after Garry Galley’s centering pass to Audette was rejected by Billington, but not rejected with enough force.

It was Ferraro’s third goal in two games.

Stumpel finished the King scoring by redirecting a shot by Pavel Rosa past the hapless Billington, who got little defensive help on this evening.

That goal was countered by one from Chris Drury, who sent in a pass from Shean Donovan. The goal counted, though a video review showed that Stephane Yelle was plainly in the King crease at the time.

Colorado closed to within 4-2 on Adam Foote’s power-play goal, and questions were raised about the Kings’ ability to kill penalties without Murray. And memories were rekindled of the first time Colorado visited the Forum this season, when the Avalanche scored twice in the final minute of regulation to earn a 5-5 tie.

Could it happen again?

No, though the game’s closing moments weren’t without adventure, including another Colorado power play with 4:42 to play that was effectively killed by a makeshift unit that included rookie Olli Jokinen, who generally watches such proceedings from the bench.