Kings Score Five Goals in Row to Beat Flames for First Time Since ’84

Center Marcel Dionne of the Kings made a public apology to the fans for the team’s poor season before Wednesday night’s game against the Calgary Flames at the Forum.

Dionne, who was honored for passing Phil Esposito to become the second-leading all-time scorer in the National Hockey League, used the occasion to say he was sorry for the way the team has played.

The Kings, wearing their purple road uniforms on home ice for the first time since the 1969-70 season, then went out and scored five consecutive goals in the second and third periods and beat the Flames, 7-3, for the first time since Dec. 18, 1984.

Asked why he apologized, Dionne said: “It was right. The way we’ve played this year, I think all of us have been embarrassed.”

The win helped the Kings keep pace with the Vancouver Canucks in the race for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Smythe Division.

Center Bernie Nicholls had two goals and two assists, and right wing Jim Fox scored two goals to pace the Kings. Dionne had one goal and one assist.

Phil Sykes, perhaps the Kings’ most underrated player this season, scored the go-ahead goal. And goalie Roland Melanson picked up his first home win this season, making 24 saves.

The Kings and Canucks are tied for fourth place with 53 points apiece heading into Friday night’s showdown at Vancouver. The Canucks beat the Quebec Nordiques, 7-6, Wednesday night. Winnipeg is in third place with 56 points.

Left wing Dave (Tiger) Williams of the Kings will miss the Vancouver game after getting his third game misconduct of the season for a second-period fight with defenseman Paul Reinhart of the Flames. Reinhart left the ice bleeding and needed five stitches to close a cut on his forehead. Under NHL rules, players are automatically suspended for one game after their third game misconduct penalty. However, the Kings say they will appeal.

Los Angeles (23-45-7) has five games left in the regular season, including four at home, and Vancouver (20-41-13) has six games remaining, including three at home.

The Kings will wear their road uniforms at home again when they close out the regular season against the Canucks on Saturday, April 5, at the Forum.

The Kings broke a 12-game winless streak (0-11-1) against the Flames, so the color purple was lucky for them.

After the game, a fan suggested that the Kings should burn their yellow home uniforms.

It might not be a bad idea.

“We wanted to give the color purple its first win of the week,” Fox quipped.

The fashion change was based on more than just a whim. The Kings have the worst home record in the NHL this season (9-24-3). But the players were divided on whether wearing their purple sweaters helped to change their luck.

Said Dionne: “We came through in them. As far as I’m concerned, we didn’t win a game at home. It was a must-win situation. Tonight, we did all the right things. We haven’t had a game like this in a long time. I hope it’s a start.”

Said Fox: “Like I said yesterday, it means nothing. . . . But you start to wonder.”

Said Nicholls: “We seem to play better on the road, so maybe it helped us. I didn’t know about it until I got to the game and saw guys putting on their purple socks.”

Said Sykes: “I don’t think it had anything to do with it. Most of us weren’t aware that we were going to do it.”

Coach Pat Quinn dismissed the thought that his team won because it wore purple uniforms.

“It was a game we had to win,” he said. “We had confidence, finished checks and held on. We kept driving and we put 60 minutes together. It’s real pleasing, not just for the two points, but for the output.”

With the Flames leading, 3-2, in the second period, the Kings scored five consecutive goals to break a three-game losing streak.

Left wing Morris Lukowich tied it at 3-3 when he scored at 15:57 of the second period.

Sykes’ goal, his 20th of the season, came at 2:35 of the third period.

Fox then scored a power-play goal at 5:19 when he deflected a shot by Nicholls to give the Kings a 5-3 lead.

Nicholls, who had scored a second-period goal to give the Kings a 2-1 lead, added a short-handed goal with 7:41 left to give the Kings a three-goal edge.

“Fox and Nicholls work well together; they’re a good pair,” Quinn said. “Fox is the playmaker on that line.”

Dionne scored an unassisted goal with 5:22 left in the final period.

The Flames pulled starting goalie Rejean Lemelin immediately after Dionne’s goal and replaced him with Mike Vernon.

“They played desperate hockey,” Lemelin said of the Kings. “They had a lot of chances. You try your best, and it worked seven or eight times.”

King Notes

Dave Taylor, the Kings’ third-leading scorer, missed the game with the flu. He had a fever when he arrived at the Forum and was sent home. . . . Center Bob Mongrain also missed the game because of illness. . . . Bernie Nicholls set a career high for assists in one season at 56. He had 54 assists in each of the last two seasons. It was the third time he has scored four points on one game. . . . The Kings’ next home game is Saturday night against Quebec.