[0] HATS OFF TO BLAKE IN KINGS' TIE DEFENSEMAN NETS 3 FOR FIRST TIME IN CAREER, ADDS TWO ASSISTS KINGS 5, N.Y. RANGERS 5.

Byline: Matt McHale Staff Writer

Rob Blake's best was brilliant, but it was not enough to beat the New York Rangers.

With the first hat trick of his distinguished career and two assists, Blake brought the Kings back after blowing a two-goal lead Thursday night to earn a 5-5 tie in front of a sellout crowd of 18,118 at Staples Center.

Blake, who did not have a goal in the previous 13 games, scored in each period. But it was his assist on a power-play goal by Luc Robitaille with less than seven minutes left in regulation that tied a game they were trailing 5-3.

Blake drew the entire Rangers defense to the high slot, but he found Robitaille alone in front for a goal that gave the Kings a point and eased the pain of a game in which they lost center Jozef Stumpel with a broken little toe on his right foot.

The loss of Stumpel, who missed 10 weeks last season after hernia surgery, was bad enough and he will be reevaluated today. But these also were the same Rangers who had beaten the Kings 7-6 last month at Madison Square Garden.

The Kings were hoping for a tighter game this time. They had won three in a row with impressive defensive efforts against Dallas, Edmonton and Vancouver. Each time, they kept second shots away from the net.

Not this time. But Blake looked like he might just win the game by himself.

When Blake scored his second of the game, at the 8:52 mark of the second period, the Kings led 3-1. But the defense lagged and New York, one of the league's highest-scoring teams, jumped back in the game.

The Rangers peppered Kings goaltender Stephane Fiset for the final two periods and in overtime, where both teams had several opportunities to win.

With 1:38 left, Blake fired a slap shot from the top of the left faceoff circle, but New York goaltender Kirk McLean made the stop. Kings defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky had a breakaway with 22 seconds remaining, but again, McLean turned him away.

Early in the game, it appeared Blake would lead the Kings to their fourth consecutive victory.

The Kings already had a 1-0 lead on Ziggy Palffy's league-leading 21st goal when Blake scored his first goal since Nov. 7. The play began when McLean stopped Ian Laperriere's shot from in close. But the puck bounced back to the blue line where Blake fired off his back foot and beat McLean.

New York cut the lead to 2-1 early in the second on a goal by Valeri Kamensky, but Blake made it a two-goal game again midway through the period. This time it came with a man advantage when Blake took a cross-ice pass from Mathieu Schneider and beat McLean with a slap shot.

But if Blake was on fire, his teammates were freezing.

After outshooting New York 18-5 in the first, the Rangers took it to Fiset with 13 shots in the second.

Late in the period, Tim Taylor won the draw and got the puck to Sandy McCarthy, who beat Fiset on a screen shot.

The Rangers were playing without center Petr Nedved, who was suspended three games this week for a slash on Boston's Joe Thornton. But with Michael York playing center on New York's second line, the Rangers came alive.

First, it was Radek Dvorek, who tied the game on a pass from York at 19:02 of the second. After the quick start, the Kings were reeling and it showed on the goal. York took the first shot, but the puck was not clear. Dvorek stepped in and scored.

The Rangers took the lead on an unassisted goal by York's linemate, Jan Hlavac, at 6:37.

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Photo: (color) Los Angeles goalie Stephane Fiset, left, watches the puck after stopping a shot by the Rangers' Valeri Kamensky (13) as Rob Blake defends Thursday.

Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press