[0] KINGS LOSE TWO, WIN ONE FISET, SMOLINSKI HURT IN OT VICTORY KINGS 3, NASHVILLE 2.

Byline: Matt McHale Staff Writer

The crowd was booing, the Kings were limping, and it was only the second period.

For the fourth consecutive game, they were flat against a lesser opponent and suddenly were a lot weaker when goaltender Stephane Fiset and center Bryan Smolinski went down with injuries.

But just 28 seconds into overtime Saturday night, Jozef Stumpel brought back the cheers when he scored his 100th career goal to give the Kings a 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators.

Stumpel, who scored on the power play with defenseman Karlis Skrastins off for tripping, gave the Kings (31-26-8) their first victory in a week. But it is uncertain when Fiset and Smolinski will return.

``The goal meant a lot to me, but I think it was even bigger for the team,'' said Stumpel, who beat Mike Dunham for his 12th goal of the season. ``We haven't been playing that well and we lost some important guys tonight. But we came together with them gone. Winning in overtime will give us confidence.''

Both injuries came in the second period when the Kings blew a one-goal lead that led to rare harsh treatment from the sellout crowd of 18,118 at Staples Center.

Fiset, expected to be the club's goaltender down the stretch after starting six of the last seven games, left at the 14:15 mark of the second period with a strained right groin.

Jamie Storr, who suffered a similar injury earlier this season, finished the game and stopped seven shots.

But just 36 seconds after Fiset went down, Smolinski fell to the ice after taking a slash to the face by Nashville's Greg Johnson. Smolinski was slumped on the ice for more than a minute and later was diagnosed with a corneal abrasion of the left eye.

Although Smolinski, who also received two stitches under the eye, has been in a scoring slump, he was missed by the Kings, who had just five shots in the second period.

Johnson was given a four-minute minor penalty for high-sticking Smolinski, but the Kings were listless on the power play and never got close to scoring even though Nashville (22-37-6) came in with three consecutive losses and now has eight in its last 10 games.

``The crowd wasn't happy with that,'' Stumpel said. ``They have been very good to us this year, but we had four minutes and did nothing. We heard them. We wanted to do something.''

Luc Robitaille came in with a league-high 15-game scoring streak but did not get a shot off the entire game.

Leading scorer Ziggy Palffy, who assisted on Stumpel's winning goal, and second-line winger Glen Murray also were shut out in the second.

Kings coach Andy Murray, who is battling the flu, was hoping for better against the Predators. Murray said Nashville's hard-working style is a good barometer for his club, which holds the sixth spot in the Western Conference but was 0-2-1 in its previous three games.

The victory gives the Kings 73 points, two ahead of No. 7 Colorado, which defeated Tampa Bay. No. 8 San Jose lost 5-2 to Carolina and is four points back.

The Kings got their first two goals from unlikely sources - fourth-line winger Dan Bylsma and defenseman Garry Galley. Both came in the first period.

But until overtime, that was it.

The Kings caught a break with 25 seconds left in regulation when Skrastins tripped Palffy. The crowd continued to boo when the Kings played it safe. But Murray had a plan.

``I told them there was no need to go all out until the end of the period and maybe lose a chance for a point,'' he said. ``We came out with the man-advantage in overtime and I thought our players match up better with theirs. This is a good win.''

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo: Nashville's Sebastien Bordeleau, left, shields the puck from the Kings' Rob Blake in the first period on Saturday.

John Hayes/Associated Press

Box: NHL AT A GLANCE/KINGS 3, PREDATORS 2, OT