[0] KINGS BEAR DOWN, DON'T MELT DOWN INJURY-PLAGUED TEAM BOUNCES BACK FROM HORRIBLE WEEK, BEATS CAROLINA KINGS 4, CAROLINA 2.

Byline: Matt McHale Staff Writer

The Kings' best players were back in the trainers' room Thursday night and that somehow brought everyone closer together.

Without injured Rob Blake and ailing Ziggy Palffy, this tattered bunch rebounded from a miserable week and defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 in front of an announced crowd of 13,884 at Staples Center.

The tiny turnout was due in part to a weeknight game and the unsexy Hurricanes. But after coming off morale-killing games against Nashville and Chicago, the Kings scored four goals in the second period and withstood a frantic third to win for just the second time in seven games.

Kelly Buchberger and Bryan Smolinski, two of the team's grittier players, led a far more aggressive offense with two goals apiece.

Jamie Storr survived a scare when Carolina scored in the first minute of the third then again six minutes later to cut a four-goal lead two. He stopped 22 shots for the victory.

Even with goals by Rod Brind'Amour and Ron Francis, it was a far better performance than the 6-4 loss to the Predators and 3-3 tie against Chicago, when the Kings lost Blake in the final moments with a badly bruised right shoulder.

The Kings had a three-goal lead against the Predators and lost. They twice led the Blackhawks by two goals.

But with the victory, the Kings (24-21-8-1), remained tied for ninth place in the Western Conference with the Predators, who also won.

With all the distractions surrounding trade talk for Blake, it didn't seem things would improve when Palffy called in sick with the stomach flu before Wednesday's practice. Palffy, tied with Luc Robitaille for fifth in the league with 60 points, did not get better Thursday morning and was scratched. The Kings went with a first line of Jozef Stumpel, Luc Robitaille and rookie Eric Belanger.

Jere Karalahti, benched the past eight games, took Blake's spot alongside Mattias Norstrom on defense.

The Kings finally took advantage of home ice and fatigue by the Hurricanes, who beat the Coyotes on Wednesday night in Phoenix. They also got a break when Carolina went with backup goaltender Tyler Moss. Arturs Irbe had started that last 40 games, including a 6-3 loss to the Kings on Jan. 20.

Like the Kings, Carolina is in ninth place, one spot from the playoffs. The Hurricanes know they will need some goaltending help down the stretch. But Thursday was a bad night to experiment.

After a scoreless first period, Smolinski took a pass from Glen Murray up the right side and beat Moss for a short-handed goal just 26 seconds into the second.

Buchberger, who played sluggishly against Chicago, has helped fill the leadership gap on the team during the Blake's season-long contract problem. Thursday, he scored goals just three minutes apart in the second period, his fourth and fifth of the year.

Smolinski, who had cooled off after a torrid January, made it 4-0 with a power play blast from the point with two minutes left in the second.

Smolinski moved back to the point in Blake's absence and scored after taking a pass from Mathieu Schneider.

But the game was hardly over.

At 1:49 of the third period, Brind'Amour, a tough forward some think might wind up with the Kings if Carolina falls out of the race, emerged from a pile in front and beat Storr, who was in net for both recent meltdowns.

It didn't look any better when Francis, the fifth-leading scorer in NHL history, walked in on net four minutes later and poked it under Storr's pads at the 5:05 mark.

The Kings, who began the season 16-0-1 when leading heading into the third period, were in danger of blowing their third consecutive games. But for the final 15 minutes, they played like a team.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo: (1 -- color) Carolina's Dave Tanabe, right, moves the puck toward the Kings' Jaroslav Modry in the first period. The Kings took at 4-0 lead and held on.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

(2) This is hockey, not wrestling, as Carolina's Dave Karpa, top, and the Kings' Scott Thomas fight for the puck.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press