Kings Deviate, and It Pays Off

The original plan was for Jamie Storr to take a night off, Cristobal Huet to make his first NHL start, then return to the status quo.

But after Huet defeated the Washington Capitals on Friday night at Washington, King Coach Andy Murray changed his mind and told the first-year goaltender he would get another start Saturday night against the Carolina Hurricanes.

“I was a little bit surprised,” Huet said.

Not too surprised, however, to squander the opportunity. Against a team that has fallen hard after reaching the Stanley Cup finals last spring but had won four of its last five games, Huet turned aside 30 shots for his first NHL shutout.

Unfortunately for the Kings, they were shut out too. Failing to score on 23 shots against Kevin Weekes, who had been the loser last month in an 8-2 King victory at Staples Center, they settled for a 0-0 tie in front of 16,017 at the RBC Center and returned home from a three-game trip with a 1-1-1 record.

It was only the 11th scoreless tie in King history and their first on the road since Rogie Vachon blanked the New York Islanders on Oct. 18, 1977.

Huet, though, seemed unimpressed.

The shutout was nice, he said, “but the thing is to win games.”

The Frenchman, who blanked the Capitals in the last two periods of Friday night’s 3-1 victory, stopped 13 shots in the first period against the Hurricanes before the Kings clamped down defensively the rest of the way.

“Two [starts] doesn’t make a career,” defenseman Aaron Miller said of Huet, who has played in six games since making his NHL debut last month, compiling a 2-0-1 record, 1.13 goals-against average and .953 save percentage. “But I think he’s played really well. He’s really calm and plays the puck pretty well.

“We’re happy with the way he’s played. Anybody we can get that can step in and help our team is definitely a welcome addition.”

Murray brought him back for a second start in two nights at the end of a week in which Huet, in relief, also shut out the Detroit Red Wings for 28 minutes Monday in a 3-2 loss.

“His last two outings were very strong and we thought he was deserving,” the coach said. “He looks composed out there.”