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Sunday, Jan. 23 3:30pm ET
Murray, Stumpel stymie Avs | |||||
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BOX SCORE
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Glen Murray and Jozef Stumpel didn't take long to put some much-needed punch back into the Los Angeles Kings' offense. In their first game back from the injured list, Murray and Stumpel scored in the first period as the Kings ended Colorado's six-game unbeaten streak Sunday with a 3-2 victory over the Avalanche. "It definitely feels good to help out the team," said Murray, who missed three games with a bruised chest. "The legs were a little tired in the third period, but it always feels great to get that first goal after coming back." Ziggy Palffy had a goal and an assist and Luc Robitaille had two assists, helping the Kings hand the Northwest Division leaders their second loss in 13 games (8-2-3). Adam Deadmarsh and Dave Reid scored for the Avalanche, which lost three of four to the Kings this season. "They always seem to play well against us," Avalanche captain Joe Sakic said. "I'm kind of glad it's over with that team for now." Los Angeles needed just eight shots to grab a 3-0 first-period lead against rookie Marc Denis, who entered with three straight victories including a shutout in his previous start. Palffy and Murray opened the scoring with power-play goals less than two minutes apart against a penalty-killing unit that in the last six games had allowed only one power play goal in 27 short-handed situations. "It was important for us to come out really hard at the beginning of the game because they've been scoring a lot in the first period," goalie Stephane Fiset said. "Having Muzz and Stumpy back in the lineup was a big thing for us. We saw the difference right away on the power play with those two guys." Colorado entered the game with the league's best penalty-killing percentage at home (83-for-90), but only the 17th-best on the road (94-for-115). Peter Forsberg was serving a penalty for roughing up Craig Johnson when Palffy opened the scoring at the 8:51 mark. Denis stopped Rob Blake's one-timer from the left circle with his glove, but Robitaille got the rebound at the left of the net and slid the puck behind Denis and through the crease to Palffy for the easy tap-in. Murray scored his 15th goal from the edge of the crease on a pass from Jere Karalahti. Stumpel, out for seven games with a bruised left knee, made it 3-0 with 5:10 left in the first with a wrist shot from the right circle that glanced off Alexei Gusarov's left skate and over the outstretched right leg of Denis. Colorado coach Bob Hartley replaced Denis with Patrick Roy at the start of the second. The Avalanche held the Kings to only seven shots the rest of the way, with the help of four Los Angeles penalties, and got within 3-2. Deadmarsh scored a power-play goal with 3:16 remaining in the second period, deflecting a slap shot from the top of the left circle past Fiset's glove. Reid, who scored only six goals in 73 games last season for Dallas, got his seventh during a goal-mouth scramble with 13:25 to play. "We battled back, but it wasn't enough," Sakic said. "Their two early power play goals hurt us. We've got to learn how to have better starts than that. When you get down 3-0 to a team like L.A., it's hard to come back because they're too good a team." To make room for Murray and Stumpel, the Kings sent right wing Pavel Rosa to Long Beach of the AHL and Brad Chartrand to Lowell of the AHL. | ALSO SEE NHL Scoreboard Colorado Clubhouse Los Angeles Clubhouse RECAPS Los Angeles 3 Colorado 2 AUDIO/VIDEO   Stephane Fiset makes one of his 22 saves en route to victory.avi: 761 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1   | |||||