ANOTHER BREAK FOR BLAKE : KINGS' STAR DEFENSEMAN INJURED IN WIN OVER PHOENIX KINGS 5, PHOENIX 2.

Byline: Tim Trepany Daily News Staff Writer

Forget the silver linings, steps forward or good news.

With the Kings lately, it's all dark clouds, two steps backward and bad news.

The Kings finally won a game, breaking their seven-game winless streak by beating the Phoenix Coyotes 5-2 on Thursday before an announced 12,560 fans at the Forum.

But it mattered little because they lost defenseman Rob Blake to another injury.

Blake, easily the team's most talented player but one of its most fragile, broke a bone in his right hand and will be out four to six weeks.

``Every time we win, we lose,'' Kings coach Larry Robinson said.

``That's part of the game. You take the good with the bad. What can you do? You can't undo things.''

Blake was holding up Coyotes left wing Keith Tkachuk during the first period when a puck struck him, breaking the bone that leads to the ring finger. He went to the dressing room at 14 minutes, 32 seconds, and X-rays taken at Centinela Hospital Medical Center confirmed the fracture.

Blake returned to the Forum and left before commenting, but Robinson said the player was ``discouraged.''

``These things happen, but they always seem to happen to him,'' Robinson said.

Considering Blake had missed 100 games the previous two seasons because of groin and knee injuries, it's understandable he would be upset.

He was hospitalized during the World Cup of Hockey during the summer, but played in every one of the Kings' 36 games thus far.

Although he was plagued by inconsistency this season, Blake has shown flashes of his sparkling potential. He was 10th among defenseman in scoring with six goals and 20 points, quarterbacks the team's power play, is the Kings' hardest hitter and team captain.

``We're going to miss him for sure,'' defenseman Philippe Boucher said. ``He's one of the best defenseman in the league. We all have to step up. We can't expect one guy to replace him.''

Barring a trade, the immediate candidates are Sean O'Donnell and Jaroslav Modry, marginal defensemen at best.

The Kings almost gave up on O'Donnell before the season, demoting him to minor-league Phoenix and telling him he would be made available in the NHL waiver draft. Only injuries prevented them from following through, but it hasn't gotten him into the lineup on a regular basis. He has been a healthy scratch 13 times this season.

Modry has a defensive rating of minus-14, second-worst on the team even though he's been held out of 16 games.

``There's no other Blake around,'' Robinson said. ``What can you do? You can't get upset. You can't bring him back. Everybody has to pick up the slack.''

Before Blake went off, the Kings built a 3-0 lead, including their first power-play goal in 39 man advantages, but Phoenix cut it to one on two goals by Keith Tkachuk.

His second goal came 59 seconds into the third period on a power play, set up by a needless roughing penalty on Kings defenseman Steven Finn.

Finn, however, made up for it, beating goalie Nikolai Khabibulin from the left circle at 5:36 for a two-goal Kings lead.

The Kings scored on their third, fourth and fifth shots to take a 3-0 lead after the first 12 minutes.

They broke their power-play slump when Boucher one-timed a pass from Kai Nurminen and beat Khabibulin with a low shot on the glove side at 3:18. Khabibulin was screened by Kings left wing Kevin Stevens as Boucher scored his fourth goal of the season.

Brad Smyth got his sixth goal for the Kings in typical fashion. After Ray Ferraro sent the puck from the right corner in front, Smyth burst down the slot and tipped it past Khabibulin at 7:35.

Vladimir Tsyplakov capped the scoring spree by taking a pass in the right circle from Dimitri Khristich, faking out defenseman Teppo Numminen and sending the puck off Khabibulin's stick and into the net at 11:52.

Eddie Olczyk's empty-net goal with 12.2 seconds left capped the scoring.

Kings notes: After being split up the previous two games, Khristich, Tsyplakov and Vitali Yachmenev skated on the same line against the Coyotes. . . . The power-play goal was the Kings' first since Modry got one against Tampa Bay on Dec. 5, a span of nine games. Kings left wing Barry Potomski and Coyotes defenseman Dave Manson received misconducts as the result of a first-period fight. After serving two-minute penalties - Potomski for cross-checking and Manson for roughing - they left the penalty box and immediately squared off. . . . Defenseman Sean O'Donnell was a healthy scratch. . . . The power-play goal was the Kings' first since Jaroslav Modry got one against Tampa Bay on Dec. 5, a span of nine games.

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Photo

Photo: (color) The Kings' Barry Potomski eyes Phoenix's Dave Manson as officials separate the two in the first period.

Tom Mendoza / Daily News