Kings End Exhibitions on a Roll : They Beat Jets, 4-1, Extending Streak to Three Games

With a quick and easy 4-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets, the Kings wrapped up their exhibition season Sunday night before a sellout crowd of 18,115 at the San Diego Sports Arena.

Asked, as he had been at almost every stop of the Kings’ exhibition tour, if he thought this city was a good candidate for National Hockey League expansion, Wayne Gretzky smiled and said: “We’d be the first team to vote yes.”

That from a man who has been living out of a suitcase for almost a month. A two-hour drive up the freeway, and he will be home tonight. An uncommon luxury now that he plays for the league’s most-traveled franchise.

The Kings finished their 11-city barnstorming with a record of 5-4-1--winning their last three games--and will take only one day off before getting in two days of practice for their Thursday opener against Toronto at the Forum.

King Coach Tom Webster said: “It’s nice to get out of the preseason with no serious injuries. It’s nice to end on a winning note. That’s three in a row and puts us over .500.”

The Kings took a 3-0 lead in the first period. They scored with a two-man advantage on a shot by Petr Prajsler in the slot at 6:32. They followed up while the Jets still had one man in the penalty box with a goal by Gretzky, who knocked the puck into the net as it rolled off the back of goalie Daniel Berthiaume after a deflection at 8:03.

John Tonelli made the score 3-0, sweeping in the rebound of a shot by Keith Crowder as he skated in after the first volley.

The Jets got their goal early in the second period from Mark Krumpel.

Bernie Nicholls added a goal at 11:23 of the third period.

King Notes

Kings General Manager Rogie Vachon said Sunday night that he expected the Kings to lose a player or two in the waiver draft this afternoon, but that the Kings probably wouldn’t pick up a player from another team. “Not as low as we’re drafting,” he said. “I would not expect anyone to still be there--unless a team picks up a player and has to make available someone we’re interested in. That is not likely.” Vachon and the coaching staff will then spend much of the afternoon trimming the roster from 30 to about 25.

Roy Mlakar, Kings executive vice president, is not the most popular person at the moment among the players, who had to play in 11 exhibition games in 11 cities in the last couple of weeks. Mlakar, proclaiming the tour a financial success, said Sunday night that the Kings’ had grossed $1 million on the five games that were their home games, the games at Cleveland, Cincinnati, Denver, Los Angeles and San Diego. Mlakar said that several more cities have expressed interest in playing host to King exhibition games next season--Orlando, Ottawa, Seattle-Tacoma, Oakland, Dallas, Albany, Miami, Portland, and Worchester, Mass., as well as repeat interest from Cleveland and San Diego.