‘Kid’ Carson Helps Gun Down Red Wings : Kings’ Rookie Scores Two Goals in a 4-3 Overtime Win Over Detroit

As far as homecomings go, this one was strictly Hollywood.

It went like this: Local kid returns to home town after making the big time. Family and friends throng to the arena to watch him play. Kid confides to teammates before the game that he’s nervous.

Kid scores two goals and assists on another. Team wins, and he’s crowned the hero.

It could be a movie, but it’s not. It’s the movie-script story of how rookie Jimmy Carson went home to Detroit and led the Kings to a 4-3 overtime win over the Red Wings Wednesday night.

Carson’s performance had the crowd of 16,053 in the Joe Louis Arena alternately cheering for him and supporting the sluggish Red Wings (1-2).

Scattered in the crowd were members of Carson’s family from suburban Grosse Pointe Woods and teammates from his days on the Birmingham Compuware midget team that skated here.

“There were a lot of butterflies when I came out tonight,” Carson, 18, said. “During warmups I looked into the crowd and I think I saw everyone I ever played hockey with. I couldn’t count all the people here for me. Coming back to my home town, I wanted to score a goal or (get) an assist or something.”

The Kings (2-2) needed the boost from Carson to take the edge off an overtime loss in Pittsburgh Tuesday night. All four King games this season have been decided by one goal.

The deciding goal Wednesday came not from Carson--whose earlier goals kept the Kings in the game--but from Bernie Nicholls with just 19 seconds left in overtime.

Nicholls was standing at the Detroit blue line when Red Wing defenseman Lee Norwood made an ill-advised pass up the middle.

Nicholls jabbed his left glove into the air, caught the puck, threw it to the ice and fired a slap shot from the top of the crease.

Detroit goaltender Glen Hanlon committed to his right, and the shot went left.

Norwood will be making his future passes for the Adirondack Red Wings in the American Hockey League after Detroit sent the 26-year-old player to the minors after the game.

The fact that Wednesday night’s game brought together the No. 1 and No. 2 choices from this year’s entry draft was not lost on Carson. The Red Wings, Carson’s favorite boyhood team, selected Joe Murphy with their No. 1 pick. Murphy has not worked out as well as the Red Wings had hoped, however, and he was kept in the minors until last Saturday.

Carson, meanwhile, was snubbed by Detroit in the draft. “There was nothing I could do about it,” he said. “They (Detroit) thought he (Murphy) was the one they wanted. I respect their opinion. I’m happy in L.A.”

The Kings are happy with Carson, according to Coach Pat Quinn. “He was shooting the puck tonight, while he hasn’t that much before,” Quinn said. “I think late in the game he was thinking more about the hat trick than winning the game for us. But, hell, I’ve got 30-year-olds who do that.”

The first Carson goal came at 4:33 of the first period as he was skating alone with the puck. He suddenly stopped at the top of the slot and shot in the same motion, scoring the only goal of the period.

The Red Wings tied the score after Adam Oates moved around defenseman Grant Ledyard and beat King goalie Darren Eliot 3:42 into the second period.

After letting a four-on-three advantage of their own slip away, the Red Wings yielded a power-play goal by Steve Duchesne 14:31 into the second period.

Detroit failed to capitalize on a five-on-three advantage at the end of the period, and the Kings were left with a 2-1 lead. Detroit had nine power-play opportunities in the game but squandered them all, while the Kings scored on one of six.

Carson scored his second goal eight seconds into the third period, taking the puck after the faceoff and skating to the right.

“I just threw it at the net,” Carson said. “I saw Dave Taylor at the net. I was really just trying to get the puck to him.”

It was Murphy who brought the Red Wings back, stealing the puck to set up a goal by Petr Klima. Klima’s second goal seven minutes later at 13:34 tied it at 3-3.

Then, Nicholls’ shot in overtime gave the Kings a 1-1 split on the road.

King Notes In an effort to shore up a weak defense, Coach Pat Quinn dressed seven defensemen Wednesday night, giving the Kings one less forward. “I may do it again,” he said. . . . Carson’s goal with only eight seconds gone in the third period tied a team record for fastest goal scored in the third period. . . . A Red Wings’ victory would have put them over .500 for the first time since Nov. 6, 1983.