KINGS CRACK WINGS' DYNASTY.

Byline: KAREN CROUSE

DETROIT - Turn out the spotlight, the Red Wings' dynasty is over. On Saturday, the Los Angeles Kings effectively ripped open the curtain, revealing a team that long has been at the controls of the Western Conference is really just a scared, shrinking shell of its former self.

The Red Wings were the team with the 21-game home unbeaten streak and the nine Stanley Cup banners hanging in their building like Post-its to remind them of their greatness. But the Kings were the ones who methodically moved to within one win of the second round with a 3-2 victory at Joe Louis Arena.

The Kings played smart and with heart. They skated with verve and nerve.

A week earlier, the Red Wings had shut them out on the same patch of ice. After the Kings showed the depth of their character by coming back to tie the series 2-2, the Red Wings dug deep into their souls and found doubts.

A team with an arsenal of weapons that includes Sergei Fedorov and Nicklas Lidstrom and Tomas Holmstrom should have been confident going into a pivotal Game 5 at home. Instead, we saw signs of panic.

Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman refused to entertain questions after the Kings' come-from-dead 4-3 overtime victory Wednesday, raising a few eyebrows. Because a coach of a championship contender should be quick to blow off losses, not reporters.

Martin Lapointe did talk and his whining about the bad breaks the Red Wings got raised a red flag. Because when the Red Wings were winning Stanley Cups in 1997 and 1998, there wasn't a player or an official that could knock them off their game.

Then Saturday, Brendan Shanahan took painkillers so he could play with broken left foot that had sidelined him the three previous games and that pretty much raised the white flag right there. Because if the Red Wings felt as though they had to hurry Shanahan back into the lineup, they must not have been sure there'll be a second round for which to rest him.

It was plain to see Saturday why the Red Wings were worried. The Kings avoided taking the early penalties that had taken them out of their offensive game plan in previous games, freeing them to bull their way to the net.

It's amazing how fast you can get to loose pucks when you're not back on your heels, as Palffy demonstrated in the game's second minute by beating Steve Duchesne to a puck in front of Chris Osgood and firing it between Osgood's pads.

The Red Wings averaged 5.5 power plays in the first four games. They had two Saturday. ``When you're in the (penalty) box so long, you can't play your game,'' Laperriere said. ``We played smart today, and we were able to battle tough.''

His offensive stats do not do Palffy's performance justice. In addition to his goal, Palffy assisted on Adam Deadmarsh's game-winning score early in the third.

Deadmarsh wouldn't have had an open net to shoot into if Palffy hadn't faked a shot before passing to him, drawing Osgood out of the net. It was a great play, but it was a gritty play that Palffy made near the end of the game that spoke volumes about these Kings.

Palffy threw his body on the ice and blocked a shot by Lidstrom. A player not known for his defensive instincts had come under the sway of his team's survival instincts.

``I was in a bad position, and I know Nicklas has a great shot,'' Palffy said. ``You have to do things like that if you want to big games like these.''

You also have to have goal scorers like Luc Robitaille digging pucks out of the corners and Stu Grimson fighting Pat Verbeek tooth and nail for position on every faceoff and Felix Potvin making every save he's supposed to and one or two that suspend belief.

``Against these guys, you have to make great plays and have gritty efforts,'' said Deadmarsh, who ought to know; he has 22 points in 26 playoff games against Detroit.

``Some big people didn't even show up tonight,'' an angry Osgood said afterward. ``That's embarrassing.'' What Osgood didn't say is that all the Kings' men did show up. Against a shaken Detroit team, that was enough.

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Photo:

Todd Gill, left, and Chris Osgood of the Detroit Red Wings look as if they could use some pain relief after their team's 3-2 loss Saturday to the Kings at Joe Louis Arena.

Paul Sancya/Associated Press