Kings Land First Blow, Then Get Floored

DALLAS — The Kings’ tendency to fall apart after an opponent scores was never more evident than during Monday night’s 7-2 loss to the Dallas Stars.

After the Kings got off to their fastest start of the season on a goal by Kevin Stevens 23 seconds into the game, Dallas tied the game late in the first period and scored five times in the second to win before 15,386 at Reunion Arena.

“They just outplayed us all night,” said King captain Rob Blake, who lost for the first time since returning to the lineup after suffering a broken right hand. “They gave it to us pretty good in all aspects of the game.”

In improving to 3-0-1 since the All-Star break, the Stars showed the Kings why they lead the Central Division. They held the Kings to a season-low 17 shots and took 37 against goalies Byron Dafoe, who dropped to 10-9-2, and Stephane Fiset, who played the third period.

Center Mike Modano became the first Star to reach 20 goals this season with two scores to give him 21, and Derian Hatcher, Benoit Hogue, Pat Verbeek, Jamie Langenbrunner and Dave Reid each scored once.

Dallas defenseman Darryl Sydor, a former King, added a career-high three assists as the Stars cruised behind goalie Andy Moog, who improved on his NHL-leading 2.15 per game goals-against average.

“Obviously, our downfall was the second period when we got as many shots as they had goals,” said Dafoe, who faced 17 shots in the second period while the Kings managed only five against Moog. “We go through stretches where we seem to play very well defensively, then sometimes it’s just one period or 10 minutes. When we do, it just kills us in a game.”

After rallying to tie the Mighty Ducks with a late third-period goal by Kai Nurminen on Saturday, the Kings appeared ready to pull off an upset when Stevens and Vitali Yachmenev executed a perfect give-and-go play with Stevens scoring to make it 1-0.

But that was it for the Kings until late in the third period when Stevens scored his 10th goal. Their 17 shots on goal beat their previous low of 19 set against the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 21.

“Once teams score on us, we have to go back to basics and not try to get two goals in 30 seconds,” King defenseman Philippe Boucher said. “We have to remember to play good defense . . . and play our game.”

Despite being outshot, 14-3, in the first period, the Kings headed into the second period tied with the Stars, 1-1, thanks to the strong play of defensemen Steven Finn, Doug Zmolek and Boucher.

Finn, in the lineup for the third time in 10 games since he suffered a back injury on Jan. 2, blasted the Stars’ Todd Harvey four minutes into the game.

Zmolek then followed with a cross-check on Dallas winger Pat Verbeek and later Boucher helped prevent a goal by knocking down the Stars’ Grant Marshall in the crease late in the period.

The Stars, only 12-10-2 at home, scored on their first power play when Modano connected from outside the right post after an assist by Sydor with 28 seconds remaining.

Then came the Stars’ second period Texas-size onslaught. Hatcher gave Dallas its first lead 18 seconds into the period and was followed by goals by Hogue, Modano, Verbeek and Langenbrunner as the Stars took a 6-1 lead.

Dallas finished its scoring on Reid’s 13th goal of the season at 11:02, before Stevens added his second goal at 14:49 for his first two-goal game of the season.

“We played a good first period despite being outshot,” King Coach Larry Robinson said. “Then all of a sudden we stopped hitting and taking the body.

“Our goaltenders shouldn’t talk to the rest of the team. That’s how poorly we’ve been playing in front of them. If I was a goalie I’d be pretty darn upset at them. [Dafoe and Fiset] have kept us in games when maybe we shouldn’t have been in. Our guys just don’t want to return the favor. . . . We have some guys who are afraid to get checked.”