[0] POTVIN'S THE MAN NOW KINGS GOALIE STOPS SHARKS KINGS 4, SAN JOSE 1.

Byline: Matt McHale Staff Writer

SAN JOSE - The Kings are Felix Potvin's team now.

Andy Murray, their coach, doesn't want to hand out the C that RobBlake left behind when he was traded to Colorado. He doesn't have to.

Potvin was spectacular Wednesday night, guiding the Kings to a 4-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks the same way he has done the past three weeks.

With the Kings' lead in the third period as precarious as their playoff chances, Potvin stepped in front of a flurry of Sharkschances. The Kings did not have a shot in the first 10 minutes of the period but managed to rais their record to 7-1-2 since Blake left three weeks ago.

With four games against the Sharks in 14 days, the San Jose Arena and a screaming sellout crowd of 17,496 could have been the beginning of the end for the Kings. But with Phoenix losing to New Jersey earlier in the night, the Kings now trail the Coyotes by three points for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Eric Belanger scored the eventual game-winner early in the second period. Bryan Smolinski added a power-play goal midway through the third and Ian Laperriere beat Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov to make it 4-1 with just 1:27 remaining.

But at one point, the Sharks were outshooting the Kings 34-12.

Potvin, banished to the minors by Vancouver before coming to the Kings on Feb. 16, stopped almost everything, especially on the San Jose power play. He finished with 39 saves.

The Sharks, playing without injured newcomer Teemu Selanne (left-knee surgery) finished 0 for 7 on the man advantage. But Potvin was at his best when the Sharks were on the man advantage and never better than against Alexander Korolyuk with 14:04 left in the game.

With Belanger in the penalty box, Korolyuk had a wide-open look at the net from the right faceoff circle and fired, but Potvin made a glove save.

Potvin so frustrated the Sharks that they turned physical midway through the game. They battered Kings winger Ziggy Palffy repeatedly, even though Palffy managed to finish with three assists.

Although the Sharks and Kings are in the Pacific Division, thiswas their first game this season in San Jose. The last time the teams met was the day after Christmas, when the Kings lost 2-1 at Staples Center.

At the time, the Sharks were first in the division and one of the hottest teams in the league. They since have fallen behind Dallas but remain in line for a high playoff seed. If the playoffs started today, there would be a rematch of last year's first-round battle, when the Sharks upset the St. Louis Blues.

With 13 games to go, the Kings gave them all they could handle.

At 12:18 of the first period, Luc Robitaille took a crisp cross-ice pass from Palffy and easily beat Nabokov for his 34th goal. Five minutes later, veteran defenseman Gary Suter, just back from knee surgery tied the game 1-1. Adam Deadmarsh, back from a hand injury, knocked Alexander Korolyuk off the puck. But Patrick Marleau picked it up at center ice and passed it ahead to Suter at the right faceoff circle. Suter fired a 15-footer and Potvin never had a chance.

Most of the night, however, Potvin was brilliant.

Midway through the second period, Scott Thornton was stopped twice in front of the net. Late in the period, Marleau was in front of an open net, but a sprawling Potvin made a save.

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Photo: Felix Potvin makes one of his 39 saves in the Kings' 4-1 victory Wednesday night in San Jose.

Nelson Ching/Associated Press