THEY CAN'T MEET GOALS KINGS OUTSHOOT COLUMBUS 30-13 BUT DON'T SCORE COLUMBUS 2, KINGS 0.

Byline: Rich Hammond Staff Writer

No live television feed of Saturday's game between the Kings and the Columbus Blue Jackets was available in Faribault, Minn., which probably prevented ailing Kings coach Andy Murray from having a setback as he recovers from postconcussion syndrome.

Murray could not watch as his frustrated team dominated the Blue Jackets but could not overcome an early goal and lost 2-0 in front of 18,118 at Staples Center. The Kings had defeated the Blue Jackets in all three previous meetings this season by a combined score of 15-4, but this time Columbus got an early lead and sat on it.

Former Mighty Ducks goalkeeper Ron Tugnutt made 30 saves and the Kings were shut out for the sixth time this season. The Kings had two goals disallowed because the pucks were played by high sticks, and in the first minute of the third period the Blue Jackets cleared a loose puck off their own goal line.

``Technically, in moving the puck through the neutral zone and things like that, we were probably better than we were in Columbus,'' Kings interim coach Dave Tippett said, referring to the 5-1 victory over the Blue Jackets last Tuesday. ``You've got to give Columbus credit, they played a very desperate game.

``They laid down in front of a lot of pucks. They were desperate, and we couldn't get the break we needed.''

The Blue Jacks accomplished the goal of every team that goes into a game with less than their opponents. They scored early, on Mike Sillinger's goal 11 minutes into the first period, then stopped focusing on offense and concentrated almost exclusively on keeping the Kings away from Tugnutt.

The Kings outshot the Blue Jackets 30-13 (including a 13-4 margin in the third period) but rarely got good scoring chances and could not capitalize when they did.

Midway through the third period, Columbus defenseman Rostislav Klesla was called for interference. Twenty-six seconds later, Mattias Timander closed his hand on a puck in the goal crease and was sent off for two minutes, giving the Kings a two-man advantage for 1 minute, 35 seconds.

The Kings moved the puck around patiently for the first 50 seconds and had a good chance when Ziggy Palffy got off a clean shot from the front of the net, but Tugnutt deflected the puck into the stands. The only other chance came when Tugnutt made an easy glove save on Jaroslav Modry's shot from just inside the blue line.

``Our 5-on-3 has been good all year,'' Tippett said. ``(Columbus) laid down and blocked a lot of shots. You are trying to find a goal somewhere and it's like the hockey gods are against you.''

Columbus recorded two shots early in the third period on the power play but then went more than 12 minutes without a shot on goal until Grant Marshall scored into an empty Kings net with 43 seconds remaining.

The only other mark against Kings goalkeeper Felix Potvin was Sillinger's goal, a play started by Ray Whitney behind the net. Whitney fed a perfect centering pass to Sillinger, who beat Potvin with a one-time shot. Otherwise, Potvin rarely was challenged but did not get any support from the Kings' offense.

``They got that goal and they just sat back and we just couldn't find a way to get a puck in the net,'' Jason Allison said. ``It was just one of those days where the puck bounced off your stick or you bobble it or something. That shouldn't happen this time of year when you're playing a game you're supposed to win.''

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Photo:

Ian Laperriere of the Kings goes airborne in front of Columbus' Tyler Wright and Jamie Pushor (5).

Edna T. Simpson/Staff Photographer