Kings Break Out Top Fall Line

For one night at least, the Kings didn’t have to talk about squandered scoring opportunities.

They didn’t have to question their effort or lament bad bounces.

For one game, they came out flying and scored five goals in the first period and seven in the first 25 minutes en route to a 7-1 rout of the Columbus Blue Jackets in front of 18,136, the Blue Jackets’ 20th consecutive sellout in Nationwide Arena.

Five Kings enjoyed multiple-point games, led by Adam Deadmarsh, whose career-high five points included two goals, tripling his season output.

Ziggy Palffy had two goals, doubling his season total, and added an assist.

Jozef Stumpel had three assists, quadrupling his season total and helping the Kings’ heretofore struggling top line of Deadmarsh, Palffy and Stumpel combine for 11 points, two more than they had scored in the Kings’ first eight games. All this after Coach Andy Murray had challenged them to step up.

“It’s one thing to challenge them,” Murray said, downplaying his role, “but it’s another thing for them to do it. And they did it. That’s the bottom line. ... Our guys that had to step up against this team stepped up and got the job done. They needed to be the best players on the ice, and obviously they were.”

But they weren’t the only ones who pitched in for the Kings, who won for the second time in three games, coasting to their most lopsided victory since Jan. 30, when they defeated the Dallas Stars, 8-0, at Staples Center.

Mathieu Schneider had a goal and an assist in his third multi-point game of the season. Team scoring leader Glen Murray scored a goal, his fourth in three games, and Eric Belanger scored his first goal of the season.

Defenseman Philippe Boucher had two assists, tripling his season point total, and defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky had one, doubling his season output. Defenseman Jaroslav Modry had an assist for his first point of the season.

And goaltender Felix Potvin stopped 30 shots, 27 in the last two periods, as the Kings scored a 7-1 victory at Columbus for the second consecutive season.

The story, though, was the monster production of the Kings’ No. 1 line.

“We haven’t been that great this year, obviously, so hopefully tonight is a good sign for future things,” said Deadmarsh, whose five-point game was the first by a King since Dec. 14, when Rob Blake had five in a 5-5 tie with the New York Rangers at Staples Center. “I thought Ziggy and Stumpy played great tonight.

“They really worked hard. They were on loose pucks quick. And when they do that, they’re so skilled that they’re going to make things happen. Ziggy has a knack for being in the right place at the right time, and he was definitely there tonight.”

For the Kings, whose five losses have all been by one goal, the breakout game by their top line was especially encouraging to see.

“Obviously, we need those guys to put the puck in the net,” Schneider said. “That’s a big key for us to be successful.

“Hopefully, this will give some confidence to guys like Ziggy and Stumpy and Deadmarsh, who have been just barely missing.

“You get one or two and all of a sudden things just turn for you. So, this could be a big turnaround for us.”

Playing the first of three games in four nights, the Kings struck quickly, Palffy scoring on a rebound 53 seconds into the game.

The crowd looked on in silence as Glen Murray scored a power-play goal at 4:01, Deadmarsh scored on a power play at 11:35, Belanger banged a shot into the net off goaltender Ron Tugnutt at 16:26 and Palffy scored again on a rebound at 17:49.

The loudest cheer of the period was reserved for the public-address announcement: “One minute of play remaining in the first period.”

But it only got worse for the Blue Jackets in the second period, Deadmarsh and Schneider scoring power-play goals in the first 4:47.

The score was 7-0 and the Kings, who would not get another, had scored on all four of their power-play opportunities.

“We’ve had more chances in other games,” Andy Murray said, “but we just haven’t capitalized. Tonight we scored on our chances.”