Kings Soldier On Despite Adversity

Most of the breaks the Kings have caught this season are the type that show up on X-rays.

But they had no time to wallow in self-pity Tuesday after learning that a broken rib will sideline center Jozef Stumpel indefinitely and a hand injury will keep right wing Adam Deadmarsh out of the lineup about a week. The Montreal Canadiens, whose own injury saga defies belief, kept the Kings busy with a spirited comeback that nearly added another pothole to the Kings’ bumpy playoff chase.

Although the Canadiens tested the Kings’ depleted resources, the Kings emerged with a 4-3 victory before 14,404 at Staples Center. Bryan Smolinski’s goal at 5:39 of the third period, scored after a shot by Glen Murray ricocheted off the foot of Montreal defenseman Patrick Traverse and bounced to a surprised Smolinski to the left of the net, enabled the ninth-place Kings to gain a bit of precious ground in the Western Conference playoff scramble.

In prolonging their recent surge to 5-1-1, the Kings remained five points behind the seventh-place Phoenix Coyotes and crept within three points of the Edmonton Oilers, who were idle Tuesday. The Oilers have a game in hand on the Kings and Coyotes.

The Canadiens had tied the score at 3-3 on a short-handed goal by Martin Rucinsky at 2:42 of the third period, off a perfectly executed two-on-one break with Saku Koivu. But the Canadiens, who have lost more than 440 man-games to injuries, couldn’t extend their winning streak past three.

“We were just trying to hang on at the end,” Smolinski said. “We can’t lose ground. Anaheim really gave it to us the other day [a 4-0 loss Sunday] and that was kind of an eye-opener.”

After a quick start offensively, the Kings struggled to compensate for the loss of Stumpel and Deadmarsh. Stumpel was injured on a hit by Mighty Duck defenseman Pavel Trnka on Sunday; Deadmarsh fell on his right hand during his first game as a King, Feb. 24 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but played until the inflammation became too painful.

“It just has really been bothering me ever since. I haven’t been able to shoot,” Deadmarsh said. “The team decided to let me rest a couple of days.”

Stumpel said his left side was “a little stiff and sore,” and was unsure when he will return. “We’ll have to see how it is the next couple of weeks.”

Nelson Emerson scored the Kings’ first goal before many fans had found their seats. He took a pass from Aaron Miller, who had intercepted a poor clearing attempt by Traverse, and whipped a quick shot past Jose Theodore 35 seconds into the game.

Glen Murray extended the lead to 2-0 at 11:41, while the Kings had a two-man advantage. Murray was alone to the left of the slot to rifle a shot past Theodore at 11:41, his 15th goal. Theodore appeared to be screened by a teammate on the Kings’ third goal, a power-play blast by Visnovsky 53 seconds into the second period.

But the Canadiens responded with a power-play goal of their own, when Xavier Delisle prodded the puck home from short range at 5:35. They narrowed the Kings’ lead to a goal at 17:39 of the second period, when Patrice Brisebois scored on a deflection from the blue line.

Goaltender Felix Potvin improved his record with the Kings to 5-2-1 since he was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks on Feb. 15 for a conditional draft pick.

“We talked after the game that we got the two points we came for to get 70,” King Coach Andy Murray said, “and we’ll talk [today] about what we need to get 72.”