KINGS SEE RED BUT CAN'T HALT DETROIT EARLY FIGHT PRODUCES SOME INSPIRED PLAY DETROIT 5, KINGS 4.

Byline: Rich Hammond Staff Writer

First came a head-butt, then a proverbial kick in the stomach. All in all, a painful night for the Kings.

Spurred on by a brief but bizarre first-period fight, the Kings outplayed the Detroit Red Wings for moderate stretches Thursday night, but former Kings defenseman Mathieu Schneider scored twice and the Red Wings earned a 5-4 victory in front of 18,118 at Staples Center.

The Kings' effort probably would have been enough to beat many teams, but the star-studded Red Wings are known for their ability to pounce on opponents' mistakes, and the Kings made just enough mistakes to have their modest winning streak ended at two games.

A head-butt, delivered by Detroit's Jiri Fischer in a fight with Ian Laperriere, seemed to motivate the Kings, who scored twice in the next three minutes. But Schneider, jettisoned by the Kings at last season's trade deadline, beat his former mates.

Detroit needed only a two-minute span early in the second period to turn a one-goal deficit into a one-goal lead, which the Red Wings maintained and won with thanks to another solid effort from goalie Curtis Joseph, playing in place of the injured Dominik Hasek.

Kings goalie Roman Cechmanek, on an impressive roll of his own lately, gave up goals to Brett Hull and Schneider in the second period, and the Red Wings won for the second time in their past seven games at Staples Center.

Detroit led 4-2 after a surprisingly bad clearing pass from Kings All- Star Mattias Norstrom led to a Jamie Rivers goal 3:55 into the third period. Luc Robitaille scored two minutes later on the power play, but Schneider scored his second goal with 6:08 remaining to clinch the victory.

Alexander Frolov scored the Kings' fourth goal, and his second, with 1:17 remaining.

The game even had an odd start, as Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall somehow broke his leg in the pregame warmups. Kronwall had played 20 games this season.

The Kings started well but fell behind six minutes into the game when Cechmanek was left relatively helpless. Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk won the draw and the puck eventually came to Steve Thomas.

Thomas shot from inside the blue line, and with Cechmanek still standing and not expecting a shot, the puck deflected off Kings defenseman Joe Corvo in front and went over Cechmanek's shoulder.

The Kings played mostly solid over the next nine minutes, though Cechmanek was forced to make two point-blank saves because of defensive lapses by his teammates. The Kings' level of play raised even more after the incident between Laperriere and Fischer with 5:39 remaining.

Fischer's head-butt dropped Laperriere and earned him a two-minute unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty. The Kings scored 50 seconds later when Trent Klatt knocked in a rebound of Jaroslav Modry's slap shot.

The Kings took the lead with 3:19 remaining when Lubomir Visnovsky, playing with a strained neck, ripped a slap shot from the blue line. Scott Barney couldn't get a stick on the rebound, but Frolov skated in front and knocked the puck past Joseph.

Unfortunately for the Kings, they couldn't maintain their momentum in the second period. With Modry in the penalty box, the Red Wings scored 3:47 into the period.

Nicklas Lidstrom's slap shot from just inside the blue line caught Cechmanek's pads, but he couldn't control the rebound and Hull, positioned in front of the net, knocked it in.

Detroit kept the pressure on and eventually scored at the 5:18 mark.

Schneider took a harmless-looking wrist shot from the middle of the right faceoff circle, but Cechmanek appeared to be screened by teammate Derek Armstrong and never saw the puck until it was past him.

Norstrom, selected to the All-Star Game earlier Thursday, made an uncharacteristic gaffe when he attempted to clear the puck from deep inside the Kings' zone.

Rivers picked off the pass just inside the blue line, took one stride and ripped a slap shot past Cechmanek for his first goal of the season.

Rich Hammond, [phone]

rich.hammond(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

Steve Thomas of Detroit, right, attempts to get off a shot despite pressure by Derek Armstrong of the Kings during the Red Wings' 5-4 victory at Staples Center.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer