Allison Back, but Kings Seem to Be Beyond Help

Jason Allison and two more of the Kings’ best forwards were sound again and back in the lineup. Steve Heinze scored his first goal in nearly a year.

The Edmonton Oilers, meanwhile, were without two of their top three scorers, ravaged by flu and playing their second game in two nights after grinding through 60 minutes of a one-goal victory over the Mighty Ducks 24 hours earlier.

Still, the Oilers hung on for a 5-4 victory Thursday night in front of 15,783 at Staples Center, sending the reeling Kings to their sixth loss in seven games and eighth in 10 despite the absence of Mike Comrie and Anson Carter.

With defensemen Mattias Norstrom and Mathieu Schneider watching from the dressing room, Norstrom having been ejected and Schneider having aggravated a groin injury in the second period, the Kings rallied frantically from a 5-2 deficit on third-period goals by Derek Armstrong and defenseman Joe Corvo.

But they fell short, dropping below .500 for the first time this season.

“It’s very disappointing,” King Coach Andy Murray said. “I give the Oilers so much credit. They played a game last night.... .

“It’s unacceptable on our part.”

The Kings still weren’t back at full strength, but for a team that hadn’t had fewer than eight players sidelined in any of its previous six games, it was comforting to have only five on the shelf.

Of course, the marquee returnee was Allison, who played for the first time since reinjuring his knee Dec. 22. The burly center marked the occasion by coming down with a nasty head cold.

“We’re happy to have Jason back,” Murray said before the game, “whether he has chickenpox, measles or appendicitis.”

Eric Belanger and Erik Rasmussen also returned for the Kings.

Belanger, who hadn’t played since Dec. 26 because of a back injury, opened the scoring in the game’s sixth minute.

Taking a pass from Heinze, who had two assists, he misfired on a shot that fell off the left side of the net before gathering the puck and carrying it to the right side, where he lifted a shot from below the faceoff circle.

It banged off goaltender Tommy Salo and into the net for Belanger’s first goal since Dec. 17, when he scored three against the St. Louis Blues.

Rasmussen had been out since Dec. 22 because of a back injury.

Marty Reasoner of the Oilers tied the score at 12:08, lifting a shot over King goaltender Felix Potvin after Daniel Cleary’s shot had caromed off the right post straight to the waiting Reasoner, stationed at the doorstep.

Goals by Ales Hemsky and Eric Brewer in the first 6:02 of the second period increased the Oiler lead to 3-1 before Heinze brought the Kings to within 3-2 at 9:45 of the period. His first goal since Jan. 15 ended a 35-game drought.

But the goal was all but forgotten a few minutes later when Norstrom was given a five-minute major penalty and ejected for checking Ryan Smyth from behind. With Armstrong already in the penalty box for roughing, the Oilers capitalized on the two-man advantage, Mike York scoring at 14:20 to make the score 4-2.