NOTHING SMALL ABOUT THIS VICTORY FOR KINGS L.A. PASSES GOOD EARLY SEASON TEST KINGS 3, EDMONTON 1.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

The Edmonton Oilers came to town Tuesday representing all that is good about the new NHL.

Stuck in a small market with a low payroll, the Oilers didn't have much hope under the old system, but the salary cap has turned them into contenders and the rules changes have made them fun to watch.

Not that the Kings figured to be impressed. Dustin Brown and Jason LaBarbera certainly weren't.

After games against three modestly talented opponents, the Kings faced their biggest challenge of the young season and beat the Oilers 3-1 in front of 16,394 at Staples Center.

The Kings got the job done with two things that will greatly enhance their chances for success this season: gritty play from a forward such as Brown and solid goaltending.

Brown, who was a soft-spoken 18-year-old rookie when last seen on the ice, is developing into a monster. He leveled Edmonton defenseman Chris Pronger with a check in the first period, then, in the second period, stripped the puck from Pronger along the boards and skated in to score the Kings' second goal.

``Dustin just plays the game,'' coach Andy Murray said. ``He's an honest competitor.''

Actually, he's turning into much more than that. With a motor that never seems to stop, Brown's physical play has game-altering ability, and he's also a threat to score.

Going after Pronger, formerly the NHL's MVP and top defenseman? Just part of the job.

``He didn't like it. I don't think he likes getting hit,'' Brown said of Pronger. ``That's what I do. I don't really go after anyone in particular. If there's a check to finish, I finish it.''

Brown's goal broke a 1-1 tie with 3:23 remaining in the second period, then the Kings added an insurance goal 76 seconds into the third period when Eric Belanger scored in a second consecutive game.

Sean Avery started the play when he picked up the puck near the boards and fired a shot. Edmonton goalie Ty Conklin couldn't control the puck and Belanger beat Marc-Andre Bergeron to the net and pushed the rebound past Conklin for a 3-1 Kings lead.

The Kings' rotating-goalie system gave LaBarbera another chance to shine on Tuesday, and for the most part, he did. Similar to his first start, LaBarbera allowed a soft goal in the first period, which this time tied the game 1-1, and then settled down in the face of a strong Edmonton offensive attack.

``Jason doesn't have to tease us,'' Murray joked, regarding the soft early goal. ``We kind of said on the bench that we knew he'd recover, and he was solid the rest of the way.''

With Murray alternating between LaBarbera and Mathieu Garon, LaBarbera knows the importance of every start, and he certainly didn't hurt himself Tuesday with a 23-save effort.

Things could have gone bad for the Kings early in the second period, when penalties to Avery and Mike Weaver gave the Oilers a 5-on-3 power play, but that's when LaBarbera came up biggest.

LaBarbera made three tough saves during the penalty kill, most notably a glove save on a point-blank shot by Jarret Stoll, and two minutes after the power play ended, LaBarbera stopped a breakaway chance by Raffi Torres as the Oilers threatened to dominate the game's offensive chances.

``I think that might have been the turning point,'' LaBarbera said of the 5-on-3 kill. ``Any time you do that, it gives you some momentum. Our guys stepped up and did what they had to do there.''

With under four minutes remaining in the second period, Brown picked up a loose puck along the boards in the Oilers' zone and skated in on net. Brown cut to the side of the net and, with Ty Conklin expecting a centering pass, Brown instead sent a wrist shot to the short side and beat Conklin for a 2-1 Kings lead.

``I thought we had a lot of great performances,'' Murray said, ``but we needed them because we also had a lot of weak performances.''

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Photo:

(color) The Kings' Joe Corvo celebrates after scoring a goal in the first period of Tuesday's game against Edmonton.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer