Kings Win as Jets Pay Penalty : Robitaille Converts Free Shot, Gives L.A. 2-1 Victory

WINNIPEG, Canada — A controversial call and another brilliant performance by goaltender Rollie Melanson Sunday enabled the struggling Kings to end their five-game losing streak.

Luc Robitaille’s goal on a penalty shot with 7:30 left in the second period gave the still-punchless Kings a 2-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets before a crowd of 10,469 at the Winnipeg Arena.

The penalty shot, only the 14th awarded to the Kings in their 21 seasons in the National Hockey League, was the result of a call by referee Dave Newell, who ruled that Winnipeg’s Dave Ellett hooked Robitaille from behind as Robitaille charged the net on a breakaway.

“I was surprised,” said Robitaille, who fanned on one shot attempt as he fell to the ice, but managed to get another off despite the presence of Ellett, who appeared to hit Robitaille on the right arm with his stick.

When Newell signalled that he had called for a penalty shot, Robitaille said, “I wasn’t sure what he was doing. Usually, they say when you get the shot, you don’t get the penalty.”

Winnipeg Coach Dan Maloney, fearful of being fined by the league, was reluctant to criticize Newell, but said he thought it was a poor call.

Maloney watched the play on videotape immediately after the game.

“David had caught Robitaille and, like you normally do, he played the guy’s stick,” Maloney said. “(Robitaille) went to shoot the puck as he was falling down and then got another chance after that. I don’t even know if I’d call any penalty on that play.”

Newell, though, awarded a free shot to the 21-year-old Robitaille, who admitted to being nervous because he hadn’t attempted a penalty shot since he was a kid about 10 years ago.

On that one, he missed the net.

“That’s the worst,” he said.

This time, he planned to shoot early, believing that Jet goaltender Eldon Reddick would stay deep in the net, challenging Robitaille to beat him with a wrist shot.

Instead, Reddick committed himself early, moving out of the crease and diving toward the puck as Robitaille, who kept his head down as he skated into the slot, looked up.

Robitaille carried the puck around the right side of the prone Reddick and slid it past Reddick’s outstretched stick and just inside the left post.

Robitaille said he had confidence in the move because he has tried it several times in practice against Melanson, “and it usually worked.”

Not much of anything worked Sunday against Melanson, who made 29 saves after making 43 Friday night in a 4-3 loss to the Jets.

“I really thought Melanson won the game for them,” Maloney said. “There were times when we caught him out of position and made a shot and he recovered to make a great save.”

The only shot he didn’t stop was one by Dale Hawerchuk, who chased down a rebound of a shot by Paul MacLean with 5:15 left in the first period, skated around the puck and fired a no-look shot into the unprotected net.

MacLean had taken Melanson out of the play, knocking him over after missing on a shot from the slot. “He laid right on me,” Melanson said. “I couldn’t get back in the net.”

Hawerchuk’s goal was scored only one minute after Jimmy Carson gave the Kings a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal on a feed from Dave Taylor.

The Kings, who have scored only 18 goals in 8 games, held the Jets scoreless the rest of the way, killing four penalties and avoiding the lapses in concentration that have plagued them this season.

“We put it together for 60 minutes,” Coach Mike Murphy said. “I’m very pleased that we could win a 2-1 game against what I consider one of the better teams in the league.”

Murphy called it “an intense game by our guys. There was never a flurry of attacks at our goalie. There was never lackadaisical play in our zone. There was never casual behavior on the ice.”

But there was, of course, a favorable call by Newell.

“It’s nice to have something bounce right for us,” Robitaille said. “It’s about time.”

King Notes The Kings hadn’t scored on a penalty shot since March 9, 1984, when Marcel Dionne scored against Buffalo’s Tom Barrasso. They had attempted only two since, missing both last season. . . . Defenseman Grant Ledyard, who made his season debut, had his left ankle in a bucket of ice after the game. Ledyard, who was off the ice for about a month after straining ligaments on the outside of the ankle bone in training camp, said he reinjured the ankle in the first period. “To be realistic,” he said, “I couldn’t grind it in the corners like I’m supposed to and I couldn’t hit people like I’m supposed to. I don’t understand why it still hurts.” . . . Jimmy Carson’s goal was his seventh. He and Luc Robitaille lead the Kings with 10 points. . . . Said Coach Mike Murphy: “If we can continue to strive to play like this, our offensive production will improve.”