March 15, 2007 -- Los Angeles -- Despite going 0-1-3 on their last road trip, the Los Angeles Kings have actually played their best hockey of the season since February 1.

Since that time, behind solid goaltending provided primarily by Sean Burke, the Kings are 6-4-7, earning 19 out of a possible 34 points.

But what a strange way to keep your collective heads above the .500 mark--in that 17-game stretch, the Kings have actually lost eleven out of the 17, but because teams earn a point in the standings for an overtime loss or a shootout loss, they earned seven additional points and those seven losses are not counted in the loss column when you look at the standings.

And those seven overtime/shootout losses include three straight overtime losses to conclude their most recent four-game road trip that took them to Chicago on March 3 (3-0 loss). That was followed by overtime losses at Columbus on March 7 (3-2), at Detroit on March 9 (3-2), and at Dallas on March 11 (4-3).

This was the first time in franchise history that the Kings lost three straight overtime games in the regular season.

On March 12, the Kings returned home to face a battered Edmonton Oilers team that had lost their heart and soul, forward Ryan Smyth, who was traded to the New York Islanders at the February 27 trade deadline.

But even more devastating was that the Oilers had been decimated by injuries, something that will sound awfully familiar to those who follow the Kings.

On Monday night, the Oilers skated into Staples Center with ten players out of their lineup, including five of their top defensemen and a number of key forwards. And because of the risks of recalling players subject to re-entry waiver rules, the Oilers could not recall anyone from their minor league affiliates to fill the holes in their lineup.

And when the puck was dropped for the opening face-off, the Oilers ended up dressing just five defenseman and only nineteen skaters, one short of the usual twenty.

To their credit, the Oilers did not use injuries as an excuse, at least, not in so many words.

"I'm not going to say we're snake-bit or it's complete bad luck, because we're not very gifted scoring goals right now with the group we have," said Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish. "We're having a hard time getting the shots through from the back end and we aren't giving ourselves a chance to get lucky. It's just frustrating."

Over the last two seasons, other teams did not care that the Kings were decimated by injuries, and the Kings gave the Oilers the exact same treatment on Monday night, blowing them out of Staples Center, 5-1.

The Kings host the Chicago Blackhawks on March 15, and the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 17. They make the drive south to Anaheim on March 18 and then host the Dallas Stars on March 21 before heading out of town for a three-game road trip that begins at Chicago on March 23.

POSITIVE SPIN ON FIVE-GAME LOSING STREAK

After handing the Anaheim Ducks a dramatic 4-3 overtime defeat on March 1 at Staples Center, the Kings lost their next five games, three of them in overtime.

"We've been playing quite well," said Crawford. "We were in the game against Nashville until the end. We actually had a lead late in that game, so it was nice to get a payoff [on March 12 against Edmonton]."

"We knew it was a depleted lineup on both sides tonight, and I thought we needed energy in the game tonight, and we got it from guys like [Raitis] Ivanans, [John] Zeiler and [Scott] Thornton," added Crawford. "Those guys really did some terrific things for us in terms of hitting, in the physical department."

"When you get that, it allows the rest of the guys to go out and play a pretty good skill game, a pretty good puck possession game."

Indeed, the Kings' muckers and grinders were usually their best players during the five-game skid, while most of their skilled players struggled.

"They came in, they've given us some enthusiasm, in some cases like Zeiler and [Gabe] Gauthier, they played very physically," said Crawford. "They hit, they finish checks and get pucks deep."

CLARKE MAKES HIS MARK

But after fourteen career regular season games with the Kings, the 5-9, 185-pound left winger finally made his mark, scoring his first NHL goal against the Oilers on March 12 in front of the home crowd.

"I felt good, I worked hard the last few games, so it feels good to get that first one under my belt," said Clarke.

"I know Clarke getting his first goal is one he'll always remember, and it's nice to see a California native kid score a goal for the Los Angeles Kings," said Crawford. "When they started the Kings here, that's probably what hockey aficionados envisioned, that someday, kids that play here in California can have the dream of playing for one of the California teams."

Before refining his game at Colorado College, where he played four seasons, Clarke, the first Southern California-bred player to play for the Kings, learned the game in Southern California ice rinks.

"I remember going to tournaments when I was in pee-wees and bantams," Clarke explained. "People kind of sneered and said that California kids can't play hockey. It's still not a hotbed, but I just think you see more and more California kids coming up now."

"There's good coaching here now and there's more rinks, especially after Wayne Gretzky played here," Clarke added.

But even now that he has scored his first NHL goal, the same question--will he ever make it to the NHL to stay--looms large for Clarke and his future with the Kings, especially since his contract expires on June 30.

"Around 17 or 18, my speed got me noticed and drafted," said Clarke. "It was just hard work and keeping at it."

To make it to the big club for keeps, Clarke must learn to "play big."

"My size and my speed are things I've always used to my advantage," said Clarke. "Growing up, I was always a smaller player, so I used my speed to create opportunities."

But at the NHL level, the Kings want Clarke to work on his puck protection skills and being strong on the puck.

"With my size, I have to use my speed and also win the one-on-one battles and show that I can play against the bigger guys in this league."

At 27 years of age, the clock is certainly ticking for Clarke. But he remains determined.

"I went to college late, so I know that I came in the league at 24, not as a 20-year-old," Clarke countered. "I try not to think about that. Every time I get to the NHL, it makes it all worth it. I just want to show that I can play in this league."

REBUILDING ACCELERATED?

If you talk to the Kings front office staff, they will talk about patience and sticking to their game plan in terms of how they will rebuild the Kings into a consistent winner and Stanley Cup contender, and the timetable, from all appearances, looks to be at least two more seasons. Perhaps longer.

But some of the Kings players believe it will happen faster than that.

"Since the talk started about us rebuilding, we're optimistic that it's not going to take as long as I think maybe [some members of the media] and some other people might think for us to be a team that can compete," said Kings center Michael Cammalleri.

And a number of players around the league, including Anaheim's Teemu Selanne, have stated that the Kings already are better than their record seems to indicate, and another player echoed those remarks.

"Believe it or not, [the Kings] have a pretty good hockey club," said Edmonton forward Petr Sykora. "They're low in the standings, but they move the puck very well. They have experienced defensemen like [Rob] Blake and [Aaron] Miller taking charge back there, making plays, creating odd-man situations with those young forwards."

"When I look at that team, they have a good future, They have a lot of good, young players who can be good in this league."

TAKING ONE FOR THE TEAM

During their last road trip, Kings defenseman Mike Weaver took a puck in the face during the first period at Chicago on March 6.

But even after losing four teeth, Weaver returned to the game, knowing that the Kings had just five defensemen with him out of the lineup.

Just another example of how hockey players have to be considered the toughest athletes around.

SINCE WE BROUGHT IT UP

PHOTOS COURTESY LA KINGS

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