A Loss to Red Wings Is Still a Point for Kings

Nothing followed a predictable course Wednesday night.

The Detroit Red Wings were cruising to victory late in the third period but needed an overtime goal by Robert Lang to squeak out a 5-4 overtime victory over the Kings at Joe Louis Arena.

Sean Avery vowed vengeance for a broken nose, but all he did was play a solid, incident-free game.

King Coach Andy Murray said there is no goaltender controversy but still refuses to name a No. 1 goaltender even though Jason LaBarbera started his fifth consecutive game in net.

Even the winning goal seemed contradictory. Detroit’s Andreas Lilja lost the puck, but teammate Lang scored the goal, diving to sweep the puck under LaBarbera 1 minute 39 seconds into overtime.

That kind of non sequitur evening left the Kings with a point when all seemed lost -- including the game -- left Avery to fight another day and left Murray to tap dance around the goalie issue a little longer.

“We lost on kind of a fluke play,” said the Kings’ Jeremy Roenick, who had a third-period goal. “We showed we don’t quit. I think teams know now that we’re going to battle. Yeah, we lost in overtime, but we got a point in a building where points don’t come easy.”

The Red Wings twice seemed to have the game in hand during regulation.

Tomas Holmstrom plucked the puck from King defenseman Tim Gleason behind the net, then managed to fire it off LaBarbera’s mask and into the net for a 3-1 lead 16 seconds into the third period.

Roenick then scored his fourth goal of the season four minutes later.

Holmstrom made it 4-2 with his second goal, and seventh in four games, 13:19 into the period.

After Craig Conroy scored 23 seconds later to bring the Kings back within a goal, Alexander Frolov deflected a Jiri Fischer pass, chased the puck down and scored on a backhander 16:12 into the period to force overtime.

“There are a couple goals we would like to have back,” Murray said. “We made some mistakes and the Red Wings capitalized, that’s what they do. But I liked how hard we played.”

Avery said it sent a message.

“Teams better bury us or we’re going to come back,” he said.

Avery was ready to do a little planting before the game, payback for a broken nose given to him by the Red Wings’ Kirk Maltby in an Oct. 13 game.

“It was typical of him,” Avery said. “He got me from behind a couple guys. It’s a long season. We’ll see them again.”

Maltby offered a different account.

“We scored an empty-net goal and were celebrating and he hit [Chris Chelios] so I came over,” Maltby said. “He kind of hit me, so I hit him. I mean, I didn’t try to break his nose, it’s just part of the game.”

But Maltby knows Avery’s on-ice shtick well. Avery, after all, is a former Red Wing.

“You can’t really repeat the stuff he says on the ice, but he’ll say something about your girlfriend or wife,” Maltby said. “ ... He knows he’s effective if he gets you to do something. You go to the penalty box and they get a power play. You just can’t let him get to you.”

Or, as Chelios said, “[Avery] does a lot of talking out there, but look what it got him the last time we played.”

There were no shenanigans Wednesday. Avery and Maltby had a handful of shifts on the ice together, but all it produced was some quality play from Avery.

“The game was too close,” Avery said. “That’s something you learn. Four or five years ago, it would have been a different story.”

The Kings, meanwhile, are still without a No. 1 goaltender, or have two of them.

LaBarbera was exceptional at times Wednesday despite the five goals. He made 34 saves, keeping the Kings within striking range on several occasions. Mathieu Garon, meanwhile, has played only 51 minutes -- 20 in relief -- in the last seven games.

But Murray said it was too soon to say whether LaBarbera would be in goal Friday at Chicago.