SLOPPY PLAY COSTS KINGS IN MONTREAL : MONTREAL 6, KINGS 3.

Byline: Tim Trepany Daily News Staff Writer

Judging from the Kings' performance against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday, the NHL season is oh, about 80 games too long for them.

In just their third game of the 1996-97 season, they started dogging it big-time. The result was a lopsided 6-3 loss before 20,218 fans.

The Kings (1-2-0) could do nothing right. When they weren't turning the puck over or committing a stupid penalty, they were being outskated by the much faster Canadiens. And these supposedly nitty, gritty Kings - well, they are in their $1 million ad campaign - only threw a check here and there to at least make it look like they were trying.

But they didn't fool anybody.

At least Kings coach Larry Robinson, a Montreal legend, was impressed with the new Molson Centre.

``Absolutely gorgeous,'' he said.

He had a much different reaction to what he saw taking place on the ice.

``What bothers me the most is we were too soft,'' Robinson said. ``(Canadiens center Pierre) Turgeon must of gone home with a smile from ear to ear. I don't think he got touched all night.

``They have a few guys who don't play when it gets physical and we made it a cakewalk for them.''

The line of Mark Recchi, Saku Koivu and Brian Savage took advantage of all the room the Kings gave them to skate, combining for four goals, two by Recchi.

A familiar site was seeing Canadiens players skate untouched past a King to score.

Defenseman Sean O'Donnell failed to clear Savage out and the Montreal left wing collected a rebound off goalie Stephane Fiset's left pad and scored at 4 minutes, 51 seconds of the second period.

Mattias Norstrom didn't get back on defense, giving Recchi and Koiuv a 2 on 1 against Rob Blake. Koivu took advantage, scoring off a pass from Recchi at 11:19 of the second.

Stephane Richer slipped behind Kings center Ian Laperriere to give the Canadiens a 3-1 lead, and Martin Rucinsky outraced Dimitri Khristich to score for the Canadiens just 47 seconds later.

In fact, five goals were scored in a 2-minute, 20-second flurry, but only two by the Kings. Paul DiPietro, in his first game since having a stomach virus for a week, scored from in front of the net and Yanic Perreault beat goalie Jocelyn Thibault high on the glove side.

But the Kings highlights were few.

``We didn't compete because our best players didn't compete,'' Robinson said. ``We're not good enough not to have everyone compete.''

No King struggled more than defenseman Norstrom. Expected to give the team a second talented blueliner after Blake, Norstrom was on the ice for three of Montreal's goals. Besides not getting back on a Canadiens odd-man rush in the second, he had trouble with the most rudimentary puck-handling moves, even losing the puck behind the Kings net despite being left alone with it for at least five seconds.

Norstrom has been experiencing pain in his right hip for the past three weeks and even underwent an MRI exam, but insists that's not the problem.

``They said I might have some arthritis in there, so it will be sore from time to time, but it's not a sharp pain, just a dull pain,'' Norstrom said. ``I'm not making any excuses. It has nothing to do with my hip.

``Sometimes when we're losing I try to correct my mistakes. . . . I shouldn't think about it, but sometimes it's hard not to.''

Perreault's goal was his third in two games, and Khristich's second goal of the season, in the first period, gave the Kings a 1-0 lead.

But they soon self-destructed.

``It's not a lack of experience, it's a lack of execution,'' Robinson said. ``Three or four or five of our guys looked like they had cement boots on.''

Kings notes: Goalie Byron Dafoe will make his first start of the season tonight at Philadelphia. The Flyers will be without center Eric Lindros (groin pull). . . . Although Robinson said last week defenseman Steven Finn has a stress fracture, and general manager Sam McMaster said Wednesday ``it could be a stress fracture,'' the Kings medical staff is still calling the injury a deep contusion, located where the shin bone and knee bone meet in the knee, that must be treated like a stress fracture. Finn has been sidelined since the beginning of training camp. . . . Defenseman Jan Vopat (herniated disc) was examined by back specialist Dr. Robert Watkins on Wednesday. . . . Defenseman John Slaney, whose turnover led to an overtime goal by the San Jose Sharks on Sunday, was a healthy scratch, as was left wing Barry Potomski. . . . Team president Tim Leiweke and vice president John Cimperman are accompanying the team on the road trip so they can take a look at the recently built Molson Centre and the CoreStates Spectrum in Philadelphia.

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Photo

Photo: (color) Kings goaltender Stephane Fiset makes a save off Montreal's Saku Koivu during the first period.

Associated Press