NHL : Kings Go Meekly Against Penguins

Wayne Gretzky is in Canada with an aching back and Luc Robitaille, Tony Granato, Tomas Sandstrom and Jari Kurri are still vacationing after the Canada Cup.

What does that leave the Kings in terms of offense? Not much.

At least not Saturday night when the offense looked as if it were still on vacation as the Kings lost, 4-1, to the Pittsburgh Penguins in an exhibition game played before a Forum crowd of 12,529.

The Pittsburgh goals were scored by Bob Errey, James Leach, Mike Needham and Jaromir Jagr. Jim Thomson averted a shutout with a final-period goal for the Kings, who outshot the Penguins, 32-23

The Kings’ exhibition record fell to 1-2-1. The Stanley Cup champion Penguins improved to 3-1-1.

King Notes

Free-agent forward Mike Donnelly has been signed to a three-year contract by the Kings calling for $240,000 this season and a total of about $840,000 . . . This was the final game for the Forum scoreboard, the only scoreboard the building has had in its quarter century of existence. The new 22-foot high scoreboard will feature instant replay and individual and team statistics for both hockey and basketball.