Friday, May 4 8:00pm ET
Kings net first playoff shutout in 25 years
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BOX SCORE
DENVER (AP) – The Los Angeles Kings are making good on their
bold promises.
After the Kings lost to the Colorado Avalanche in Game 4 of the
Western Conference semifinals, coach Andy Murray predicted a
victory in Game 5, and goalie Felix Potvin assured teammate Luc
Robitaille of success in the hours before the game.
|  | | Kings goalie Felix Potvin made 20 saves to earn his sixth career playoff shutout. |
Sure enough, the resilient Kings are still alive.
Robitaille scored midway through the third period and Felix
Potvin made 20 saves as Los Angeles staved off elimination with a
1-0 victory over the Avalanche on Friday night.
"Felix told me before the game that we were going to win this
game," Robitaille said. "I looked in his eyes and I knew it. I
knew this guy was going to play a heck of a game."
The Kings, who rallied from a two-game deficit in the opening
round, trail the best-of-seven series 3-2. Game 6 is Sunday night
in Los Angeles.
"There probably weren't a lot of people here in this building
that felt that we'd be going back to Los Angeles, but I think our
team firmly believed that," Murray said. "The busiest guy in the
building tonight was the Avalanche travel agent."
Potvin withstood a frenzied barrage of shots in the game's final
four minutes and held on for his sixth career playoff shutout and the Kings' first since Rogie Vachon blanked the Atlanta Flames, 1-0, in the first round of the 1976 postseason. Potvin also benefited from a disallowed goal in the second period.
"Our game plan was to try to win 1-0 and not give them
anything," Potvin said. "We hung in there and Luc got a big
goal."
The loss, Colorado's second of the playoffs, prevented the
Avalanche from clinching their third straight trip to the
conference finals. The St. Louis Blues, who swept the Dallas Stars,
await the winner.
"I don't know if we came out flat," Avalanche forward Peter
Forsberg said. "I think we just played stupid. Maybe we wanted it
too much and we tried to do too much."
With the game scoreless after two periods, the Kings finally
broke through against Avalanche goalie Patrick Roy.
After winning a faceoff deep in the Colorado zone, Eric Belanger
flipped a short centering pass to Robitaille, who beat Roy between
the legs from the slot at 10:05.
The goal was Robitaille's second of the playoffs and the first
allowed by Roy in a span of 110:05.
"As soon as I saw he was going to get the puck, I knew he was
going to give it to me," Robitaille said. "I saw the five-hole.
There was no hesitation there. That thing was going in. He made the
whole play. It was unbelievable"
Colorado had a few good chances in the final 10 minutes, but
Potvin stuffed Chris Drury with four minutes left and then covered
the puck long enough to draw a whistle as the Avs hacked away a few
seconds later.
Roy, who has two shutouts in the series, finished with 25 saves.
"I think we should be more disappointed than anything else. We
don't deserve to be angry," he said. "We're going to have to go
over there and just regroup.
Neither team could covert a power play, going a combined
0-for-10.
Los Angeles opened the second period on a power play, but failed
to get a shot on Roy before the teams started trading scoring
chances.
The Avalanche thought they took a 1-0 lead at 12:33 when Milan
Hejduk batted a rebound out of the air and past Potvin. The goal
was waved off because Hejduk hit the puck with a high stick.
"I guess my stick was a little high," Hejduk said. "I was not
sure. It's tough to say."
The play was set up when Los Angeles defenseman Mattias Norstrom
slipped at the goal line and lost the puck to Colorado forward
Ville Nieminen.
Buoyed by their good fortune, the Kings got two good chances on
odd-man rushes, but Roy stopped Zigmund Palffy on a breakaway and
stuffed Bryan Smolinski on a 3-on-2 less than 15 seconds apart.
Game notes
Colorado played its second straight game without captain
Joe Sakic, who injured his right shoulder in Game 3. ... Kings
forward Kelly Buchberger missed his third straight game with an
injured left ankle. ... The Avs are 3-for-29 on the power play in
the series. ... Los Angeles is 1-for-18 on power play on the road.
... Colorado is 11-9 in series-clinching games since the 1995-96
playoffs. ... Forsberg and Hejduk had their scoring streaks end at
eight games.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Los Angeles Clubhouse
Colorado Clubhouse
Kings-Avalanche Series Page
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Milan Hejduk thinks he has a goal, but he is called for a high stick and the goal is disallowed.
avi: 2256 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN'
'Cable Modem
Eric Belanger wins the face off and gets the puck to Luc Robitaille for the game's only goal.
avi: 1006 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN'
'Cable Modem
The Avs have another goal waved off when Peter Forsberg comes in late on Felix Potvin.
avi: 1811 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN'
'Cable Modem
 Felix Potvin talks to ESPN's Tony Twist after leading the Kings to their first shutout in 25 years.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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