Kings Get Their Point Across, 1-1

Point by point, the Kings are inching closer to securing a playoff spot.

They showed they have plenty of room for improvement as they entered the final 20 games of this 82-game marathon, but the point they gained from their 1-1 tie with the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday night at Staples Center helped them solidify their hold on sixth place in the Western Conference and lifted them within a point of the fifth-place Phoenix Coyotes.

First-period goals by King right wing Ziggy Palffy and Vancouver defenseman Jason Strudwick were the only scoring, thanks to a 40-save performance by Canuck goalie Felix Potvin and a 32-save effort by the Kings’ Stephane Fiset. The Kings finished February 8-4-1-0 for 17 points, one point fewer than they collected in October.

King left wing Luc Robitaille extended his point scoring streak to a career-best 14 games when he assisted on Palffy’s goal. Robitaille has 10 goals and 23 points in the 14 games.

The Canucks, who are still in contention for a playoff berth, moved within seven points of the eighth-place San Jose Sharks.

“This was a great game. The guys played unbelievable in front of me,” Fiset said. “The [defense] tonight, I think they played a perfect game. I saw every shot and they cleared the rebounds. Felix played an unbelievable game. If he was not hot, we win the game for sure.”

Playing their first home game after a seven-game trip, the Kings came out with verve and energy. That paid off in a goal before many of the fans in the announced crowd of 15,666 had found their seats. However, they squandered several chances to pad their lead and undoubtedly regretted that when the Canucks scored in the final minute of the period.

Palffy, who missed the Kings’ previous game because of back spasms, showed no lingering symptoms. He had plenty of jump when he took a pass from Robitaille, who was stationed along the right-wing boards, and wristed a shot past Potvin from the lower edge of the faceoff circle at 1:24. The goal was Palffy’s 25th, second on the Kings to Robitaille’s 32.

“Normally I’m pretty tough to please, but I’m also one of those people that takes a look at stats and history and I know the Kings traditionally have come off the road and not played well in the first game back, so I have to say I’m very pleased,” King Coach Andy Murray said.

Said King defenseman Garry Galley: “[Vancouver] is a team we have a lot of respect for. We knew they would work hard. We’ve got to look at the positives: we gained a point in our first game back after a long road trip. No we’ve got to build on that.”

The Canucks gained an early power play when King defenseman Mattias Norstrom was sent off for interference at 5:20, but they produced only one shot, by Mark Messier, an effort Fiset repelled with his leg by the right post. The Canucks got two shots on their next power play, which they gained when Jere Karalahti went off for holding in front of the King net at 15:36, but the Canucks soon ran into penalty trouble of their own.

Messier was sent off for boarding at 16:14, leaving each team with four skaters. However, Vancouver defenseman Ed Jovanovski put his team in a hole when he was sent off for charging after he drove Palffy into the boards in the neutral zone. The Kings had a four-on-three advantage for 34 seconds and a five-on-three for 48 seconds after Karalahti returned, but they couldn’t capitalize.

Perhaps getting a morale boost after surviving those disadvantages, the Canucks kept pressing and tied the score with 29 seconds left in the period. Defenseman Jason Strudwick scored the first goal of his 121-game NHL career when he flicked in a short wrist shot, set up by Todd Bertuzzi and Jovanovski. The Canucks had a 13-6 edge in shots for the period.

The Kings’ power play, which has been solid most of the season, again failed them in the second period when it failed to convert a five-on-three advantage that lasted 66 seconds. Murray, pressing for a goal, sent out four forwards and defenseman Rob Blake for that five-on-three. But it produced only one or two scoring chances and no goals.

“Execution was maybe not as sharp as it could be and that showed in the power plays,” Murray said.

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DUCKS 4

SAN JOSE 2

Anaheim’s victory moves it within two points of a playoff spot. Page 3

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BACK BLAKERS

Rob Blake earns high marks for his quality hits. Page 4