Storr’s Shaky Start Is Eclipsed by a Woeful Finish

Now that they’re 43 games into the season, it’s probably past the time to ask some serious questions, such as: What’s in Storr for the Kings?

Hopefully, not too many more results like Saturday’s loss to the San Jose Sharks, who were present for Jamie Storr’s first game in five weeks and welcomed him back by beating him, 3-2, in overtime.

The Kings’ third consecutive defeat was particularly galling since they had battled back from a 2-0 deficit and tied the score with only 1:33 to go in the third period on a goal by Luc Robitaille.

But then Jeff Friesen found himself loose and with the puck just a minute into the extra period. He got away from Garry Galley and Sean O’Donnell and lofted the puck over Storr’s right shoulder into the net, sending the Kings off the ice in a hurry.

For Storr, he may have deserved a better fate than having the first shot of the game and the last shot of the game go as goals.

Storr, who was activated from the injured reserve list Friday after missing 10 games because of post-concussion syndrome, stopped 25 of 28 shots. Meanwhile, the Kings’ slide continued.

The Kings are 2-10-1-2 in their last 13 games. “We played hard,” Coach Andy Murray said. “I would like to see them get a reward for their effort, like a win.”

Murray said Storr was “pretty solid” in his return to the ice.

Even though it’s too early to start worrying about playoff seedings (or is it?), the Kings missed a chance to cut the Sharks’ lead for the sixth Western Conference playoff position to one point.

One thing is for sure, it usually wasn’t a power play when the Kings were playing it. They had seven power-play chances and didn’t score until the last one--when Robitaille scored his 18th goal--with one second left on the Sharks’ penalty.

Up until then, the Kings had nothing but misery on the power play.

The first six added up to a futile stretch that included a wasted five-minute advantage, trailing by a goal in the third period, after Tony Granato was given a game misconduct for cross-checking Mattias Norstrom in front of the Kings’ goal.

Norstrom received a cut beneath his nose, stuck a towel under his nose and was helped off the ice. He returned later with cotton stuffed in his nostrils.

In effect, it turned out to be about a three-minute power play because Rob Blake was whistled for interference when he knocked Owen Nolan to the ice.

The Kings fell behind, 2-1, after the first period, although they outshot the Sharks, 12-9. But that’s not news.

In fact, in the Kings’ 11-game swoon, they have outshot the opponent 10 times. But getting shots wasn’t easy for the Kings in the first period, at least on the power play, since the Kings twice had a man advantage and produced exactly one shot.

Anyway, Storr’s return to goal didn’t begin so great. The first shot he looked at, by Nolan, hit the back of the net.

The goal was short-handed. Nolan got away down the right side of the ice without a King around to challenge him, wound up and shot-gunned a slap shot past Storr, who had come out to cut down the angle.

So, only 1:36 into the game, the Sharks were up, 1-0, soon to become 2-0 when Nolan scored again at the end of a 3-on-1 breakaway with Friesen and Brad Stuart.

Because the Kings were unable to clear him away from the crease, Nolan picked up the puck just to the left side of the net and steered it past Storr for his 29th goal.

The Kings got one back when Brad Chartrand scored his fourth goal of the season, assisted by Craig Johnson and Blake.