There Isn’t Much Fire in the Kings During Their 7-2 Defeat by Calgary

CALGARY, Canada — The malaise that has the Kings in its death-like grip squeezed tight here Thursday night. This thing, which has as its symptoms lethargy, mindlessness and the ability to render the feistiest player meek, has seemingly dug in for the duration. The Kings can’t shake it.

The game here, in which the Kings were beaten by the Flames, 7-2, before 16,798 fans at the Saddledome, was highlighted by addled defensive play and a listless effort on offense.

Coach Mike Murphy gave it some consideration and said, “It might have been our worst effort of the season.”

There seems little reason to add a qualifier--if this wasn’t the worst game the Kings have played this season, then how bad have they been? More than that, how bad will they get?

To a player, the Kings deny they are looking ahead to the playoffs, in which they will face first-place Edmonton. Yet, here they are, playing with their minds in April and their bodies in August.

The Kings (25-32-8) have gone 3-10-2 in their last 15 games and have watched their chance of reaching .500 become less and less a possibility.

“I had hoped they would tighten their belts,” Murphy said of the inexorable slide. Instead, there is a constriction in the players’ throats.

Murphy added: “I have no idea why they play like this.”

Murphy had no answers Thursday night, but he did have a long list of descriptions of what he saw.

“We just didn’t want to compete with this team tonight,” he said. “It looks like there was a lack of individual effort. There was a lack of willpower. We sure played like we were fatigued. No one gave a second effort. We were in neutral.”

While the rest of the team played at half-speed against a big and fast team, King goaltender Rollie Melanson’s end of the ice was a beehive. He faced 42 shots.

“These things happen,” Melanson said, describing the action in the King zone. “They just seem to happen a lot lately. I just hope it doesn’t get too embarrassing. Let’s face it: We’ve been flat now for the last five of six games.”

The Kings were somewhere below flat against the Flames, who are 38-27-2. The Kings played well for “about 12 minutes” by Murphy’s watch. Their fall coincided with Calgary’s first goal, at 15:24 of the first period.

Joel Otto left a drop pass for Joe Mullen at the King blue line, which Mullen deftly placed in the corner of the King net.

That started a three-goal spree that took Calgary 2 minutes 26 seconds to run.

Steve Bozek scored with most of the Kings flat on the ice at 17:33. Seventeen seconds later, Flame forward Colin Patterson took advantage of defensemen Peter Dineen’s chivalrous move to help out rookie Jimmy Carson, who was checking Lanny MacDonald.

The problem was that old MacDonald had the puck, and he passed to the open Patterson, whose goal made it 3-0 at the end of the first period.

“When they got their first goal, that took the wind out of our sails,” Murphy said. By the start of the second period, the Kings were adrift.

“They get one goal and we change our style of play--we change everything,” King forward Jim Fox said. “We lose our confidence and start pressing. We’ve got to play the way that’s set out for us.”

There was little mystery in what the Kings would try to do against the Flames in the seventh meeting this season between the teams. “We didn’t skate, we didn’t fight along the boards,” Murphy said. “You have to do that against this team.”

The Kings started the second period with two power plays, which they failed to convert. The Flames jumped on the Kings for two quick goals, Mike Bullard and Neil Sheehy scoring 32 seconds apart.

Defenseman Grant Ledyard scored the first of his two goals at 11:04 in the second period. His second came at 14:18 in the third. By then, however, Al MacInnis and Patterson had scored to render any King comeback futile.

Murphy, a man of seemingly limitless patience with this team, may be reaching his high point of frustration.

“We’re fortunate,” Murphy sighed. “We can improve on every aspect of our game right now.”

King Notes The Flames signed center Joe Nieuwendyk to a contract Thursday. . . . There were the usual number of fights, which served only to make the game longer. There were 52 minutes in penalties assesed. . . . The Kings play at Edmonton tonight. The Oilers are 39-20-5 and have a five-point lead over Calgary in the Smythe Division. Should the Kings make the playoffs, which seems likely, they would open the seven-game series against Edmonton April 8.