Forecast Calls for Reign to End

Daryl Evans, the Kings’ radio analyst, has had a remarkable streak of playoff predictions. Among his clairvoyant calls were the Kings’ first-round victory over Detroit, the final score of the series clincher, and predicting the Kings’ victory in the opener of their second-round series against Colorado.

But Evans hopes he’s wrong about his prediction for today’s game. As much as he hated to say it, Evans foresaw a victory by the Avalanche, which would send the series back to Staples Center on Monday tied, 1-1.

“I think [the Avalanche is] going to bounce back big,” he said. “I think you’re going to see a very good Colorado club that’s on top of its game, and a very good [goalie] Patrick Roy. [Today’s] will be their best game.

“If the Kings beat them, all the power to the Kings. But they’ll have to play better than they did in Game 1. You know Colorado doesn’t want to go to L.A. down 2-0. It’s going to be a tough one.

“That’s not to say we can’t take it, but I think Rob Blake settled into his game and they’re going to bounce back as a team. If the Kings get off to a good start, though, a guy like Blake might take it upon himself to do too much and that could create some openings.”

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King backup goalie Stephane Fiset acknowledged he kept a close eye Thursday on Roy, his former hero and a teammate on Colorado’s 1996 Stanley Cup-winning team.

But Fiset, who was traded to the Kings in 1996, refused to join the chorus of critics who say Roy is fading or failing.

“My first year in Quebec [the Avalanche’s previous home as the Nordiques], we were playing Montreal, and [Dan] Bouchard said something in the paper about Patrick,” Fiset said of Roy, who was then with the Canadiens. “We were winning the series, 2-0, and Patrick saw the paper and got mad about it. They won the next four games.

“Patrick is so competitive and so good, if you give him an opening, he’s going to go after it.”

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King center Eric Belanger, who was struck by back spasms in the third period Thursday and didn’t play in the overtime, visited a chiropractor Friday. He’s expected to play today. . . . Coach Andy Murray is pondering whether to keep the same lineup as Thursday and again play center Steve Kelly in place of enforcer Stu Grimson. Part of his reasoning in Game 1 was Colorado’s decision not to play its enforcer, Scott Parker, but he also wanted another center available in case Jozef Stumpel, who had flown back to Southern California for the birth of his daughter Wednesday, was too drained to be effective. . . . Club President Tim Leiweke flew to Denver on Thursday for the game and stayed for meetings with owner Philip Anschutz, who lives in Denver and has a private box at the Pepsi Center.

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The Kings’ five-game playoff winning streak is a club record, but they have a long way to go to match the NHL record. The longest playoff winning streak is 14 games over two playoff seasons by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992 and ’93. The record for consecutive victories by a team in one playoff year is 11, set by the 1992 Chicago Blackhawks and tied by the 1992 Penguins and the 1993 Canadiens.

And despite having won three overtime playoff games, the Kings are a long way from the record of 10 in one playoff year, set by the Canadiens in 1993.

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The Avalanche vowed to improve its play in Game 2, expressing disappointment in its inability to take control of Game 1 and put away the Kings.

“Every time we’ve faced adversity this year and in past years, we’ve found a way to bounce back,” Coach Bob Hartley said. “[Today] will be no different. We have to maintain our composure. We believe in our game plan. We believe in our players.”

Colorado also took time to praise the Kings, acknowledging their torrid play during a five-game playoff winning streak.

“They’re on a roll,” Hartley said. “When you win games, you grow as a team. Your confidence grows. You look in the mirror and you look pretty nice out there.”

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Blake, through a team spokesman, declined to speak to reporters after Friday’s practice. He told the spokesman he’d spoken of facing his old teammates for four consecutive days and did not wish to do so for a fifth day.

When two reporters told the spokesman that they had no questions for Blake about the Kings, a second spokesman said Blake still did not want to talk.