Hats Off to Kontos as His 3 Goals Get Kings Even, 5-2

Kelly Hrudey was back in goal, Wayne Gretzky scored a goal against the team he was leading to a Stanley Cup this time last season, and the Kings beat the Edmonton Oilers, 5-2, Thursday night at the Forum to even their National Hockey League playoff series at one game each.

Things seemed to be getting back to normal.

But the man who had hats raining down onto the ice was a most unlikely hero: No. 15. Check your program.

It says there that Chris Kontos is a 25-year-old center whose hometown is Toronto.

Kontos had three goals for the Kings Thursday, the first hat trick of his career. Added to a goal in the opener that the Kings lost to the Oilers Wednesday night, that makes four goals for the playoff series, topping his season total of three.

So, where has he been all season? Well, he started the season in Switzerland. If the name is at all familiar, it’s because he did play sparingly for the Kings in the playoffs last year. He was acquired last season and played enough to get one assist in four playoff games.

But at the start of this season he was back in Europe. The Kings signed him March 7 as a free agent.

Kontos hadn’t been back from Europe long enough to have a phone installed, so the Kings placed a call to his father’s house. Then, when they wanted to FAX him a contract, the only FAX machine he could find in the small town of Midland (near Toronto), was at the local lumber company. Kontos went there, signed the contract and had the lumber company FAX it back to the Kings in time to FAX it to the NHL offices.

What about getting a hat trick in a key playoff game just a few weeks later?

“It’s unbelievable,” Kontos said. “I really can’t believe this.”

As the final minutes of the game were ticking away Thursday night and another sellout crowd of 16,005 was roaring its approval, King executives were asked: “OK, whose idea was it to sign Chris Kontos?”

General Manager Rogie Vachon’s hand shot into the air.

“His agent called and said he was available, and we knew what he could do,” Vachon said. “We signed him because we needed some depth at his position.”

Good call.

Oiler Kevin Lowe had to admit: “It was one of those nights when things were going well for him. He was Johnny-on-the-spot. He should have had a high-sticking penalty and he winds up scoring a goal. So, obviously, it was his evening.”

Lowe was referring to Kontos’ first goal, when he had to get his stick high to knock down a rebound and he accidentally hit Esa Tikkanen in the face.

Oiler Coach Glen Sather said: “If Kontos had been kicked out of the game for high-sticking Tikkanen, the game would have changed. It would have nullified the goal that was scored--he did knock down the puck with his stick over his shoulders and he knocked Tikkanen out. If that had been called the way it should have been, we wouldn’t have gotten into the problems we did. But the momentum shifted and cost us the game.”

Tikkanen didn’t like it at all when the referee skated over to where he was lying on the ice “a little bit out” and told him, “That’s a fake. Get up.”

The goal stood, Kontos stayed and the Kings are going to Edmonton tied, 1-1, in the best-of-seven series.

Kontos would have been playing Thursday night even if the Kings had a full roster. But he played more than usual because John Tonelli, one of the strengths of the Kings’ team this season, is out with pneumonia.

Tonelli probably would have been on the power play with Gretzky, Bernie Nicholls, Mike Krushelnyski and Steve Duchesne if he hadn’t been in the hospital. But Kontos took that spot Thursday night and scored his first goal on the power play.

Gretzky had an assist on that goal, as Kontos gave the Kings a 1-0 lead at 11:01, beating Fuhr between the pads on his second rebound shot.

The 1-0 lead held up until 7:36 of the second period, when Mark Messier led a three-on-two Oiler attack to score from the right wing, with Hrudey getting his stick on the shot but deflecting it back into the net. Messier’s shot was the Oilers’ second of the period.

Just 24 seconds later, the Kings took the lead for good on Bernie Nicholls’ slap shot from the right circle. Kontos’ second goal, a shot flipped into the top of the net, made it 3-1 at 13:12 of the period.

But unlike the first game, when the Kings started thinking defense after they took the lead at 2:55 of the third period (taking only two shots on goal after that), the Kings continued to attack.

Gretzky made it 4-1 at 15:52 when he waded through Oiler defenders to take the puck at the front of the net and beat Fuhr from point-blank range.

Before the period was out, Oiler defenseman Tomas Johnsson made it 4-2 when his long, low shot glanced off Duchesne’s skate and into the net.

The Kings dominated the second period, taking 18 shots to six for the Oilers.

Kontos’ third goal, at 1:20 of the third period, gave the Kings a 5-2 lead. Fuhr went to the ice to stop a shot by Nicholls, leaving the puck sitting in front of the goal. Kontos took a swing at it and missed, then took another swing and lifted it over Fuhr’s leg for the score.

Kontos is getting his career back on track. It had a pretty good start when he was made a first-round draft pick by the New York Rangers six years ago. But it took a wrong turn when the Rangers tried to send him down and he was in no mood to go.

Kontos said: “I made some mistakes, but that was a long time ago. I let my pride get in the way. I’ve matured since then. That kind of stuff is all behind me now.”

Hrudey said of Kontos: “He was tremendous. Some of the things he did were uplifting for all the guys. He stuck with the puck, took some hits. It proves that he’s a capable player, which we already knew.”

King Notes

The Smythe Division semifinal playoff series between the Kings and the Oilers moves to Edmonton for games Saturday and Sunday nights. . . . Kelly Hrudey, who missed the opener because of the flu, played the entire game Thursday night while Glenn Healy stood by on the bench. Hrudey had to stand in for Healy when Healy had the flu last Sunday. Neither is 100%. Healy reportedly lost 14 pounds during the game Wednesday. Asked how much weight he lost Thursday, Hrudey said: “I don’t know, but I’m in no danger of becoming anorexic.”. . . Chris Kontos has given the Kings 1-0 leads against Edmonton in both playoff games. . . . Hrudey is 6-0-1 at the Forum, 11-4-2 overall with the Kings . . . The Kings had twice as many shots on goal as the Oilers Thursday, 44-22. . . . The Kings’ Doug Crossman, who has been scratched from the last several games, is bothered by a shoulder injury.