KINGS UPDATE: L.A. CONFIDENT AS AVS RETURN.

Byline: Matt McHale Staff Writer

EL SEGUNDO - Remember the Bud.

Remember the beer that rained down from the upper deck the last time the Kings and Colorado Avalanche played at Staples Center.

And don't forget the Kings are 11-3-2-2 since that Jan. 26 game when coach Andy Murray was ejected in the final moments of a 4-2 loss.

The Kings came back two nights later and defeated the Avs in Denver and haven't stopped since. With 13 games to play, including tonight against Colorado at 7:30, the Kings are trying to take over the Pacific Division lead from San Jose, which they defeated Monday night.

``We have played the good teams tough,'' winger Ziggy Palffy said. ``The way we are playing against Colorado since last year's playoff gave us a lot of confidence.''

The Kings took the Avs to an exciting seventh game in last year's second round. Although the Kings lost, getting there made their season an overwhelming success.

This season, the Kings (34-22-9-4) have been one of the league's hottest teams since Dec. 1. If they win the Pacific Division, the Kings would have home-ice advantage in the first round and could wind up playing the Sharks in that series. San Jose, however, entered Wednesday's games four points ahead of St. Louis, which has been struggling.

Even with a victory tonight, the Kings would have a tough time passing Colorado, which leads the Northwest Division and is second overall in the West. The Kings are seven points behind the Avs.

In the Jan. 26 loss to the Avs, Murray complained the officials were favoring the Avs. With the Kings at a five-on-three disadvantage in the final minute, Murray was called for a penalty before he was given the first ejection of his career.

To that point, most of the attention was paid to former King Rob Blake, who was booed by the Staples Center crowd every time he touched the puck.

``There is a lot of emotion every time we play them,'' Murray said. ``We have matched up very well against them.''

This game could be even more physical than usual because Colorado has acquired rugged defenseman Darius Kasparaitis from Pittsburgh.

Every year, the Avs seem to make a deadline deal and this year is no different. Part of the trade included Ville Nieminen to the Penguins. Nieminen is the forward Murray claimed kicked Kelly Buchberger during a March 9 game at Pepsi Center. Buchberger suffered a badly sprained right ankle and has not played since.

KINGS vs. COLORADO

Time: 7:30 p.m., Staples Center.

TV/Radio: Fox Sports Net, ESPN2; 1110-AM.

Matchup: Winger Craig Johnson is expected to miss 10 to 14 days after undergoing laser surgery to repair a torn retina in his right eye. He was injured in the first period of Monday's game against San Jose. It is the second time this season Johnson has been sidelined after taking a stick in the eye. ... Slumping Steve Heinze (no goals in 20 games) and veteran Nelson Emerson were healthy scratches Monday. The Kings are expected to replace Johnson with one of them. ... Saturday's afternoon rematch with the Sharks at Staples Center is a sellout.

- Matt McHale

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KINGS vs. COLORADO (see text)