Fiset Counting On Barrage Slowing

Goalie Jamie Storr gave up two goals in the Kings’ 2-2 tie at Phoenix on Saturday, as did Stephane Fiset the night before in a 2-0 loss at the Arrowhead Pond.

But the jobs were hardly the same.

Storr faced 35 shots from the Coyotes in a defensive effort reminiscent of that of a season ago, when the Kings struggled through the season.

Fiset faced 22 shots from the Mighty Ducks.

“This is my fourth year [with the Kings] and we’ve been seeing 30-35 shots every game,” Fiset said. “It’s going to be great, seeing only 20-25 shots, and there’s not too many scoring chances in those shots.”

Through their first three exhibitions, King opponents averaged 19.7 shots a game.

Facing a shot every three minutes on average is a different game than the goalies saw last season.

“I’m going to have to get used to it and be ready for more pauses in the game,” Fiset said. “But it’s the same pressure. Whether you face 20 shots or 40 shots, you have the same job to do, which is stop the puck. You just have to be more focused out there when you face only 20 shots.”

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In Saturday’s exhibition, Rob Blake scored the first goal, a power-play effort in which Blake blasted away from 55 feet after taking a pass from Ziggy Palffy in the first period.

Phoenix took a 2-1 lead on second-period goals by Keith Tkachuk and Trevor Letkowski, and the Kings tied the score with 1:03 to play in regulation on a goal by Chris Lindberg.

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Jere Karalahti remains in a hotel in Helsinki, Finland, awaiting a decision in Washington that would allow him to enter the United States to take a job.

That job is playing defense with the Kings.

Karalahti needs the U.S. government to determine that his past, which includes drug abuse, is just that: the past and that he is rehabilitated.