First, They Appreciate This

The view from the top is great, even more beautiful when you’ve spent so much time in a valley.

“The last couple of years, myself and Ziggy [Palffy] and most of these guys have been looking up from the bottom,” said Bryan Smolinski, who with Palffy came over in trade to the downtrodden Kings from the more downtrodden New York Islanders in June.

He finds himself playing with a team that--after beating Phoenix, 3-2, on Sunday night--is 11-4-4, good for 26 points, tied for the league lead.

Perhaps as important, the Kings are 2-1 in the Pacific Division after owning a miserable 6-18 record against the combined forces of the Mighty Ducks, Dallas, Phoenix and San Jose last season.

“These points are golden points,” said Coach Andy Murray. “You’re going to almost need 90 points to get in the playoffs this year, and you’ve got to get your points where you can.”

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Goalie Jamie Storr is 2-0-1 since taking over for injured Stephane Fiset on Tuesday, and he has given up only five goals in the three games.

Two of those came Sunday, when he stopped 27 of 29 Phoenix shots, many of them at doorstep range by a team that crashes the net as if there’s money scattered around the crease.

Actually, when things got too crowded in the first period, Storr took things into his own hands, whacking Travis Green across the back to get him out of harm’s way in what was an undetected slash.

“You’ve got to do something to get into the game,” Storr said, laughing.