MURRAY FINDS HIS SPOT FOR KINGS LOS ANGELES IS ENCOURAGED IN SEASON OPENER KINGS 2, PHOENIX 2.

Byline: Matt McHale Staff Writer

In the days leading to opening night, Glen Murray took a lot of shots and most of them came from his coach.

Murray didn't score during the Kings exhibition season and Andy Murray knew it needed to get better when the games began to count.

Glen Murray responded in Thursday night's opener with a goal and an assist in the Kings 2-2 tie with the Phoenix Coyotes in front of 18,210 at Staples Center.

``Tonight, Glen played very well and set a standard,'' Murray said. ``He shouldn't and we shouldn't accept anything less.''

Although they did not get a victory against a team expected to struggle this year, encouraging signs from Murray could provide a big lift for a team hoping to improve on last year's stirring playoff run to within a game of the Western Conference finals.

Murray scored just 18 goals last season, when he missed more than a month after knee surgery. Ziggy Palffy is the Kings only consistant scoring threat with the departure of Luc Robitaille.

Palffy, who led the team last year with 39 goals and 89 points, was roughed up throughout the game, a practice that is expected to continue all season. But Murray could help reduce the pressure with more games like this.

Andy Murray has said Glen Murray is capable of 40 goals. His career high is 29, but he has the hardest shot on the team and is one of its top skaters.

Glen Murray didn't come close in four exhibition games and Andy Murray, usually reserved in his criticism, didn't hide his feelings. After back-to-back playoff appearances, the coach is looking to keep the momentum going.

One way might be keeping intact the line of Murray, Bryan Smolinski and Steve Heinze. The three played briefly together in Boston. Smolinski scored the Kings' second goal. Heinze, who added two assists, was on the line because Nelson Emerson is out with a concussion.

Claude Lemieux and Daniel Briere scored for Phoenix. But the key to the game was Glen Murray.

``It's been a little tough,'' he said. ``But they don't remember the September games in December. Our line worked well tonight. We kept finding each other out there.''

The Kings outshot Phoenix by a whopping 33-17 and nearly won the game with 3:22 remaining in overtime. Defenseman Mathieu Schneider fired a slap shot from just inside the blue line that struck the crossbar and sailed into the stands.

Less than two minutes later, Palffy had a point-blank shot from the top of the left faceoff circle, but Coyotes goaltender Sean Burke made the stop.

After an emotional pregame ceremony in honor of scouts Ace Bailey and Mark Bavis, who were killed Sept. 11 in the terrorist attack on New York's World Trade Center, it took more than 10 minutes for both teams to get into the flow of the game.

But the Kings caught a break late in the first period when Coyotes winger Mike Johnson was called for tripping Palffy. On the power play, Smolinski dug the puck out of the corner and fed Heinze, who found Murray alone in front of Burke. Murray, who finished with 39 points last season, beat Burke for the first goal of the season at 14:25.

``We got him the puck and he did the rest,'' Smolinski said. ``Glen looked great tonight.''

The Kings had another scoring chance late in the period when Shane Doan was called for tripping Palffy. It gave the Kings a five-on-three advantage for 27 seconds, but they couldn't score. With 1:09 remaining on the power play, Jozef Stumpel was whistled for elbowing Lemieux, ending the man advantage.

The Coyotes, who many pick to finish last in the Pacific Division after trading top players Keith Tkachuk and Jeremy Roenick in a salary purge, got back in the game with one of the veteran holdovers, Lemieux.

Just 2:22 into the second period, Lemieux took the puck away from Kings defenseman Schneider. Lemieux broke in on Kings goaltender Felix Potvin and tucked a backhander past his right leg to tie the game at one.

Heinze, Smolinski and Murray also were involved when the Kings took a 2-1 lead midway through the second period.

Heinze fired from the top of the right faceoff circle. Burke made the stop, but Smolinski was parked in front of the net. His first chance hit Burke, but Smolinski stayed with the puck and fired a backhander that didn't miss at the 8:27 mark.

``You want to get a win right out of the chute,'' Glen Murray said, ``but we saw some good signs tonight about what we're capable of doing.''

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Phoenix Coyotes' Paul Mara checks the Kings' Eric Belanger Thursday night at Staples Center in the teams' 2-2 tie.

(2) Todd Bailey, center, son of late scout Ace Bailey, is joined by Kings GM Dave Taylor and Wayne Gretzky in pregame tribute. Ace Bailey died Sept. 11 on one of the planes hijacked in the terrorist attacks.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer