Veteran’s Day for the Kings

Kelly Buchberger has never been known as a goal scorer. Thursday night the 16-year NHL veteran became one, scoring his 100th goal and giving the Kings a 2-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in front of 15,960 at Staples Center.

Playing in his 1,013th NHL game, Buchberger stepped up when his team needed him most with a third-period goal. The Kings also got another strong game in goal from Felix Potvin, who finished with 17 saves to improve to 14-7-3 over his last 26 starts.

The victory moved the Kings (26-20-7-2; 61 points) into a tie with Edmonton for sixth place in the Western Conference. King Coach Andy Murray just wants his team to continue to win and not worry about what the other teams in the conference are doing.

“It really doesn’t matter [because] the only good feeling we should have is after we win,” Murray said. “There is no secret to the games right now.... Most of the teams, with the exception of two or three with ourselves being one of them, play the same style. The only difference is player personnel.”

Winning at home is not something the Kings have figured out too well this season, posting a 12-11-3-1 record at Staples Center. One reason behind the Kings’ weak home record has been their inability to get off to quick starts.

That wasn’t an issue against Carolina Thursday.

Playing in his first game since Jan. 28, defenseman Mathieu Schneider returned off injured reserve and put the Kings ahead, 1-0, midway into the first period with a highlight goal from deep in the right corner.

Carolina goaltender Arturs Irbe, who entered the game with a weak 2.84 goals-against average, was the most amazed person in the arena when Schneider squeezed home a shot from between the right circle and the end line for his fifth goal of the season at 10:14.

Murray was glad to have Schneider back after he missed two games with a shoulder injury.

“He is wearing bigger size shoulder pads,” Murray said. “The ones he was wearing were some little pads he had since he was a kid. He looked like a body builder this week in practice.”

The Kings tried to add to their lead the rest of the first period but their shooting touch was a off. Although the Kings ended the period with an 11-7 edge in shots, they would have had plenty of more if they were able to reach the net.

Carolina, which owns a comfortable lead over Washington for first place in the Southeast Division, was happy to be down by only by a goal at the start of the second period. And the Hurricanes took advantage of the Kings’ first-period scoring woes by tying the score, 1-1, on a Shane Willis’ power-play goal 9:21 into the second.

With Adam Deadmarsh in the penalty box for slashing, Willis lifted a shot from outside the left post that got underneath Potvin’s right arm for his seventh goal of the season.

With the score tied, Buchberger and Potvin teamed up to make sure the Kings did not allow another game to get away with a strong third period.

Buchberger knocked in his fifth goal of the season 3:33 into the third period when he jumped on a loose puck in the slot and beat Irbe, who finished with 26 saves.

The Kings now play Phoenix (twice) and Dallas before the Winter Olympics break.

“These games coming up are very important to us,” said defenseman Jaroslav Modry, who had a hip-flexor injury and did not play. “With the Olympics coming up, we want to get into a good position going into the break. We have to approach this part of the season as if these games are going to prove to make the difference for our season.”

For Carolina, Thursday’s game against the Kings was the first of a three-game West Coast trip. After playing the Ducks tonight at the Arrowhead Pond, the Hurricanes will play at San Jose on Sunday.