Do Kings Face Miracle or Massacre? : 1982 Memories Blur in Light of Jekyll-Hyde Performance

No one is mentioning 1982. No King dares evoke that sacred memory. The Miracle on Manchester has gone unremarked upon.

The obvious similarity between this playoff season and the one five years ago, when the Kings knocked the heavily favored Oilers out in the first round, is that, again, the Kings and the Oilers have split the first two games in the first round.

And Edmonton is still heavily favored.

The similarities end there, though. The Kings have shown in these two games that they are capable of excellent play but just as capable of a dismal effort. They followed up their 5-2 win in the first game Wednesday with a 13-3 disaster Thursday night.

So, Edmonton has now seen both sides of this Jekyll-Hyde team. The Oilers just are never sure which team will show up. “Neither are we,” said King forward Bob Bourne.

How is it that the Kings, in the second game of the playoffs, were not prepared to play?

“They were prepared,” corrected Mike Murphy, the Kings’ coach, “They obviously didn’t do something that was individual.

“We are all going to have to play together if we have a hope of beating the Oilers.”

Murphy will be looking for that effort today, when the Kings and the Oilers play the third game in this best-of-seven series at 2 p.m. at the Forum.

He professes to see no advantage in having home ice, at least not against the Oilers. Edmonton has played the Kings better in the Forum than at the Northlands Coliseum, winning three of four games here.

“What surprised me all season was how well the Oilers play in our building,” Bourne said. “I think that has to do with the amount of pressure on them. They don’t feel a lot of pressure in L.A.”

The pressure will be on the Kings to rebound from Thursday night’s crushing loss.

“We just have to throw it out,” Murphy said.

All the strides the team made in the first game--tight checking, a ferocious defense and solid penalty killing--were negated in Game 2. And no one can explain why.

“From a coaching point of view, it’s great. We can correct a lot of things,” Murphy said, searching for humor wherever he could find it.

The Kings knew that the Oilers would come out hard after the first loss, but they failed to match Edmonton’s intensity.

Key for the Oilers was the dominance of Wayne Gretzky, who had been held to one point Wednesday night. His seven-point performance Thursday night meant that his problem with a painful double toenail is either over or forgotten.

Gretzky and the Oilers gave both Rollie Melanson and Darren Eliot fits in Game 2. Edmonton fired 45 shots in the game. Melanson, playing one period, gave up six goals before being replaced by Eliot. Neither goalie was sharp but both were the victims of a porous defense.

“I’m sure they are disappointed with the effort in front of them,” Murphy said. “But we will all shoulder the blame for this loss.”

Tickets are still available for today’s game, as well as Sunday’s. The prices are $24, $20.50, $13.50 and $10.50. Sunday’s game is at noon. Tickets for Game 6, if necessary, will go on sale after next Tuesday’s game.

The schedule for the remaining games: Tuesday at Edmonton, Thursday at Los Angeles and next Saturday at Edmonton--the last two if necessary.

King Notes

Bernie Nicholls and Bob Carpenter each have three points in the two games. . . . Oiler defenseman Paul Coffey, who strained a muscle in his right arm after being checked by Sean McKenna, is questionable for today’s game. . . . The betting line in Las Vegas is 7-5 for the Oilers to win the Stanley Cup. . . . There were seven NHL records set or tied in Thursday night’s game. Wayne Gretzky’s seven points equaled his NHL record for most points in a playoff game and gave him 183 playoff points, another record. His six assists tied the NHL one-game record and his three assists in one period tied the NHL record. Mark Messier’s eighth short-handed goal tied the NHL career record, the 13 goals by the Oilers set an NHL record for most goals by one team in one playoff game and the seven power-play goals--5 for the Oilers, 2 for the Kings--tied the record for power-play goals in one game. . . . The 10-goal defeat Thursday night was the Kings’ worst this season. The 13 goals are the most they have allowed in the playoffs and their 14 shots on goal were the fewest they’ve taken in their playoff history. . . . All King playoff games are being televised on Prime Ticket and broadcast on KLAC (570).