Soviets Surge in Last Period, Top Kings, 5-2

Bob Janecyk was supposed to split time in goal with Darren Eliot when the Kings played the Soviet Red Army hockey team Thursday night before a sellout crowd of 16,005 fans at the Forum.

But Janecyk played so well in the first two periods that King Coach Pat Quinn let him play the entire game, which the Kings eventually lost, 5-2.

Janecyk made 26 saves in the first two periods, and the Kings played the Red Army to a surprising 1-1 tie after the first 40 minutes. The Kings, who have been booed off the ice a few times this season, got a standing ovation from their fans when they skated off the ice at the end of the second period with the score tied.

Janecyk was at his best when the Soviets had a five-on-three power play for 36 seconds with eight minutes left in the second period, making several spectacular saves to prevent them from scoring.

“He played a great hockey game,” the King captain, Dave Taylor, said of Janecyk. “He kept us in it for two periods. He made some point-blank saves and he made a couple of big saves on the five-on-three power play.”

However, the Red Army scored three consecutive goals in the third period and went on for the victory in the opener of a six-game exhibition tour against National Hockey League teams.

Many hockey observers had predicted that the powerful Soviet team would embarrass the Kings, who have the second worst record in the NHL

However, the game was anything but a blowout.

“It’s very surprising for us,” Red Army Coach Victor Tikhonov said through a translator after the game. “We played very difficult against his team, particularly in the second period.

“I didn’t think that Janecyk could play like that. He played not only good, but his play helped to stabilize his teammates.”

The Red Army, which is the best hockey team in the Soviet Union, plays Wayne Gretzky and the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Edmonton Oilers tonight in Edmonton, Canada.

“We know Mr. Gretzky very well,” the Soviet coach said.

Red Army left wing Vladimir Krutov had one goal and one assist. Krutov set up the first goal of the game, by defenseman Viacheslav Fetisov, with a nice pass. Krutov later scored an empty-net goal with 10 seconds left in the game after the Kings had pulled Janecyk for an extra skater.

Soviet right wing Alexander Gerasimov also had a goal and an assist. Gerasimov set up the tie-breaking goal by defenseman Alexei Kastanov at 1:13 of the third period. Gerasimov also scored a goal at 8:07 of the third period.

With the score tied at 1-1, Gerasimov cut to the left and dropped the puck to Kastanov. Kastanov scored on a slapshot from the left circle.

Right wing Nikolai Drozdetski scored on a 30-footer from the left side off a pass from Sergei Shepelev at 5:14 of the third period to make it 3-1. It was 4-1 after Gerasimov scored.

Center Marcel Dionne scored both King goals. Dionne tied it at 1-1 at 9:22 of the second period when he scored off a pass from Taylor. Then, with the Soviets leading, 4-1, Dionne scored on a shot that hit the crossbar.

“I was a little nervous before the game,” Dionne said. “I didn’t want to be embarrassed. But I’m much more confident now. We showed a lot of emotion and intensity out there.

“And we had a tremendous game from Bob Janecyk tonight. It could have been 15-2 if wasn’t out there.”

The game was officiated by a Soviet referee, Nikolay Morozov, who didn’t call any penalties on the Red Army until the third period when it already had a three-goal lead.

The Kings felt that Morozov overlooked at least three hooking penalties in the second period that would have given them a power plays and a chance to tie the game.

Asked about the referee, King left wing Dave (Tiger) Williams said: “He was never in position. He was calling the game from a different rule book.

“It was a disappointment. I wanted to beat them. The good thing about the game was that the Forum was sold out. I knew how important it was to our fans. They’ve been good to me.

“I hope this is the only game that they (the Soviets) win. Unfortunately, the win came against us. In Canada they’ll have a Canadian ref. That will make a big difference.”

Janecyk wound up making 34 saves, playing his best game of the season. He was pulled for an extra skater with 1:27 left, but the Kings couldn’t get a goal.

“I’m really happy with the game I played,” Janecyk said. “It was a good experience for me.”

Notes

Center Bernie Nicholls, the Kings’ leading scorer, missed the game with a strained left knee. However, Nicholls said he’ll be able to play Saturday night when the Kings open a two-game series against the Winnipeg Jets at the Forum. The Red Army players didn’t get to go to Disneyland, but they saw a movie in Westwood Tuesday night (“Out of Africa”) and they went to the beach.