Kings slow down Senators in 1-1 tie

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Kings and Ottawa Senators concentrated on hockey and defense instead of fisticuffs Monday night in their much-awaited rematch.

Craig Johnson tied the game late in the second period, and the Kings held the highest-scoring team in the Eastern Conference to 10 shots over the first two periods to earn a 1-1 tie.

"I think everybody got their frustration out in the last game, and it was just a matter of both teams wanting to get points. So we pretty much knew that we were going to play hockey, and it was a pretty good game," Kings goaltender Felix Potvin said after making four of his 25 saves in overtime.

In their meeting Dec. 20 at Ottawa, the Kings and Senators combined for 252 penalty minutes and six ejections -- including Potvin and Senators backup goalie Jani Hurme -- during a second-period melee that resulted in 174 penalty minutes.

But this time, with playoff seeding -- and in the Kings' case, a postseason berth -- at stake, both teams stuck to hockey.

Mathieu Schneider and Ottawa's Marian Hossa received coincidental roughing penalties at 4:23 of the first period, but that was the extent of it.

"It was a lot tighter tonight and both teams played smart," Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson said. "We value points at this time of year. We're fighting for the best record in the conference, so you don't want to do anything stupid that will hurt your team."

Even Kings center Ian Laperriere, who leads the team with 105 penalty minutes, was on his best behavior and stayed out of the box.

"You can't afford to take a chance and get an instigator penalty and get your team in trouble. We knew that and they knew that, too," Laperriere said. "Points are way too important at this time of the season to do something stupid, so there wasn't going to be a big brawl out there."

Wade Redden scored for the Senators, who squandered a chance to tie Boston and Toronto for first place in the Northeast Division. They trail the Bruins and Maple Leafs by one point.

Ottawa is 1-6-1 in its last eight meetings with the Kings, who recorded their 400th tie as a franchise and 199th since the NHL instituted overtime for regular-season games in 1983-84.

The Senators opened the scoring at 13:45 of the first with Redden's eighth goal.

Potvin stoned Todd White on a short backhander and poked the rebound right to Redden, who beat him high to the stick side with a deflected 30-foot wrist shot from the slot.

"I saw the puck bounce out after that big save, and I just wanted to get to it as quickly as I could," Redden said. "I shot it on net and it found a way through."

Johnson got the equalizer with 67 seconds left in the second, beating Patrick Lalime to the short side with a 20-foot wrist shot from the right circle that was too fast for Lalime's glove.

Lalime preserved the tie in the final minute of regulation, stopping Jason Allison's wraparound and the ensuing rebound by Ziggy Palffy while lying in his side.

The Senators came up empty during a power play in overtime, after Adam Deadmarsh was sent off for cross-checking Shawn McEachern in front of the Kings' net. The Kings had the man advantage for the final 35 seconds of OT after a tripping penalty against Curtis Leschyshyn.

After allowing just 13 shots by Columbus on Saturday in a 2-0 home loss, the Kings limited the Senators to two shots in the first 13 1/2 minutes of the first period -- and none in the first 17:31 before Potvin stopped Mike Fisher's shorthanded bid from point-blank range.

"I wouldn't say I was board or frustrated, but you've got to make sure you keep your head in the game -- especially when it's a low-scoring game, because one goal could have been the difference," Potvin said.

Notes:

Ottawa assistant coach Perry Pearn designed the commemorative patch the Kings are wearing on their jerseys as a tribute to Ace Bailey and Mark Bavis, two members of their scouting staff who died aboard one of the planes terrorists hijacked and flew into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. The Senators wear a smaller version on the backs of their helmets. . . . Adam Mair, who received a 10-game suspension for leaving the bench during the melee in Ottawa, played five more games with the Kings before being demoted to Manchester of the AHL on Feb. 6. . . . Fisher, who leads Ottawa with three shorthanded goals, returned after missing five games because of an injured left shoulder. . . . The Senators are the only team with two non-goalies who have played at least 50 games this season without a goal: Leschyshyn (59) and right winger Bill Muckalt (51).