ANOTHER THRILLER GETS AWAY KINGS FADE IN ATLANTA, LOSE IN OVERTIME AGAIN ATLANTA 4, KINGS 3.

Byline: Matt McHale Staff Writer

ATLANTA - For those scoring at home, the Kings have two points in the first two games of their trip. Two points and a lot of frustration.

With four minutes remaining Wednesday night, they had a one-goal lead. They should have headed to tonight's game in Nashville with a victory but instead lost 4-3 in overtime to the upstart Atlanta Thrashers at Philips Arena.

Twice, the Kings had lapses on defense that led to late goals. Even when Joe Corvo scored with five seconds left in regulation to tie the game, it only set up Marc Savard's game-winning goal at 3:37 of OT.

``We got a point and we lost a point,'' goaltender Cristobal Huet said. ``It's painful to think about the one that got away.''

Painful because they battled back from a two-goal deficit in Detroit on Monday night only to lose in overtime. Against Atlanta, the Kings took a two-goal lead in the first 6:52 when Luc Robitaille scored his first goal in 14 games and Trent Klatt added his second in the past 15.

They also limited the Thrashers to one shot and no goal during a five- on-three power play with 2 1/2 minutes remaining in the first period.

Those signs can bolster a team. Even with the OT losses, the Kings (14-10-1-3) remain on top of the Pacific Division. But the Thrashers are not the team that finished last in the East its first three years in the NHL.

This season, Atlanta (15-11-3-1) is first in the Southeast Division. The Thrashers have persevered after a preseason auto accident cost the life of winger Dan Snyder and seriously injured budding superstar Dany Heatley.

They have the league's leading scorer in Ilya Kovalchuk, who was limited to one assist Wednesday but whose feared slap shot was on the Kings' minds all night.

Former Kings goaltender Byron Dafoe was dominant for Atlanta after giving up the first two goals. After Savard scored his first goal at 7:33 of the first to make it a one-goal game, Dafoe stopped 12 shots in a scoreless second period and five of six in the third.

``Byron made a lot of great saves that saved the game for us,'' Thrashers coach Bob Hartley said.

But Dafoe's effort would not have mattered if the Kings didn't have two mental mistakes late in the game.

On the tying goal at the 16 minute mark of the third, Joe Corvo fired a pass up the middle of the ice that was picked off by Slava Kozlov.

Kozlov skated in on Huet and scored his 12th of the year.

``It's a game of inches,'' Corvo said. ``Just a few inches the other way and it would have been a great pass.''

At 18:46, the Kings defense turned the puck over again and this time Shawn McEachern scored on an assist by Savard to give the Thrashers a one-goal lead.

The Kings pulled Huet (17 saves) for one final push and worked the puck into the Thrashers zone. Jozef Stumpel made a crossing pass to the point and Corvo fired.

It sailed wide of the net, but Ziggy Palffy was nearby and the puck appeared to glance off him on its way in.

Palffy raced off the ice as if it was his goal, but the officials gave it to Corvo, his first of the year.

None of that mattered in overtime, where the Kings managed just one shot.

Savard came off the bench and took a pass from Kovalchuk before scoring his second of the night.

Matt McHale, [phone]

matt.mchale(at)dailynews.com