Kings’ Demeanor Needs a Suspension

Now you see Rob Blake. . . .

Blink.

Slash.

Howl of pain from Vancouver center Harry York.

Now you don’t.

After watching the Kings lose 12 of 15 games during the six weeks it took his broken ankle to heal, Blake ended his comeback 44 minutes and 15 seconds after it began by slashing York on the right arm Saturday and getting ejected. He also got himself a suspension and missed the Kings’ 3-0 loss to the Mighty Ducks on Sunday, but he probably won’t miss more than another game or two after NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell hears Blake’s side of the story today.

Blake’s indiscretion occurred just when it seemed the Kings had weathered a storm of injuries, slumps and bruised egos without falling completely out of playoff contention. But even before Blake got his unexpected day off, King Coach Larry Robinson was cautious enough to consider the Norris Trophy-winning defenseman’s return a happy but temporary lull in the chaos of a frustrating season.

“I’m just waiting for the next cloud to come through,” Robinson said. “You have to kind of just live it day-to-day.”

The Kings, it appears, will be day-to-day for the whole season. If it’s not one cloud raining on them, it’s another.

Their fledgling winning streak ended at two Sunday because they did so many of the bad things they have done so often this season and because they were unable--or worse, unwilling--to do the basic things an unskilled team must do to win.

They made bad passes in their defensive zone, passes by Steve Duchesne--who appears to be an $11.25-million mistake--and Philippe Boucher and the usually steady Jozef Stumpel. They did not go to the net with zest or consistency, did not come into the offensive zone with enough speed and did not find the resilience to keep plugging away after a strong but scoreless first period. When the Ducks scored on a second-period power play, the Kings might as well have told their bus driver to get the motor running for the trip home.

“It looked like we didn’t believe it, that we can come back,” Stumpel said. “We are just struggling.”

They didn’t make the second or third efforts to pursue rebounds, the won’t-be-denied attempts to pressure the Ducks’ defense down low. And unlike the Ducks, they didn’t have the superstar to capitalize on the few chances they produced.

Nor does King General Manager Dave Taylor seem inclined to acquire a game-breaker. He has refused to give up Finnish rookie Olli Jokinen, yet Robinson continues to play Jokinen out of position--at left wing--if he plays Jokinen at all. If the Kings think so little of Jokinen that he can’t unseat erratic Yanic Perreault, scrappy but ungifted Ian Laperriere and a feisty but aging Ray Ferraro, maybe they should trade him to Vancouver if that’s what the Canucks want in a package for Pavel Bure.

Other teams have made lesser deals and improved--the Ducks’ acquisition of left wing Marty McInnis for a fourth-round draft pick comes to mind--but the Kings have done nothing besides reacquire Eric Lacroix, who was pointless in 17 games before suffering a broken collarbone Saturday.

“Coming out of training camp, we were confident, but aside from a handful of games, we haven’t had our team together,” Taylor said. “I still have a lot of faith in these guys. The last few games they started to get their confidence back.”

That confidence was deflated Sunday without Blake, who said Saturday that York had embellished the slash. “I went to whack his stick and at the last second he extended his arm,” Blake said. “I don’t think it was that bad [although] he went down like he was shot.” Taylor didn’t blame Blake or brand his Norris Trophy-winning defenseman undisciplined, and instead emphasized Blake’s value to the Kings.

“The years he’s been hurt we haven’t made the playoffs,” Taylor said. “He’s the captain of our team and one of the most respected players in the dressing room.”

Still, the Kings have had enough practice playing without him that they should have figured how to fill the emotional and physical void when he’s not there. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, starting with the 1994-95 season, when Blake was first hampered by a series of injuries that included major knee surgery, the Kings are 99-129-42 with him in the lineup and 42-73-22 without him.

Losing him Sunday, Robinson said, “was very upsetting. You get a psychological lift from a guy when he comes back in the lineup and then found out the next morning he’s not going to be there.”

Where was someone else to provide that lift in a game Blake called their biggest of the season? “We’re still getting leadership,” Robinson contended. “We’re not getting a true commitment from our guys to get in there and score some ugly and dirty goals. . . . Maybe we’ve overestimated some of these guys, thinking they’re better than they are, but I don’t think so. It’s a question of turning this thing around, getting one or two bounces.”

While Blake was injured, he had plenty of time to observe his teammates’ struggles. Like Taylor, he doesn’t see the need for major changes. “When I was out and Stumpel and Bodger were out, guys had to play roles they’re not used to,” Blake said. “But now the defense is pretty set and the goaltending is set. This is the first time this year we can really define our roles, and if we do that, we’re going to win a lot of games.”

On Sunday, they played the role of loser. A role they’re all too used to playing, with or without Blake.