Cammalleri Breaks Through

As long as he plays in the NHL, Michael Cammalleri might never score an easier goal than his first.

The rookie from the University of Michigan, camped on the right side of the net just outside the crease, took a sweet pass through the slot from Brad Chartrand and whipped the puck into the net from about two feet out Saturday night.

“Like an alley-oop,” Cammalleri said.

The second-period goal helped the Kings to a 4-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in front of 16,461 at the Skyreach Centre.

Ian Laperriere, Jaroslav Modry and Ziggy Palffy also scored and Felix Potvin stopped 17 shots for the Kings, who ended a three-game losing streak and won for only the third time in nine games since Jason Allison was sidelined.

For Modry, the goal was his seventh in nine games. For Palffy, who scored into an empty net with 24 seconds to play, it was his first since opening night.

But nobody was happier than Cammalleri, unless it was Bernice Hucal of Wetaskiwin, Canada, whose nephew is King Coach Andy Murray.

Aunt Bernice called Murray about 90 minutes before the game.

“She belongs to a hockey pool of senior ladies in Wetaskiwin,” Murray said. “She said, ‘Would you start playing that Cammalleri a little bit more? He’s in my pool.’ So he got some ice time and he contributed. I have to credit my aunt for that.”

Said Cammalleri: “Thanks to Andy’s aunt. I appreciate that.”

Equal credit at least should go to Chartrand, who took a cross-ice pass from Palffy in the left faceoff circle and patiently passed up a clear shot of his own before slipping the puck back to the other side in front of goaltender Tommy Salo.

“My sister might have maybe hit the post on that one,” Chartrand said, smiling, of the shot he created. “But any hockey player would have put it in. But Mike was in the right spot. That’s what it’s all about -- position.”

Cammalleri, who started the season in the minors after giving up his senior year of eligibility at Michigan, has played well in five games for the Kings but had not contributed any points after collecting an assist in his first game.

“I was starting to grip the stick a little bit, hoping one would finally get in there,” he said, “so it was really nice to get it out of the way.”

The goal gave the Kings a 2-1 lead with 1:23 to play in the second period.

The Oilers had scored first, defenseman Janne Niinimaa netting his fourth goal of the season off a rebound in the game’s fifth minute. But the Oilers, 5-0 winners on Friday night over the St. Louis Blues, were shut down by Potvin and the defense-minded Kings over the last 55 minutes.

“We didn’t give them space to generate their speed,” Murray said.

Laperriere pulled the Kings even at 8:32 of the first period, scoring on a shot from the slot while falling face-first to the ice.

After Cammalleri gave them the lead for good, the Kings added two goals in the final 20 minutes, the first by Modry at 4:29 of the third period with Todd Marchant of the Oilers in the penalty box for hooking Palffy.

With Bryan Smolinski providing a screen in front, Modry’s shot from the right point banged off the inside of the left post and into the net.

“That puck has seeing eyes for him right now, doesn’t it?” Murray said of Modry, who is tied with Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings for most goals by a defenseman. “Obviously, a key goal in the hockey game.”