By Scott Cruickshank
LOS ANGELES — Another fathers trip is in the books. Lots of sun, lots of fun. Nearly a week of swapping lies and laughs.
Bob Hartley, for one, appreciated the reinforcements.
“It’s good for a change because (the players) don’t take hell only from the coach,” the Calgary Flames skipper, chuckling, was saying the other day. “They know that the game will be replayed with the dads, just like in the old days. I’m getting help here.”
On Thursday’s ride home — in a charter jet, not the family roadster — the dads may have indeed been wondering:
Why their boys lacked oomph. Why they got outshot by such a staggering margin.
Why they didn’t perform their usual magic in the late stages.
The Flames — who had owned the Pacific Division to the tune of 17-4-1 before this appearance at the Staples Center — got schooled. Outshot by a count of 45-18, the Flames fell 5-3 to the Los Angeles Kings in National Hockey League action.
Los Angeles Kings centre Jeff Carter takes the puck as Calgary Flames defenceman Mark Giordano reaches for it during the second period.
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Giving away two inches and 14 pounds — on average — to the Kings, the travellers could not find any thrust. Even in the third period, their signature stage. Deadlocked 2-2 through 40 minutes, it appeared the night was playing into the Flames’ hands.
Uh, no.
Dwight King scored only 55 seconds into the third. Jordan Nolan made it 4-2. And Tyler Toffoli, with his hat-trick goal, chased goalie Jonas Hiller, who was celebrating his 33rd birthday. Mason Raymond made it 5-3.
The Flames actually did get second-period strikes from David Jones and Raymond to take the lead in the lopsided contest.
The Kings received a first-period tally from Toffoli, who extended his goal streak to three games.
Coming into Thursday’s contest, the defending Stanley Cup champs had won two straight, on the road in Tampa and Columbus.
“I think those two were pretty solid games for us,” Trevor Lewis said after the morning skate. “I’d say checking-wise, we were pretty good and limiting their chances. I think when we’re a good checking team, we’re a good team.”
And, because of their so-so opening 50 games, they’re a chasing team — one that is currently south of a Western Conference playoff spot.
“We’ve been through it before,” said Lewis. “We know what it takes and, like we’ve been saying for the past couple weeks now, we’re playing playoff hockey already just to get in the playoffs. We need to keep up the momentum from the last two games and get this thing rolling.”
Calgary Flames left winger Mason Raymond celebrates his goal as Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick watches and left winger Curtis Glencross falls during the second period.
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) The Kings promised everyone who would listen after Wednesday’s practice that they are hungry. They looked it.
Decked in gold, the hosts took the game to the Flames from the opening faceoff. And only 196 seconds into the contest, Toffoli put the Kings out front 1-0.
Breaking out three on two with partners Jeff Carter and Dwight King — and Dennis Wideman and Kris Russell back-pedalling madly — Toffoli gained the blue line and toe-dragged his way into the middle of the ice. Snapping a hard shot from the high slot, Toffoli beat Hiller to the blocker side. A minute later, off a faceoff, Flames tough-guy Brandon Bollig and Kings grinder Kyle Clifford started chatting. Puck dropped and so did the gloves, with the two engaging in a spirited taffy-pull. If it was meant to provide an emotional boost to the oddly flat visitors, it did not work. Because the locals kept coming.
Soon enough, Los Angeles was enjoying a well-earned 9-3 shot bulge. Hiller, though, played well, withstanding heavy pressure and a stomped blocker-hand finger.
In the latter stages of the period, Hartley pulled Johnny Gaudreau off the line with Sean Monahan and Jiri Hudler. The Flames’ hotshot rookie suffered a bad moment early in the second period when his power-play turnover handed Carter a breakaway. (For good measure, Gaudreau, chasing, tripped over Raphael Diaz.) No damage, though.
In fact, tipping a T.J. Brodie point shot, Jones converted on the man advantage at 3:09. Only 32 seconds later, the Flames pushed ahead. Raymond, from the side, rapped in a loose puck as goalie Jonathan Quick and Curtis Glencross jostled in front of the Kings net. The goal counted. The goalie — and his stick — snapped. Quick, boiling, was saddled with an unsportsmanlike conduct minor.
In the final minute of the second period, on a delayed penalty, Toffoli corralled a loose puck to Hiller’s left and clubbed it in.
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