Kings Utilize Native Resource

Battered and bruised, their momentum halted by three losses during their recently completed four-game trip, the Kings turned for help Tuesday to a young player from La Verne.

Yes, that La Verne, the Southern California town tucked against the San Gabriel Mountains, over by Glendora and Claremont.

This local-kid-makes-good story went the distance, with Noah Clarke setting up a goal for his first NHL point in his first league game, and the Kings pulling out a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.

A sellout crowd of 18,118 at Staples Center that included 26 friends and family members watched Clarke, the first Southland native to play for the Kings, give his hometown team a second-period jolt.

Edmonton rallied from a 2-1 deficit on Ales Hemsky’s goal 1 minute 26 seconds into the third period.

But Joe Corvo ended the 2-2 tie, whistling a cross-ice pass from defense partner Mattias Norstrom off an Oiler and into the net with 4:09 left. Alexander Frolov added an empty-net goal in the closing seconds.

The Kings trailed, 1-0, after one period, then surged into the lead after Clarke set up Jon Sim’s score-tying goal moments into the second period. Lubomir Visnovsky’s power-play goal gave the Kings the lead late in the period.

“It was an unbelievable feeling,” said Clarke, 24, who grew up idolizing the Kings and was called up Monday from the team’s minor league affiliate at Manchester, N.H. “I was nervous my first couple of shifts. It was an unbelievable feeling to win at Staples Center.”

Corvo said he felt relieved after scoring his first goal this season.

“I have been coming up doughnuts the whole year,” said Corvo, whose last goal was Feb. 13 against the Calgary Flames. “It felt good that [Norstrom] got the puck to me and I did something with it.”

Said Coach Andy Murray: “He’s got a good shot. We just haven’t seen enough of it.”

The Kings donned vintage gold and purple jerseys from the 1980-81 season as part of a promotion that featured music and entertainment from the 1980s and tributes to players from that era.

They certainly could have used the sort of electric play the Triple Crown line of Marcel Dionne, Dave Taylor and Charlie Simmer provided in 1980-81, when each member of the line topped 100 points.

The puck seemed to be square and the ice more like slush for the Kings in the early going against the Oilers, winners Sunday against the Mighty Ducks, 3-2, and undefeated in three consecutive games entering Tuesday’s game.

Edmonton led, 1-0, after one period, after Shawn Horcoff shouldered his way past Trent Klatt in the right faceoff circle and beat Cristobal Huet with 6:04 remaining in a pedestrian period.

Matters would improve dramatically for the Kings in the second period, with Clarke setting up the tying goal.

Clarke would later acknowledge he lost control of the puck to teammate Maxim Kuznetsov, who slipped it to Sim, who whipped a low shot from the slot off Tommy Salo’s left pad. Sim pounced on the long rebound, beating Salo with a low shot inside the right goal post for a 1-1 tie.

Later, Clarke would get an earful from Michael Cammalleri and Luc Robitaille in the dressing room.

“Clarke, tell them how you were the difference out there,” Cammalleri teased as reporters surrounded the rookie.

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Goaltender Roman Cechmanek participated in the morning skate, but was sidelined for the second consecutive game because of a hip injury. Milan Hnilicka served as Cristobal Huet’s backup.... Jason Allison also skated with his teammates during the workout and Murray said he hoped the team’s top center would be fit to play “after Christmas.” Allison has been sidelined for nearly a year with what most recently has been described as migraine headaches.... Jeff Tambellini, the Kings’ first-round draft pick in June, was selected to the Canadian team that will play in the world junior tournament Dec. 25-Jan. 5 at Finland.