ANOTHER DOUBLE LOSS FOR KINGS L.A. FALLS IN OT; VISNOVSKY INJURED CALGARY 2, KINGS 1.

Byline: Matt McHale Staff Writer

CALGARY, Alberta - The Kings didn't come home empty. It only seemed that way.

They earned a point Saturday night by getting into overtime, but it hardly seemed worth the pain of watching Rob Niedermayer score at 2:42 of OT to give the Calgary Flames a 2-1 victory at the Pengrowth Saddledome.

The loss was the Kings' 11th in the past 14 games, and the news could be even worse after defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky sprained his left knee in the first period.

``It's not too good,'' said Visnovsky, who will undergo an MRI on Monday in Los Angeles. ``But I feel terrible for the guys. They played so hard tonight.''

It wasn't enough however, against Calgary, which is last in the Western Conference but just four points behind the Kings.

The Flames responded to chants of ``boring'' during a tedious 40-minute stretch from late in the first period until 15 minutes remained in regulation.

The winning goal developed when Kings center Jason Allison tried to center the puck from behind the Flames' net. But the pass struck a skate and headed up ice. Niedermayer picked it up near the red line and skated in alone on Kings goaltender Felix Potvin. Niedermayer tucked the puck over Potvin's right arm and the game was over.

``It is always tough to lose one in overtime,'' Kings captain Mattias Norstrom said. ``We worked hard, but we didn't get it done.''

Hard work could not overlook a lack of offense by the Kings, who have scored just 25 goals in the past 14 games. Ziggy Palffy was active on the offensive end, scoring a shorthanded goal early in the first period that tied the game 1-1.

Palffy also had several good scoring chances late in regulation and in overtime.

The crowd died down with about five minutes left in regulation and got to see the best action since early in the first period.

Palffy was at the center of it. He was wide open in front but was pulled down in front of the Flames' net.

Palffy had an open look at the Flames' net from 15 feet, but goaltender Roman Turek made the stop with four minutes remaining in the third. With 2:02 left, Palffy had another opportunity from the perimeter, but Turek made another tough stop.

After plodding through the final two periods, it was hard to believe the first half of the first period was so wild.

Just 1:04 into the game, the Flames scored after Dave Lowry fired from the slot. Potvin made the stop, but Martin Gelinas crashed the net to keep on the pressure. Chris Conroy, the Flames' captain, picked up the rebound and backhanded it into the net for his 12th goal of the season.

The Kings, who know scoring first is critical during their goal drought, were shaken. But two minutes later, they really got scared.

Oleg Sarykin, who later left the game with a sprained left knee, took a shot from the high slot that struck Potvin on the collarbone. Potvin went down and didn't move for several moments. Trainer Peter Demers rushed to treat Potvin, who shook off the pain and remained in the game.

Things didn't look much better when Brad Chartrand was called for a two-minute hooking penalty at the 5:30 mark.

But a minute into the Flames' penalty kill, Steve Heinze knocked down the puck at the Calgary blue line and got it to Palffy.

It was a sight rarely seen this year for Kings fans, Palffy skating in open ice and making it look easy as he beat Turek to the glove side for the shorthanded goal.

It was his 14th of the year, which leads the club. The downside? Palffy was tied with Adam Deadmarsh for the Kings' lead in goals even though Deadmarsh has missed the past 16 games and 21 of the past 30 with a concussion.

But the euphoria was short-lived, as Demers found himself back on the ice tending another fallen King.

After Chartrand was whistled for tripping at 14:10, Visnovsky was trying to clear the puck in his own zone during on the penalty kill when he collided with Heinze.

``I'm worried,'' said Visnovsky, who left the dressing room with a heavy brace on his leg. ``We just need to get everyone healthy.''

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Photo:

The Kings' Mattias Norstrom is sandwiched between Calgary's Jarome Iginla, right, and Martin Gelinas during the Flames' 2-1 victory Saturday.

Adrian Wyld/Associated Press