Robitaille’s the Catalyst for Kings Again

Calgary is as exasperating as a driver doing 40 in the fast lane.

As aggravating as somebody talking behind you in the movie theater.

As annoying as a teacher’s pet.

The Flames are the little sister who used to get you in trouble.

They are a spider, with four players at the blue line forming a web, waiting for you to entangle yourself, to turn over the puck in scoring position.

The Kings resisted temptation Thursday night and used Luc Robitaille’s two goals and one by Jozef Stumpel to generate a 3-0 victory in a game in which goalie Jamie Storr grew a web of his own, a cobweb around King goal.

It might be the easiest shutout he ever turns in.

So seldom does Calgary shoot the puck on goal, its citizens should hold a parade when it happens. The Flames had four shots in the first period Thursday night, six in the second and only a couple--a backhanded effort by Clarke Wilm with four minutes to play in the second period, one by Theoren Fleury in the third--were enough to make Storr break a sweat until a last-minute, power-play flurry. In desperation, they added 12 in the third, and were outshot, 30-22.

But, as usual, the Flames weren’t exactly giving goals away, trapping and making neutral-zone life miserable for anyone with an inkling of offensive initiative. And making a boring evening for the alleged 10,344 at the Great Western Forum--which looked remarkably like 7,000--who paid to watch anything resembling an artistic effort.

Until the third period, that is. That’s when Calgary awakened, not that it did the Flames any good. The Kings picked up goals from Robitaille and Stumpel 26 seconds apart to finish off the Flames.

The Kings, who had been shut out Monday night at San Jose in a poor effort, looked for something to happen quickly to snap them out of their funk.

“Anything, a power-play goal, a penalty kill, anything,” said defenseman Rob Blake, who was plainly seeking a good, solid, board-rattling check to light a spark in the Kings.

Instead, Robitaille provided the ignition, taking a 5-on-3 power-play pass from Donald Audette and pounding it past Calgary goalie Fred Brathwaite at 3:24 of the opening period.

It was Robitaille’s first goal since he scored No. 500 a week ago against Buffalo, and it fed a record that reached 14-5-3 when the Kings score first. It also was his 23rd goal of the season--with the 24th to follow two periods later--in a statement that perhaps the NHL was negligent in keeping him off the North American team in the All-Star game.

He is second only to Philadelphia’s John Leclair’s 26 goals in the league goal-scoring race.

It was followed by forays by various Kings at Brathwaite, who could only look at Storr with envy.

Most of the danger was provided by Audette, who was turned back three times at close range.

So often was Audette thwarted, it was perhaps poetic that he assisted on both of Robitaille’s goals. The second was almost identical to the first, coming at 15:27 of the third period with Robitaille crashing from the right wing to take Audette’s pass. The only difference was that there was a full complement of Flames on the ice to watch it.

Stumpel scored only 26 seconds later.

The win gave the Kings an 8-10-3 record at home, among the league’s worst but on the rise thanks to a 4-0-1 streak.

It was also the first win in their quest to run a four-game table going into the all-star break.

“It’s something we think we need,” said defenseman Sean O’Donnell, who spent much of the night with his fists in the face of Jason Wiemer and Todd Simpson, with resultant penalty-box time and a few minutes in the trainer’s room in the third period, getting some stitches in his right cheek.

“If we can do that,, we’re only a three below .500,” said O’Donnell. “We want that.”