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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- In past seasons, a loss at this time of the
year for the Carolina Hurricanes might have been shrugged off. Not
so after the team had its nine-game unbeaten streak snapped
Saturday.
Ziggy Palffy had two goals and an assist as the Los Angeles
Kings took advantage of Carolina miscues for a 6-3 victory, denying
the Hurricanes first place in the Southeast Division.
|  | | The Kings have scored on the power play in a season-high six straight games. |
"The streak we were on will make this loss sting a little
more," said Carolina's Jeff O'Neill, who scored pair of goals.
"Guys have to get in their heads whatever they did today didn't
work."
Palffy scored once in the first period, and his 24th of the
season capped a three-goal barrage in a span of 5:05 late in the
second as the Kings also snapped Carolina's franchise record
nine-game home unbeaten mark.
"If you're unbeaten in nine straight like they were you know
that something strange will come," Palffy said. "Maybe a bad
bounce or you give up some goals."
The Hurricanes' previous home loss was Dec. 3 to Ottawa and the
last time they gave up as many as six goals was in a 7-4 home loss
to Nashville on Nov. 26.
Carolina, the hottest team in the NHL coming into the game,
allowed three goals or less in 14 straight games and was 7-0-2 in
its previous nine. The high-scoring Kings took advantage of several
defensive errors by all-star defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh to take
over the game.
Ozolinsh was back in the lineup after missing 10 games following
knee surgery. His cross-checking penalty led to Rob Blake's 16th
goal, tying the score 2-2, and he turned the puck over at center
ice less than four minutes later as Steven Reinprecht scored
shorthanded.
Palffy then scored 1:23 later for the Kings, who have won five
of six. Ozolinsh also was on the ice for Palffy's second goal and
finished the game a minus-3. He is now a team worst minus-16.
"I am not going to hang my head down and go in a corner and
feel sorry for myself," Ozolinsh said. "We've got a lot of games
to play and we've got to get back on the winning track."
Teammate Glen Wesley said it wasn't easy for Ozonlish to step
back into the lineup after a month off.
"When you are out for 10 games you don't feel like you've been
a part of the team and it is very difficult," Wesley said. "The
easiest thing you can do is not try to do too much. That's a lesson
hopefully Sandis can learn and get back to the way he was
playing."
Bryan Smolinski's 16th with 9:29 left gave the Kings a
three-goal lead before David Karpa closed out the scoring for
Carolina four minutes later on a power play.
"They've got two great scoring lines and they can bury the
puck," Wesley said. "We made too many mistakes in the neutral
zone that came back to bite us."
Nelson Emerson added an empty-net goal with 44 seconds left.
"This was a big win for us," Palffy said. "It doesn't matter
who scores the goals or passes the puck. It's just a matter of us
playing well defensively."
O'Neill gave the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead after Palffy scored less
than two minutes in.
After a slow start this season, O'Neill has 15 goals in his last
19 games for a team-leading 21. He scored 25 in a breakout season
last year.
Ron Francis assisted on both goals, tying Mark Messier for
fourth on the career assists list with 1,113.
The Kings scored at 1:57 when Palffy blasted a shot past Arturs
Irbe despite falling to the ice.
O'Neill got his two five minutes apart later in the first, with
Francis and Sami Kapanen assisting on both. The first score came on
a power play and the second just seconds after the Hurricanes had
killed off a holding penalty to Karpa.
A win or a tie by Carolina would have tied the franchise's
unbeaten mark of 10, set in 1982 when the team played in Hartford,
Conn.
Game
notes
Carolina's Glen Wesley played in his 1,000th game. ...
Palffy has at least one point in 14 of the last 16 road games for
the Kings. ... Francis has a six-game point streak. ... O'Neill's
first power-play goal gave him 11 this season, fourth in the NHL.
... Los Angeles center Jozef Stumpel improved his point streak to
seven games with an assist in the first period. ... The Kings have
scored on the power play in a season-high six straight games.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Los Angeles Clubhouse
Carolina Clubhouse
RECAPS
New Jersey 3
Atlanta 2
Los Angeles 6
Carolina 3
Colorado 2
San Jose 1
NY Rangers 2
Montreal 2
Ottawa 3
Tampa Bay 0
Philadelphia 5
Florida 3
Toronto 2
Buffalo 0
St. Louis 3
Vancouver 0
Edmonton 2
Detroit 1
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