Clutch performance makes Kings a hot team as they get set for the Flames

Reporting from Calgary, Canada — 

Was it genius or luck that led Terry Murray to concoct a second line of Brad Richardson, Michal Handzus and Dustin Brown for the Kings’ game at Edmonton on Tuesday, a trio that went on to score twice in a 3-2 victory over the Oilers?

Whatever the inspiration, it succeeded in giving the Kings a lift after Jarret Stoll’s pulled groin muscle took another productive forward out of the lineup.

Stoll is questionable for Thursday’s game here against the Flames. The return of the Richardson-Handzus-Brown line is a sure thing.

“I can’t touch it. It’s on fire,” Murray said Wednesday after the team held a meeting at the Saddledome.

“Richardson, there’s a story in itself. Doesn’t get into the lineup much last year. I don’t like what I’m seeing. It’s that battle -- the board game wasn’t there. The heavy play, the heavy stick wasn’t there. Even on the checking part of the game it wasn’t consistent.

“But he’s battled through. And he starts on the fourth line and he sucks it up, playing few minutes. Gets moved up here and there and responds to the opportunity.”

Richardson’s response is one reason the Kings have been able to rise to the top of the West.

When all seemed bleak -- after Ryan Smyth injured his ribs, Rob Scuderi hurt his ankle, Wayne Simmonds had knee surgery and understudies Brandon Segal and Andrei Loktionov suffered injuries of their own -- someone came through with a clutch goal, a big hit, a big save.

That was especially true Tuesday. When Jack Johnson was hobbled by a leg injury that will keep him out of Thursday’s game, Sean O’Donnell stepped up to score his first goal in two years. Richardson’s second multi-point game of the season was equally vital to a team that’s thin on scoring.

Richardson has been one of the Kings’ most pleasant surprises. Injured for a good part of last season and limited to 31 games by what Murray saw as a lack of intensity, the 5-foot-11, 195-pound forward returned with new determination.

“You see what happens [Tuesday] night when he’s playing on a higher line on a consistent basis. He came through big time,” Murray said. “What a great goal, great moves he puts on [Lubomir] Visnovsky to step in from the blue line on Brown’s goal. That’s a play that any world-class player would be able to make. He’s growing. He’s getting to be a big contributor to our team.”

Richardson, a natural center who has played a good amount on the left wing, was known as a speedy, energetic forechecker. Those are traits any coach would love, but he was in the doghouse in Colorado under Joel Quenneville and last season had the same address with the Kings, who acquired him from the Avalanche in June 2008 for a second-round draft pick.

“You never want to be a healthy scratch. It’s never fun,” he said. “Last year was a tough year. I’ve put it behind me.

“And it’s part of the game -- you have to be intense to play. I feel this year I came in motivated to prove that I could be in the lineup every night and contribute. That’s the motivating factor you think about every night.”

It helped him Tuesday playing alongside Handzus, whom he praised as having “a lot of hockey sense,” and the hard-hitting Brown. Richardson scored the Kings’ first goal, on a feed from Brown, and returned the favor to join Handzus in setting up Brown’s eighth goal of the season. Richardson has four goals and seven points, all in the last nine games.

“Obviously, it’s a great feeling when you can chip in,” he said. “I don’t know what happened there. The chemistry just kind of clicked. Sometimes that’s just the way it goes.

“We felt we played pretty well. And hopefully we can keep that going.”

The game against the Flames will be the last for the Kings until Dec. 26. They’re playing so well they might want to keep going, but they’ll welcome the time off.

“We’re playing really well but you can see the injuries are stacking up a bit. I think the rest will be really good,” Richardson said. “I know Smitty is going to be back soon, so that will be really good. . . . It’s going to be a nice break for us but we feel good. We’re loving being at the rink right now.”

Welcome to the NHL

Forward Corey Elkins, called up from Manchester of the American Hockey League after Simmonds’ knee injury, played capably in his NHL debut Tuesday. He started out alongside Scott Parse and Raitis Ivanans but later played with Parse and Teddy Purcell in racking up 13 minutes 38 seconds of ice time.

“I thought Elkins was pretty good,” Murray said. “That first game was pretty intense for him. That pace, that level of play is probably the most difficult thing for a young guy to adjust to. But I like the use of his body. He’s a big guy that got involved along the boards. He protected the puck. He took some hits to make plays. D-zone coverage sometimes maybe got a little too fast for him but I look at that maybe as the first game. We’ll watch it closely as we go forward.”

Elkins, 24, played four years at Ohio State and was never drafted. The 6-foot-3, 216-pound native of West Bloomfield, Mich., signed with the Kings as a free agent last March and had eight goals, 19 points and a plus-5 defensive rating in 30 games with the Monarchs this season.

After Tuesday’s game his expression was a combination of fatigue, joy, bewilderment and a little jet lag.

“It was a lot of emotions,” he said. “At one point during the day I got super-excited and then an hour later nervous. But it felt good to get out there and get the first game. It was a great environment to play in, in Edmonton.

“I felt better as the game got on but it was a big adjustment. It’s a lot quicker than the American League but you pick your head up a little bit more and start to survey what’s out there a little easier as the third period went on. But it was fun.”

One aspect of the situation was familiar to him. Manchester has had almost as many injuries as the Kings have had this season, so he knew the feeling of being asked to step up.

“We’re losing all kinds of guys but we’re just finding ways to win,” he said of the Monarchs. “Everyone’s stepping up and putting the puck in the net. Our goaltenders have been playing incredibly well so it’s just been a collective effort.”

Slap shots

Defenseman Alec Martinez, summoned from Manchester to replace Johnson, was due to arrive in Calgary on Wednesday night. . . . Four Kings prospects were chosen for Canada’s roster for the world junior championships, to be played Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Regina and Saskatoon, Canada. Forwards Brayden Schenn and Brandon Kozun, defenseman Colten Teubert and goaltender Martin Jones will comprise the largest contingent any NHL team will have on Team Canada.

The NHL Network will provide live coverage of Team USA’s games. It will also televise six preliminary-round games and all medal-round games, in high definition.

helene.elliott@latimes.com

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