KINGS OVERCOME OBSTACLE COURSE FROM FLINN INJURY TO MEAGER POWER PLAY, L.A. STILL HAS ENOUGH TO BEAT CHICAGO KINGS 3, CHICAGO 2.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

Adversity came to the Kings in waves Saturday night.

From an injured teammate, laying bloody and unconscious on the ice.

From a swarming opponent, eager to maintain its recent strong play and bent on revenge.

From a stagnant power play, which is quickly turning into a hindrance rather than an advantage.

Considering all that, the Kings' 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks, in front of 18,118 at Staples Center, had to qualify as one of their best of the season, although it lacked aesthetic beauty.

Luc Robitaille scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period and the Kings held on, despite their thoughts being with teammate Ryan Flinn, who at that point was at a local hospital.

``What I like is that we're finding ways to win,'' said Robitaille, who recently missed nine games with a fractured bone in his lower leg. ``We're learning to play with the lead, and that's not easy.''

The Kings rallied from a 2-1 second-period deficit and from the mental challenge of watching Flinn hit the back of his helmetless head on the ice after a fight with Chicago's Jim Vandermeer.

``You see something like that happen and you take note of it,'' coach Andy Murray said.

In a scary moment that could have been worse, Flinn left the ice on a stretcher but with full movement and was talking to team officials on his way to the ambulance. Flinn was taken to a local hospital for observation but was expected to be discharged from County-USC Medical Center late Saturday night.

The incident occurred five days after Detroit's Jiri Fischer suffered a seizure on the bench and had to be revived. Flinn had been recalled Saturday from the Kings' American Hockey League affiliate in Manchester, N.H., and inserted into the lineup because Murray wanted a physical presence.

After some minor incidents early, Flinn and Vandermeer dropped their gloves 9:08 into the game. Flinn, 24 and a second-year winger, got the better of Vandermeer, who grabbed Flinn and drove him to the ice.

During the fall, Flinn's helmet flew off, his head struck the ice and he lay on his back, motionless, as the Kings' training staff rushed on the ice.

``It was a scary thing,'' Kings team captain Mattias Norstrom said. ``I've been around a long time and seen a lot of things like that, but it always scares you. We were relieved to here he was OK.''

Within moments, Flinn started moving his arms and legs slightly and even appeared to resist trainers as they attempted to stabilize his neck and put him on a stretch. Flinn received a strong ovation from the crowd as he was wheeled off the ice and left behind a large pool of blood.

``We saw him breathing and talking, so that was the most important thing,'' Norstrom said.

With that peace of mind, the Kings could return to business after the eight-minute delay.

They took the lead with 4:15 left in the first period on Alexander Frolov's shorthanded goal, but saw that advantage disappear 62 seconds later when Mark Bell beat Kings goalie Mathieu Garon with a relatively easy shot. Kyle Calder then gave Chicago the lead 20 seconds into the second period.

The Kings mostly dominated the Blackhawks in a 4-2 victory at Chicago this month, but since then the Blackhawks had won three of four games and looked poised to continue those winning ways Saturday.

It didn't help that the Kings' power play couldn't get anything going. The Kings went 0 for 5 in Nashville on Thursday and 0 for 9 against the Blackhawks, but a pair of old hands saved them Saturday.

Pavol Demitra tied the game nine minutes into the second period, and the Kings' continued strong 5-on-5 play paid off with 2:36 remaining in the period.

Murray, looking to shake things up a bit, paired veterans Robitaille and Jeremy Roenick with Derek Armstrong, and the line came through when Robitaille scored the go-ahead goal.

``The Century Line,'' Robitaille joked, referring to the ages of himself (39) and Roenick (35).

Roenick carried the puck through the neutral zone and flipped a pass that was nearly out of Robitaille's reach, but Robitaille controlled it, cut in front of the net and beat Nikolai Khabibulin.

``Andy asked me about playing with (Roenick) and I see it as a privilege,'' Robitaille said. ``You don't want to miss your shot when you're playing with him.''

The goal was Robitaille's fifth of the season and moved him within three of tying Marcel Dionne's franchise record of 550 career goals with the Kings.

Rich Hammond, [phone]

rich.hammond(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photo

Photo:

(1 -- color) Chicago's Mark Bell, left, battles for the puck with the Kings' Aaron Miller during Saturday's game at Staples Center.

Robert Laberge/Getty Images

(2) The Kings' Ryan Flinn is taken away on a stretcher by paramedics after getting into a fight with Chicago's Jim Vandermeer. Flinn suffered a severe head injury.

Getty Images