Forsberg Providing the Power

DENVER —  The way Peter Forsberg played against the Kings in Colorado’s 5-3 victory Saturday, one would think he was the best player in the history of hockey.

Forsberg finished with one goal and two assists, giving him five points over the first two games of the best-of-seven series. Not bad for a player who sat out nearly a year because of various injuries before rejoining the Avalanche for their Western Conference first-round matchup against the Kings.

“My legs were going a little better [than they did in Game 1], so it’s a step in the right direction,” said Forsberg, who had four shots on goal, four hits and two takeaways in 15 minutes and 51 seconds of ice time, six seconds longer than he played Thursday.

“The first game was tough because it was the first in a long time for me. But I’m not getting excited about my play. It was just the second game. I still have a lot of kinks to work out.”

It wasn’t just Forsberg’s point production that gave the Kings fits Saturday.

Proving once again that he’s one of the most dominating power forwards ever, Forsberg used his solid 6-foot, 205-pound body to draw two penalties in six seconds, setting up a 5-on-3 power-play goal by Joe Sakic, which tied the score at 2-2 late in the first period.

On the power play, Forsberg’s pressure helped prevent the Kings from clearing the puck into the neutral zone, and Sakic made them pay with his second goal of the game and third of the series.

“Peter helps everybody on our hockey club because with him in there, you just cannot key on one line,” said Sakic, who has three goals and an assist in the playoffs. “He does so much out there for the other lines and certainly creates more space for us when he’s on the power play as well.”

After Los Angeles took a 3-2 lead in the second period, Forsberg once again jumped into the spotlight. After a shot from the blue line by defenseman Greg de Vries and a failed rebound attempt by winger Steven Reinprecht, Forsberg hustled to pick up a loose puck near the crease and scored his first goal since April 30, 2001.

“It felt good to score a goal,” Forsberg said. “It’s been a long time.”

With Colorado holding a one-goal lead in the third period, Forsberg was all over the ice. If he wasn’t making a crunching check on Bryan Smolinski, he was creating havoc around the net for goaltender Felix Potvin. Forsberg’s hard work paid off when he picked up his fourth assist in two games on an insurance goal by Chris Drury with 11:15 remaining.

“We can’t keep worrying about how good Peter is playing from game to game, we have to get our own game going here,” King defenseman Aaron Miller said. “We need to play better defensively. He’s just one of many guys we have to stop.”

Which is exactly the Kings’ problem.

Not only do they have to watch out for Forsberg and Sakic, but the Kings also have to be concerned about Colorado’s other skilled players, such as Alex Tanguay, Radim Vrbata, Reinprecht and Drury.

For the Kings to get back in the series, they will have to be a lot more responsible defensively. Colorado’s Patrick Roy is one of the game’s all-time best playoff goaltenders, but the Kings did score three goals against him in each of the first two games of the series.

The Kings’ biggest challenge will be getting more help for Potvin, who has faced 69 shots in two games.

“It’s really hard to find one reason, that’s just the way it’s been going in the series,” Potvin said. . “Peter makes their second line.... He gives them good balance.”

It’s now Coach Andy Murray’s turn to get the Kings back on track. They have played OK on offense, but their defensive breakdowns have hurt them. Being able to submit his starting line after the Avalanche has done so in the next two games at home will help because the Kings’ top line had trouble containing Colorado’s top two lines, which featured Sakic and Forsberg.

“We have to look at these two games and see where we can make adjustments,” Smolinski said. “We made a lot of mistakes coming out of our defensive zone that have given them their goals.

“If we eliminate those mistakes, the games would have been different.”

If the Kings don’t make changes, the playoffs will be over for them before they know it.