KINGS PUT THE CART BEFORE A VICTORY : KINGS 2, OTTAWA 2.

Byline: Tim Trepany Daily News Staff Writer

It was hard to tell what caused more problems for the Kings: a runaway luggage cart or the line of Alexei Yashin, Daniel Alfredsson or Alexandre Daigle.

All the Kings know is that the combination proved too much for them Wednesday against the Ottawa Senators.

The luggage cart sideswiped them in Toronto the night before, canceling their charter flight and stealing a few hours of precious sleep. Then the Ottawa Senators' top line caught up to them, wiping out the Kings' two-goal third-period lead to forge a 2-2 tie at the Corel Centre.

The tie gives the Kings three points after the first two games of this road trip. Usually that's something to be proud of, especially considering the games were played on consecutive nights.

But Kings coach Larry Robinson admitted it's hard to be satisfied with a tie.

``I happy to get the point, but when you're up 2-0 . . . we should have come out of here with a win,'' Robinson said.

Goals by Brent Grieve and Craig Johnson in the second period gave the Kings a commanding lead. But Yashin, Alfredsson and Daigle started clicking in the third.

After being outshot 27-15 through two periods, the Senators turned it around in the third, taking 15 shots to the Kings' five. Yashin led the way, taking eight of the shots, scoring once and assisting on a power-play goal by Alfredsson.

``They are good, skilled players,'' Kings goalie Stephane Fiset said. ``They work hard and they're dangerous. We did a good job stopping them until the third.''

Yashin took a pass along the rear boards from Randy Cunneyworth and skated to the front of the net untouched. He tried to stuff it in, but Fiset stopped it. Yashin put the rebound up high to make it 2-1 at 4 minutes, 37 seconds of the third.

Five minutes later, Yashin centered the puck from behind the net to Alfredsson in the slot. Alfredsson lunged with his backhand to control it, then beat Fiset to tie it.

``They played better in the third period,'' Kings center Yanic Perreault said. ``But we didn't play that well the last 20 minutes. I don't know if it was fatigue or what. We can't make excuses.''

The Kings had plenty of problems just getting to Ottawa from Toronto.

Just after they boarded their charter flight following Tuesday's victory over the Maple Leafs, a baggage cart broke free of its train - Robinson said it was because the driver was going too fast - and crashed into the staircase leading up to the plane, which was sitting idle on the tarmac.

``All of a sudden we heard a boom and the pilot said (over the intercom) that a cart hit the plane,'' center Ian Laperriere said. ``We said, `How can you not see a plane?' ''

The only injury was to the plane's door, but that made the aircraft unsafe to fly. The players sat in the plane on the tarmac for about 1-1/2 hours as team officials scrambled to find other accommodations. Unable to get another charter, the players were sent in taxis to airport hotels to stay the night.

The team took a commercial flight that departed Toronto at 11 a.m.

``It didn't help to have to spend a few hours at the airport, then get up this morning and worry about a flight today,'' Perreault said.

If it did affect the Kings, you couldn't tell by their play in the first two periods.

Grieve got his fourth goal of the year by stuffing in a rebound at 6:48 of the second. Their second goal came in similar fashion, with Craig Johnson pushing a rebound past Senators goalie Damian Rhodes at 18:23.

A victory would have marked the first time the Kings won two straight road games since Oct. 20-21 of last season.

``I was looking for (another shutout),'' Fiset said. ``But I'm happy we came out strong tonight. Three points in two games, to me, is a good start on this road trip.''

The game was easily the dirtiest the Kings have played this season, with players from both teams taking cheap shots at each other.

Robinson believed Cunneyworth should have received at least a double minor for running Kings center Ray Ferraro into the boards late in the third period. Senators coach Jacques Martin was livid after Kings wing Kevin Stevens punched Lance Pitlick with about 10 seconds left in regulation when Pitlick wasn't looking.

No penalties were called on either play. In fact, only 13 were called the entire game.

``It was everything goes,'' Robinson said.

Said Martin: ``Kevin Stevens viciously punched Lance Pitlick with his glove off as the play was going the other way.''

Stevens said Pitlick, who wound up with a cut under his right eye, hit him first when they were in the corner and that he thought the defenseman was looking at him when he hit him.

Notes: More Kings are being lost to injury. Checking center Ian Laperriere did not play after spraining his right shoulder against Toronto. He is flying back to Los Angeles today to be examined by team physician Ronald Kvitne.

Forward Vladimir Tsyplakov felt soreness in the same abdominal muscle that he pulled during training camp and made him miss the season's first nine games. The Kings are hoping it's minor and heals with rest.

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Photo

Photo: Kings goaltender Stephane Fiset tries to avoid Ottawa's Shaun Van Allen in a first-period scramble.

Associated Press