Kings Vent After Loss

The Kings’ Sean Avery announced his presence with authority -- in the dressing room after a 4-3 loss to Nashville.

“Paul Kariya is the biggest ... diver in the league,” Avery shouted, adding that Darcy “Hordichuk is the worst ... player in the NHL.”

The words followed Nashville’s victory at the Gaylord Events Center on Thursday night. The Predators bolted to a 4-0 lead after two periods, with Kariya scoring one goal, and then held off a furious King rally that picked up steam when Hordichuk bushwhacked Avery in retaliation for a hit on Kariya.

“[Hordichuk] is an embarrassment to the league,” Avery said. “He can’t even skate. He can’t shoot. He can’t pass. I mean just look at the stats. It’s pretty ... clear.”

The game’s aftermath included Nashville goaltender Tomas Vokoun tossing his stick into his team’s bench, followed by Avery and Luc Robitaille unloading their disgust toward some Predator players.

That kind of animosity, normally reserved for a playoff series, is likely to spill over into future games.

“No question, no question,” Avery said. “They started a rivalry there. No question.”

Asked whether Kariya dived when he hit him or in the second period, when Kariya was awarded a penalty shot, Avery said, “pick one.”

Replays showed that Kariya didn’t have the puck or a breakaway when defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky made contact. Kariya was stopped on the penalty shot.

But Kariya tried to stay out of the postgame fray when asked about Avery’s accusations.

“What do you say about that?” Kariya said. “I got hauled down.”

As for the hit later in the game, Kariya said, “I had my back turned. I didn’t see it.”

The Kings were so out of it after two periods that there seemed no chance for such rancor. Kariya, Scottie Upshall, Steve Sullivan and Adam Hall scored goals. Vokoun was brilliant when he had to be. But the potential rout dissolved into a feud four minutes into the third.

It began when Avery checked Kariya to the ice in the corner, with no penalty called, four minutes into the period. Thirty seconds later, Hordichuk jumped Avery, with Tim Gleason of the Kings rushing to his aid.

Hordichuk received penalties for fighting and instigating, plus a misconduct and game misconduct.

“He talks about how he’s such a stand-up ... guy, but you’re not allowed to hit Kariya though,” Avery said.

Robitaille said Predators wanted different rules for Kariya.

“I get hit, Jeremy Roenick gets hit, you’re allowed to hit Paul Kariya,” Robitaille said. “There was no penalty called [on Avery]. It was a clean hit.”

Hordichuk had a different view, claiming that, among other things, Avery cross-checked in the throat.

That was “the last straw,” Hordichuk said. “I wasn’t going to retaliate, but when he starts hitting Paul Kariya, I felt like I had to send a message. If I had to do it all over again, I’d do it.

“Sometimes he just chirps his mouth too much and there can be repercussions. If you let him run around and hit your key players, he’s going to keep doing it.... I’m not worried about getting suspended. If he hits one of our key players, he knows there are going to be consequences.”

Hordichuk has one goal and one assist in 19 games this season.

“Great ... player, “ Avery said. “He almost cost them the ... game.”

The Kings trailed 4-1 in the third period. Then Derek Armstrong scored his second goal of the game, with less than three minutes left, and Joe Corvo scored with less than one minute left.

That rally created more bad blood when Vokoun made a save and Robitaille appeared to dig for the puck as he was knocked to the ice by two Nashville players. Vokoun punched Robitaille in the head, and Robitaille responded in kind.

“That was a joke,” said Robitaille, who had suffered a broken bone in his lower leg when slashed by Edmonton’s goalie Ty Conklin. “I just spent two ... weeks out after a goaltender slashed me in the leg. I’m not going to let that happen again. That was a joke. But you’re not allowed to hit Paul Kariya.”

Vokoun said that Robitaille was out of line on the ice.

“He slashed at me three times,” Vokoun said. “I’ll take it once, but three times, I’m going to punch you. I’m not going to sit there and take that.”