A New Way to Win for Kings

So that’s how this four-on-four business is supposed to work.

All season long, there has been promise, because the Kings believed they had the creative players for an open-ice game.

Ziggy Palffy was always the first player mentioned.

But all season long, there was frustration because they were getting nothing.

Even from Palffy.

Potential was realized Tuesday night at Staples Center when Palffy scored twice in four-on-four situations in the Kings’ 5-3 victory over Buffalo.

Add two power-play goals by Luc Robitaille--one on a pass from Palffy--and the Kings were able to smother the Sabres, who were playing their second game in as many nights and looked it.

“It was an unacceptable game on our side defensively. . . . Yesterday [at Anaheim], we played our system flawlessly, and we came out today and didn’t get the job done,” Buffalo captain Michael Peca said.

An even-strength goal by Brad Chartrand helped the Kings to only their third victory in 14 games. It also helped them withstand some sloppy defense that led to goals by Buffalo’s Michal Grosek and Maxim Afinogenov.

But the key was the success in playing four a side.

“It depends on your skating,” Palffy said. “If you’re not moving your feet, it’s tough to score a goal.

“And it depends on moving the puck. You have to move the puck to score a goal. And it depends on what kind of rush you’ve got.”

Palffy was skating alone when Bryan Smolinski moved the puck to him. Palffy’s recent back problems appeared to diminish with every stride of his breakaway, and he had no problem lifting the puck over Martin Biron’s stick for a 1-0 King lead.

Palffy also got the game-winner in the second period, taking an ugly pass from Rob Blake, who got an uglier pass from Jason Blake.

“I saw that [Rob] had lost the puck and I wanted to help him,” Palffy said.

“We have to help each other out for everything to go our way.”

Little has gone the Kings’ way lately. They have a 3-10-1-1 record since Dec. 14 in what Coach Andy Murray refuses to call a slide.

“We’re working hard,” he insisted. “We’re just not winning.”

Said Robitaille: “The last two weeks, three weeks, I think we’ve played really well. The guys might have been a little tight, but if we keep playing this way, we’re going to turn things around and go on a streak.”

It will help if Robitaille has a few games like the one he had Tuesday night.

He made it 2-0 when he batted in a puck that had already been batted by Smolinski on a first-period power play; and 4-1 when he scored on a second-period power play on assists from Garry Galley and Palffy.

Chartrand’s goal was more conventional, coming after receiving a pass from Marko Tuomainen only 31 seconds into the second period.

It should have enough. It certainly was enough for Buffalo Coach Lindy Ruff, who benched Biron and brought on Dwayne Roloson.

Roloson got an immediate boost when Grosek countered only 34 seconds later on a cross-ice pass from Miroslav Satan. His shot glanced off goalie Jamie Storr’s skate and into the net.

“That was my fault,” Storr said. “[The pass] was too far in front of me to go out and stop and I lost the puck. Then I felt it bounce off my skate.”

Afinogenov’s goal and one in the third period by Geoff Sanderson kept the Kings on their toes.

And a 5-3 win doesn’t mean the misery is over.

“There are lots of things we liked about the game tonight,” Murray said. “And there are lots of things that are still areas of concern.”

He liked the four-on-four success and the power-play goals. He didn’t like the Kings taking 23 minutes of penalties.

“The penalty killing was good,” he said. “It was just overtaxed. We took, in my opinion, four unnecessary penalties.”

That maybe works, as long as the opposition is countering with penalties, creating four-on-four situations, something the Kings are finally learning to live with.