KINGS KEEP THEIR SLIM HOPES ALIVE UNLIKELY GOAL FROM FLINN PUTS L.A. 8 POINTS BACK KINGS 2, MONTREAL 1.

Byline: Rich Hammond Staff Writer

Ryan Flinn is on the ice to hit people, and any offense he contributes to the Kings' cause is a completely unexpected bonus.

So it was nothing less than stunning to see Flinn with his arms in the air celebrating his first NHL goal, which helped propel the Kings to a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night in front of 18,118 at Staples Center.

``It was everything I dreamed of,'' said 22-year-old Flinn, a native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, whose goal came in a game that was broadcast to a national-television audience in Canada.

Flinn's goal, 2:40 into the first period, was also the first point of his career. He played in just his fifth game of the season and the 15th of his career, making him an unlikely hero for a Kings team that is fighting to stay relevant in the Western Conference playoff race.

With 14 games remaining in the regular season, the Kings are eight points behind Edmonton for eighth place in the conference and three points behind ninth-place Nashville.

Montreal, once in contention for a playoff spot in the East, is winless in its past nine games. The Canadiens played even with the Kings in the first period but couldn't keep up after that.

``I thought we got better as the game went along,'' Kings coach Andy Murray said. ``We played more to our style, especially in the third period.''

The Kings' first goal was almost as improbable as the player who scored it. Jerred Smithson left the puck near the right boards for Brad Norton, who whipped a pass to the front of the net.

Flinn, one stride away from the net, stuck out his stick just as the puck arrived, and the timely deflection off the blade went past goalie Mathieu Garon, who couldn't slide over in time to make the stop.

``Brad Norton made the highlight play, it was a beautiful play by him,'' Flinn said. ``I just had to stand there.''

Smithson also earned his first NHL point with an assist on Flinn's goal.

``That line, it was great to see them show that they can do more than hit and fight,'' Murray said. ``Everybody dreams of scoring a goal like that.''

Eric Belanger scored with 7:40 left in the game, after Mikko Eloranta intercepted a clearing pass from Andrei Markov and fed a centering pass to Belanger, who beat Garon with a one-time wrist shot.

``Mikko slowed the play down and made a great play to get the puck to me,'' Belanger said.

Goalie Jamie Storr made 27 saves and missed a shutout when Richard Zednik scored with three-tenths of a second remaining after a flurry of shots and the Montreal net empty.

``I'm sure that was a little frustrating for Jamie, but he played a great game for us and stepped up,'' Belanger said. ``He's going to get his share of shutouts for us.''

The Kings didn't make it easy for Storr. Flinn's goal provided the slim margin for much of the game, and the Kings missed several chances to extend the lead.

Saku Koivu went off for holding 29 seconds into the period, and the Kings couldn't record a shot on goal in two minutes. Montreal wasn't much better, as the Canadiens didn't record their first shot on goal in the second period until 6:30 had elapsed.

The Kings went back on the power play with 7:42 remaining when Koivu tripped Eloranta behind the Montreal net. The Kings recorded five shots, including two big slap shots by Mathieu Scheider, but couldn't put one past Garon. The Kings have failed on their past 13 attempts with a man advantage.

The faster play seemed to favor the Kings for much of the period, but they were hurt by defensive breakdowns late in the period, which gave the Canadiens several scoring chances late in the period.

Storr was forced to make three saves at point-break range in the final six minutes of the period. The best save came with 5:16 remaining, when Marcel Hossa fired a wrist shot to the far post, but Storr stuck out his glove and made the stop.

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Photo:

Montreal center Saku Koivu, right, defends a pass by Kings right wing Ian Laperriere on Saturday.

John Hayes/Associated Press

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