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Show of support Fiset gets starting nod against Detroit
Posted: Sunday April 16, 2000 08:04 PM
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) -- Even a setback as big as giving up four goals in the game's first 6:56 won't keep Stephane Fiset from retaining his starting spot in goal against the Detroit Red Wings. Fiset gave up four of the six fastest goals scored in playoff history in the Los Angeles Kings' 8-5 loss to the Red Wings on Saturday. He was pulled for Jamie Storr after giving up a fifth goal early in the second period. "Right now, he still has a .500 record against Detroit this year," Kings coach Andy Murray said Sunday. "He's been very good against them and I thought he was outstanding in the first game [a 2-0 loss]. Maybe one of the reasons Stephane is playing tomorrow is because of that system of coaching that I have. I believe you show support for your people." Detroit leads the best-of-7 Western Conference first-round series 2-0, with games Monday night and Wednesday night at Staples Center in Los Angeles. "There's a lot of people that are trying to influence our psyche right now, and try to tell you that when you're down two games you can't win," Murray said after practice at the Kings' suburban training center. History indicates that, too. The Kings have never been able to win a best-of-7 series after losing the first two. Two years ago, they were swept by St. Louis in four games in the first round, the same year Detroit won its second straight Stanley Cup. "We may be down two games in the series, but the one thing that we feel good about is that we haven't played as good as we can yet," Murray said. "That is a shot of inspiration and adrenaline for us, that we can play better. It's very possible that Detroit can as well." During the flight back from Detroit on Saturday night, the Kings watched "Saving Private Ryan." Ian Laperriere compared the movie's first 24 minutes, in which the Germans are bombarding the Allied forces on the beach at Normandy, to the Red Wings' early offensive assault. "Somebody said that's Stephane Fiset in the first five minutes. They were shooting from everywhere," Laperriere said. "He was out there by himself. We made mistakes. It's not his fault. You can't say one goal was his fault." As painful as it might be, Fiset planned to watch video of Game 2. "It's always good to see the mistakes you made," he said. "It's not like I was playing a bad game. It's just I wasn't making the big save. I'm going to come back strong." Fiset lost both his starts for the Kings in the 1998 playoff series against St. Louis, one year after helping Colorado win the Stanley Cup. "I'm not playing the same way I was two years ago. I'm a better goalie," he said. "I can endure more pressure and come back strong after a bad game. You learn a lot from going through a bad time like two years ago." The Red Wings were as amazed as the Kings at the rapid-fire scoring in Game 2. "Nothing went like we expected," Detroit's Larry Murphy said. "But that's why you can't take anything for granted, especially not a team that can score like the Kings." It was just the opposite in Game 1, where Detroit's first goal deflected off a Kings player and its second was an empty-netter in what turned out to be a defensive struggle. "At least we know we can score against (Detroit goalie Chris) Osgood. That's one thing we didn't do in the first game," Laperriere said. "Stephane is going to come back stronger and I'm sure Osgood is going to also. I don't think we're going to expect an 8-5 game tomorrow."
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