LATE PENALTY IS COSTLY FOR KINGS SAN JOSE 5, KINGS 4.

Byline: Rich Hammond Staff Writer

The pileup in the goal crease looked more like a rugby scrum, or something seem on the 405 freeway at rush hour, and when it cleared, the Kings were left with a feeling of road rage, or perhaps ice rage.

A hooking penalty on Kings winger Dustin Brown with 36 seconds left in the third period led to Jonathan Cheechoo's winning goal with 3.7 seconds left as the Sharks beat the Kings 5-4 in front of 18,118 at Staples Center in a game marked with a goalie controversy and plenty of angry Kings.

The game ended with Jeremy Roenick in the dressing room, having received an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty and a 10-minute misconduct for speaking his mind to the officials. Roenick appeared to have been taken down in the San Jose crease in the moments that preceded Cheechoo pushing the puck into the Kings net, and no penalty was called on the play.

``All the (stuff) they call all game and they don't call that and they call a (bad) call on Brownie,'' Roenick said. ``It's a joke. Referees shouldn't decide the game. It's a joke.

``I get pulled down in front of the net. He missed the call. He knows it was a penalty. All the (stuff) they've been calling all year and they don't call that. It was a good hockey game down the tubes.''

The Kings were whistled for eight penalties in the game - four by Brown - compared to four for the Sharks, and the last one hurt the most. With all the traffic in front of the net, goalie Jason LaBarbera wound up flat on his back as Cheechoo pushed the loose puck past LaBarbera's flailing arm.

``I felt like I got pushed out of the way,'' LaBarbera said. ``I don't know if somebody got pushed into me or what. I don't know what happened. They got a lucky break, but it was a good break for them.''

The late-game sting is becoming familiar to the Kings, who lost to Calgary on Sunday when Chris Simon scored a power-play goal with 30 seconds left after another debatable penalty.

Kings coach Andy Murray had a heated discussion with the officials after the final horn but refrained from criticizing them after the game, mindful that his team didn't help itself for much of the game.

The Kings' plan of rotating goalies Mathieu Garon and LaBarbera, effective even if a bit unusual during the first four-plus weeks of the season, took a turn toward the bizarre Friday.

Garon allowed three goals on 20 shots and was pulled 11 minutes into the second period when it appeared he had allowed his fourth goal, but a video review showed that it had been kicked into the net.

But by the time the no-goal signal game, Garon already was on the bench, seemingly perplexed.

``I don't think I gave up a bad goal, but it's not my decision,'' Garon said. ``There's nothing I can do about it now, I guess. It's part of the game, I guess.''

LaBarbera entered with the score tied, but San Jose took a 4-3 lead two minutes later on Mark Smith's goal. Alexander Frolov tied the score three minutes into the third period to set up the late dramatics.

The Sharks' two top goalies, Evgeni Nabokov and Vesa Toskala, are both injured, so San Jose turned to Nolan Schaefer, a 25-year-old rookie who was making his first NHL start and stopped 21 of 25 shots

Rich Hammond, [phone]

rich.hammond(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

Los Angeles Kings forward Tom Kostopoulos checks San Jose's Rob Davidson into the Kings' bench during Friday night's game at Staples Center.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer