Taylor, Kings Are 6-5 Victors in Overtime

Dave Taylor scored with 1:32 left in overtime, his second goal of the game, to give the Kings a 6-5 win over the New York Islanders Saturday night before a sellout crowd of 16,005 at the Forum.

The Kings, after blowing a 3-0 first-period lead, took a 4-3 lead into the third period on a goal by left wing Phil Sykes at 15:15 of the second period.

However, The Islanders tied it at 4-4 when left wing John Tonelli scored his second goal of the game with 14:47 left in the third period. Then New York took a 5-4 lead when center Brent Sutter scored with 10:05 left in regulation. It was Sutter’s second goal of the game.

The Kings tied the score at 5-5 with 3:58 left when Sykes scored his second goal of the night, this one off a pass from center Bob Miller in the slot.

Tonelli had a chance to score on a one-on-one breakaway with a minute left in regulation, but Kings’ goalie Darren Eliot made a nice save.

Islander center Mike Bossy, the third leading scorer in the National Hockey League this season with 38 goals and 42 assists, missed the game with a back injury suffered in the first period of a game against the Edmonton Oilers last Wednesday night.

However, the Islanders did not scratch Bossy from the game beforehand. He skated during the pregame warmups but sat at one end of the bench during the entire first period. He changed into his street clothes during the first intermission.

The Kings got off to a fast start against the Islanders, scoring on their first three shots on goalie Kelly Hrudey. One of the goals was by Taylor.

Hrudey had been unbeaten in his previous five starts, going 4-0-1. He had compiled a 1.96 goals-against average and a 94.4 save percentage in that span.

The Kings scored just 11 seconds into the game when Taylor got his 23rd goal of the season.

It was the second fastest goal the Kings have scored at the start of a game in the 17-year history of the franchise. Center Bernie Nicholls set the record earlier this season when he scored in the first nine seconds of a game against Quebec.

Nicholls gave the Kings a 2-0 lead with he scored his 28th goal of the season on a slap shot at 1:20 of the first period.

With 17:23 left in the first period, Kings defenseman Mark Hardy got into a fight with Islander left wing Mats Hallin behind the Kings’ net. Both players drew five minute penalties.

Brian MacLellan the scored when he tipped in a shot by rookie defenseman Craig Redmond with 9:19 left in the first period, giving the Kings a 3-0 lead.

However, the Kings have had trouble holding leads all season, and once again they collapsed as the Islanders scored three straight goals.

The Islanders got on the board with 8:17 left in the first period when defenseman Dennis Potvin scored his seventh goal of the season, this one coming on a rebound of a shot by Ron Handy.

The Islanders had a chance to close the score to 3-2 with 4:34 left, but Eliot made a spectacular save on a shot by right wing Duane Sutter.

The Kings outshot the Islanders, 19-11, in the first period.

Hrudey came back to make a couple of nice saves on shots by center Bill O’Dwyer and Marcel Dionne.

The Islanders closed the score to 3-2 just 59 seconds into the second period. Tonelli stole the puck from Hardy in back of the Kings’ net and passed it to center Brian Trottier. Trottier beat Eliot for his 19th goal of the season.

The Islanders had their first power play of the game with 16:02 left in the second period after Kings’ defenseman Brian Engblom received a two-minute penalty for hooking Trottier. However, Eliot made nice saves on shots by left wing Bob Bourne and Potvin.

The Islanders tied it at 3-3 with 12:20 left in the second period when Brent Sutter scored his 28th goal of the season.

The Kings were outshot, 5-0, in the first 11 1/2 minutes of the second period. Miller took the Kings’ first shot with 9:28 left in the second period.

The Islanders may have dominated the first part of the second period, but the Kings came back to regain the lead.

Sykes broke the tie with 4:45 left in the second period with his 10th goal of the season. Defenseman Garry Galley set up the play when he put a move on Islander defenseman Gerald Diduck and gave Skyes a backhand pass in the slot. Sykes beat Hrudey to give the Kings a 4-3 lead going into the third period.