Calgary has not been hospitable to Kings

The Kings have two days in Calgary before Saturday’s game. Perhaps they can spend that time trying to drive out the evil spirits that seem to be haunting them at the Saddledome. The Kings have not won a game in Calgary since Dec. 21, 2005. They haven’t even taken a game in Calgary to overtime since then, as the Kings are 0-10-0 in their last 10 games at the Saddledome. It’s been particularly brutal in the last three seasons. Since the start of the 2008-09 season, the Kings have been outscored by a margin of 17-6 in five games. They’re only marginally better against the Flames at Staples Center, with a 1-3-0 record in the previous two seasons. Of course, the Flames have been a strong team for much of that stretch, but the Kings will be looking to end that long stretch of futility in Calgary, as Terry Murray said after practice today.

MURRAY: “It’s been a very hard building for us to come in and play in. They’ve got a team that digs in and are gritty. They play a way, in here, that we’ve had problems with. It’s real important for us to continue on with the game we showed in the third period. We’ve got to continue to build and play a solid game here Saturday.”

The Flames know the feeling. They take on the Thrashers tonight, and they’re 0-5-1 in Atlanta since the Thrashers joined the NHL. Murray was asked today whether players pay attention to things such as a record in a particular city.

MURRAY: “Players think about it. Coaches think about it. I’ve often been asked about looking at the record of goaltenders, and when they have a real good record against certain teams, do you take that into consideration when you start them? I do. And there’s no question that when you come into a building like Calgary, you know what has happened in the past. But there’s a time, also, when you’ve just got to figure that part out and get through it. You’ve got to win and compete. That’s what it’s going to take in this game coming up. I know that Calgary is back on track. They seem to be doing the stuff that they need to do in order to put a big push on their game. We’re going to have to match that intensity.”