Kings See Winless Streak Reach Seven

GLENDALE, Ariz. â€”  The new arena, mostly splendid and filled to capacity Wednesday, still needs a little tinkering, and so does the visiting team.

The Kings are now winless in seven consecutive games, the latest offering a 4-0 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes at newly opened Glendale Arena that left a sellout crowd of 18,106 in a good mood for the first time in the three-game existence of the Coyotes’ $220-million home.

The Kings, however, were less festive, emptying out of a hushed locker room amid the reality they have not won since Dec. 16 and have lost ground in the Pacific Division at a time when territory starts to divide between the haves and the have-nots.

The Kings began the first of 19 consecutive games against Western Conference teams with such rarities as a nine-minute short-handed situation and a goaltender that hadn’t started an NHL game since last season. The latter, Milan Hnilicka, gave a fair effort with 31 saves, but the former, a penalty-laden mishap by antagonist Sean Avery, was costly.

With the Kings down 1-0, Avery handed the Coyotes a nine-minute power play 8:10 into the second period, throwing down Mike Sillinger in front of the King net and punching him in the head twice as he lay motionless.

Avery, the league’s most penalized player, picked up two minutes for fighting, two for instigating, five for fighting and was also ejected from the game. Sillinger was not hurt and continued to play.

“Having to kill a penalty for nine minutes in a 1-0 hockey game, Sean can’t do that,� King Coach Andy Murray said. “Can I say it was undeserved? I can’t say that. It was unnecessary.�

It didn’t take long to turn the Coyotes’ one-goal lead into two, especially after Ziggy Palffy picked up a slashing penalty a few minutes after Avery’s gaffe, giving the Coyotes a two-minute 5-on-3 at 11:26.

It was converted when Jan Hrdina sent a cross-ice pass through the crease that was knocked in by Ladislav Nagy at the right side at 12:11.

The Kings killed off the rest of Avery’s penalty minutes and gave up only seven shots during the nine minutes, but a two-goal lead was more than enough for the Coyotes, who doubled it after two more goals in a 19-second span early in the third period. Avery declined to comment through a team spokesman.

The Kings had been shut out only twice in their first 34 games, but they were blanked Wednesday for the second time in their last four games, this one almost as unsavory as last Friday’s 5-0 loss against the Sharks.

“The problem we’re having right now is in our own end,� said captain Mattias Norstrom.

“I feel like the other team doesn’t have to work hard enough to get their scoring opportunities. There’s some missed assignments.�

Hnilicka, picked up in September from the Atlanta Thrashers, did his best to keep the Kings close early, stopping 14 shots in the first period and turning away a flurry of scoring chances early in the second period, stopping a breakaway by Hrdina and a wraparound attempt by Shane Doan.

Meanwhile, the Kings, bumped out of first place Monday by the streaking San Jose Sharks, are now only a point ahead of the rapidly gaining Dallas Stars for second place.

“The next month I think is going to be the biggest month,� center Eric Belanger said. “You’re going to see teams start to move ahead of others and we want to be one of those teams.�

*

Murray declined to address center Jason Allison’s comments in Wednesday’s edition of The Times that Murray’s injury assessment of him was “basically a lie.� Murray said the team’s new policy is to refer all questions about Allison to General Manager Dave Taylor, who is in Finland until next week at the world junior championships. Murray said Monday that Allison had been cleared to play by doctors, which Allison said was not true. Allison has been out since last January because of whiplash.... Brad Norton played for the first time since lacerating tendons in his forearm Sept. 30 in an exhibition game against the Coyotes. Norton, who sat out 37 games, logged 4:45 of ice time and 20 penalty minutes, including a 10-minute game misconduct in the third period.... Defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky and forward Ian Laperriere, both out because of concussions, did not make the trip.