Kings Out, but They Are Not Down : Most Feel They Have Nothing to Be Ashamed of in Defeat

Jerry Buss walked around the Kings’ locker room trying to console his players after the Edmonton Oilers swept them out of the National Hockey League playoffs.

Three years ago Buss left the Forum in the third period of a game after the Kings fell behind the Oilers, 5-2. He missed one of the greatest comebacks in Stanley Cup history, as the Kings rallied to win the game and the series.

Buss stayed in his box when the Oilers took a 3-1 lead after the second period of last Saturday’s third game. The Kings rallied for two goals in the third period to force an overtime period. But the Oilers won it 46 seconds into overtime on a goal by Glenn Anderson.

The mood in the Kings’ locker room wasn’t somber. Most of the players were upbeat.

“We’ll be back,” center Marcel Dionne said. “We’ve got nothing to be ashamed of. Personally, for me I’m really proud. We’ve been accused of giving up in the past. I know we’re on the right track.

“This has been the most enjoyable week I’ve had in a long time. We executed everything we had to do. It took a long time, but I think we’ve got it going.”

The Kings, playing a tight-checking game, took the Oilers to overtime in two of the three games. They held Wayne Gretzky without a goal in the series. The difference was probably the goaltending of Grant Fuhr, who all but stood on his head to block the Kings’ shots.

“We played awful good three nights in a row and it wasn’t good enough,” King Coach Pat Quinn said. “We have to learn how to win in those situations. I can stand here right now and say my heart’s full of pride. Hopefully, next year when I’m standing here we’ll be the victor.”

The Kings are probably in better shape than when they upset the Oilers in 1982. Their unlikely win over the Oilers gave them a false sense of security, which was shattered when the club failed to make the playoffs the next two seasons.

After a rocky start in which they were winless in their first nine games of the season, the Kings turned it around after learning Quinn’s system. At one point in February they were tied with Winnipeg and Calgary for second place in the Smythe Division. But they went into a slump in the last three weeks of the regular season and finished fourth.

With a few breaks, the Kings might have beaten Edmonton. But they may have gained respect in losing.

“It was a sweep on paper, but it sure doesn’t feel like a sweep,” King center Doug Smith said. “It’s one thing when you lose and know that the other team was a lot better. That’s what makes it so tough.”

The Kings finished better than .500 for the first time since 1981. But they were all but assured of a playoff spot because Vancouver got off to a horrible start. The Kings can’t count on the Canucks having another horrible season, and it doesn’t look as if the three teams that finished ahead of them are about to fall apart, so they’ll probably have to play even better to make the playoffs again.

Because of the Charlie Simmer trade, the Kings have two first-round picks in the NHL draft next June.

“I guess it sort of depends on what’s available ninth and 10th,” King General Manager Rogie Vachon said. “There are some good left wingers and right wingers, some good centers and a couple good defensemen. If the talent is equal, we’ll probably go for position. At this stage we would go for wingers. But we certainly could use another defenseman. But unless we’re really lucky the scouts feel at this time that very few will make the team.

“I think overall our season was pretty good. But we were disappointed in the playoffs because we played so well and could have won. But we played the Stanley Cup champions. We certainly would put our goals a little higher next year, because I feel Vancouver is going to be a lot tougher.”

Goalies Bob Janecyk and Darren Eliot both made progress in their rookie seasons. Vachon was criticized last summer when he made the deal for Janecyk, an untested goalie, but Janecyk was outstanding in the playoffs.

“Bobby Janecyk is no slouch,” Fuhr said. “He’s going to take them a long way. As soon as they get a couple more guys that can score goals, they’re going to be all right.”

Rookie defensemen Craig Redmond and Garry Galley looked as if they have matured. Gretzky said Redmond reminds him of Edmonton All-Star defenseman Paul Coffey. And defenseman Ken Hammond, signed with three games left in the regular season after leading RPI to the NCAA title, stepped right into the NHL.

Edmonton Coach Glen Sather said the Kings remind him of the Oilers before Edmonton made the Stanley Cup finals two straight years.

“Nobody expected L.A. to win, but they have a lot of good, young talented kids,” Sather said. “They remind me of the team we had when we lost to the Islanders a few years ago. They have an aggressive team and they are coming. Pat (Quinn) had them playing disciplined hockey, and I think that they have a lot going for them. The Kings are a talented club, and they’re going to get better and better.”

King Notes There are reports from Canada that King assistant coach Mike Murphy is a candidate to become the new head coach at Vancouver. However, Murphy says he has not talked to the Canucks about the job. . . . King Coach Pat Quinn, who attended Delaware Law School for two years, is looking for a law school in Southern California that offers summer classes. Quinn, who lives in Laguna Hills, said he’d like to attend a school in San Diego.