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.

Flinn's goal, 2:40 into the first period, was also the first point of his career. Flinn 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.

Phoenix and the Kings both have 66 points, but the Coyotes have played one fewer game. Montreal, once in contention for a playoff spot in the East, is winless in its past nine games.

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

Jerred Smithson also earned his first NHL point with an assist on Flinn's goal, which was all the margin needed by Kings goalie Jamie Storr.

Storr faced a flurry of tough shots late in the second period and helped kill the Canadiens' long power play early in the third. He missed a shutout when Richard Zednik scored with the Montreal net empty and less than one second left.

The Kings' first goal was almost as improbable as the player who scored it. 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 Garon, who couldn't slide over in time to make the stop.

The Kings continued to play with intensity after Flinn's goal, but the game got bogged down because of strong neutral-zone play by both teams. The Canadiens outshot the Kings 7-5 in the period.

Neither team could get sustained pressure, even when they did manage to break into the opposition zone, and a penalty-free period also contributed to the lack of quality scoring chances.

The Kings had the two best chances of the period. With 4:40 remaining, Ziggy Palffy skated into the Montreal zone and dropped a backhand pass from Alexander Frolov. Garon was able to square to the puck and made the save on a tough point-blank shot by Frolov.

In the final minute of the period, Ian Laperriere made a nice pass across the goal crease to Eloranta, but Eloranta couldn't control the puck and couldn't get a shot on Garon's half- empty net.

Pace of play increased considerably in the second period, and with that came increased scoring chances, but no goals, even though the Kings had two power-play chances.

Saku Koivu went off for holding 29 seconds into the period, and the Kings couldn't record a shot on goal in two minutes. The Canadiens weren't any better, as they needed 6:30 to record their first shot.

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 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.

CAPTION(S):

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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

Box:

WESTERN CONFERENCE