Kings Awful, but Few See It

The best thing about the Kings’ 5-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Thursday night was that only 9,620--their smallest crowd in more than seven years--came to the Forum to watch.

And that’s not good for a team in need of support as much as victories.

“It wasn’t a very good game,� King Coach Larry Robinson said. “We just had too many passengers.

“This is not acceptable. I don’t know where their minds are. Maybe it’s on Christmas shopping.�

In losing for the fifth time in their last six home games, the Kings at least scored a goal against the Flames, who had kept them scoreless for more than 170 minutes this season.

The Flames’ victory was only their second in 11 games, with the other one also coming against the Kings last month. The victory also moved the Flames out of last place in the Pacific Division, ahead of the idle Mighty Ducks with 26 points.

“We’re better off making changes and going with guys who want to go every night,� Robinson said. “We couldn’t put two passes together and that’s not from practicing. It just takes concentration.�

How bad were the Kings Thursday night? Here are a few examples:

--Sean O’Donnell, Brad Smyth and Ian Laperriere received the biggest cheer from the smallest Forum crowd since the Wayne Gretzky era when they got the better of individual fights against the Flames.

(The Kings had a crowd of 9,325 against Quebec on February 11, 1988.)

--Calgary needed only 55 seconds to take a 1-0 lead. The Flames scored when center German Titov picked up a puck lost by the Kings’ Vitali Yachmenev behind the Kings’ goal and passed to Robert Reichel, who beat King goalie Stephane Fiset from in front of the crease.

--The Flames took a 2-0 lead after the Kings’ Jarolsav Modry was pressured off the puck by Titov in the neutral zone. Calgary’s Theoren Fleury picked up the loose puck to score an unassisted goal at 10:38 of the first period.

--The Flames’ third goal came 13 minutes into the second period when Cory Stillman skated untouched to whack in a rebound of a left-circle shot by Jarome Iginla that was blocked by Fiset.

--The Kings left the ice at the end of the second period to a chorus of boos from a disappointed crowd after their fourth scoreless power play of the game.

--The Flames scored only their fourth short-handed goal of the season when Iginla beat a slow King defense and rebounded a shot by Dave Gagner 11 minutes into the third period.

--Calgary’s Corey Millen completed a dismal night for his old team when he knocked in a rebound with 5:56 remaining to give the Flames a 5-1 lead.

--Calgary rookie goalie Dwayne Roloson has now won two games in his brief NHL career, with both victories against the Kings. He is 2-3-2 on the season.

The Kings’ only goal came early in the third period when Kai Nurminen deflected a blue-line shot by John Slaney past Roloson to give them their first goal in eight periods against the Flames. The teams played to a 0-0 tie last month at the Forum.

Fiset stopped 29 of 34 shots in his first start since leaving in the third period because of dehydration in the Kings’ victory over Colorado last Saturday. He is 5-10-3.

The Kings, who had looked forward to this five-game home stand, are 1-3 with a game against Washington on Saturday.

They hope to get help from veteran wing Neal Broten, who will be called up from Phoenix today.

“We got outhustled, outworked and by a smaller team,� Robinson said. “Fleury was the smallest player in the game and he was laughing at us.

“I asked for a team effort and I got it. In the wrong way.�