Potvin Plays 70th Game in Goal

King Coach Andy Murray was true to his word when he said goaltender Felix Potvin would be a workhorse.

Potvin made his 70th appearance of the season in Thursday night’s 5-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks, matching Rogie Vachon’s 24-year-old club record for games played by a goaltender.

“I thought he would play a lot because I’m a guy that believes you play your No. 1 guy,” Murray said before the game. “Ultimately, I think you’re a better team when everybody knows who the No. 1 guy is.

“The bottom line is, our players expect Felix to be in there and when you’re trying to tell your team, ‘We’re doing everything we can to win the game,’ and you don’t have your No. 1 goalie in there, you’re sending false messages.”

Murray said he is not worried about overworking Potvin.

“This has been an interesting year because of the Olympic break; 10 days to get re-energized, refocused,” the coach said. “He hasn’t had a problem with [the workload]. I think it’s all a matter of the coach and the goalie communicating and knowing how the goalie is feeling.

“And he feels great. He wants to be in there playing.”

Potvin, who played in all 23 games last season after being traded from the Canucks, has sat out only 10 this season. Thursday’s start was his 20th in a row.

“I always said that’s what I was used to earlier in my career and that’s how I like it,” said the goaltender, who played in a career-high 74 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1996-97 season.

Bryan Smolinski’s goal Monday night, scored into an empty net, was his first since Jan. 17, when he scored into an empty net against the Buffalo Sabres.

“It’s a goal; I’ll take it,” he said. “I don’t care how it came.”

Right wing Steve Heinze, benched for four consecutive games and without a goal in his last 26, was back in the lineup, replacing Ken Belanger.

“We feel he gives us another dimension ... maybe a little more balance offensively,” Murray said. “We have a feeling he’ll be real hungry to play. I think he’s tired of playing defense in practice as the extra forward. Our feeling is he’ll give us a strong game. He’s a veteran. His experience should be valuable for us.”