Gretzky Scores Twice, but Oilers Come Back to Gain a 6-5 Victory

Wayne Gretzky had two of the Kings’ goals as they played even-up through two periods, but his former teammates, the Edmonton Oilers, typically jumped on every opportunity down the stretch to come away with a 6-5 victory before a sellout crowd of 16,005 at the Forum Saturday night.

It was a spirited game between teams that played to a standoff in their eight Smythe Division games last season and then battled to the end before the Kings eliminated the then Stanley Cup defending champions from the playoffs, winning an emotional come-from-behind seven-game series.

Edmonton Coach John Muckler said: “I thought L.A. played pretty well. It was like a playoff game. I don’t think L.A. can play any harder.”

The Oilers played hard, too, paying no special heed to Gretzky or his pursuit of the National Hockey League’s all-time scoring record.

The emotion of the big trade is starting to fade.

“If anything, they’re worrying less about me,” Gretzky said. “I’m worrying less about them, too. Both of us are more and more comfortable. We’re just playing the game.”

Gretzky had trouble scoring a goal against his former teammates last season, not getting his first goal against the Oilers until the sixth game the teams played, in March.

Not so Saturday night. He got into the spirit of his record chase, those orange and blue sweaters giving him no pause.

Gretzky’s two goals against the Oilers were his first two of the season, adding two more points to his career total--which is now 11 from being the all-time record in the National Hockey League.

Gretzky has a total of 1,840 points and is closing fast on the total of 1,850 that Gordie Howe set during 25 years in the NHL.

Luc Robitaille, who had a goal and two assists Saturday night, said the team is not distracted by the knowledge that everyone is watching and counting Gretzky’s points.

“There would be more pressure if it was at the end of the season and he had 92 goals or if he was trying to keep one of his big scoring streaks alive,” Robitaille said. “Then you would have to want him to have the goals. But 11 points? He’s going to get those points. The only question is when.”

Robitialle assisted on Gretzky’s first goal, making the pass for the shot that scooted under the stick of Oiler goalie Bill Ranford, who has replaced Grant Fuhr since his emergency appendectomy.

That first goal, midway through the first period, gave the Kings a brief lead.

Only 31 seconds later, Kevin McClelland stole the puck from Marty McSorley and carried the puck back toward the Kings’ goal. Kelly Hrudey came out to meet him, but McClelland fired the puck right past him to tie the score.

Gretzky scored his second goal 1 minute 7 seconds into the second period, taking advantage of the power play with Oiler defenseman Kevin Lowe still in the penalty box for a holding penalty at the end of the first period.

The Oilers were about to clear the puck out of their zone when Bob Kudelski dived to the ice as if he were trying to cover a fumbled football. His body deflected the puck out to John Tonelli, who sent it across the ice to where Gretzky was waiting near the left post. Gretzky stopped the pass on his backhand side, turned, took aim and put a forehand shot past Ranford.

Craig MacTavish tied it for the Oilers again at 4:33 of the second, racing up the left side, passing across to Jari Kurri and then getting the puck back from Kurri for the shot.

Bernie Nicholls put the Kings back on top, 3-2, with his first goal of the season, scoring on a power play off a centering pass from Robitaille, who waited until the split second before he crossed the goal line to make the pass, letting Ranford think he was going around behind the net before making the perfect pass back to Nicholls.

Soon after that, momentum took a turn toward Edmonton.

Sixteen seconds before the Kings could get out of the second period with the lead, Mark Messier beat Hrudey to the puck and poked it into the net. Hrudey had gone to his knees to stop a long shot by Lowe. The puck was sitting in a dangerous spot on the rebound, so Hrudey was scrambling to push it away when Messier pounced on it to tie the score at 3-3.

Gretzky’s linemate in his Oiler days, Kurri, got the goal that put the Oilers up, 4-3, early in the third period, scoring only nine seconds into a two-man advantage.

Then a flurry of three goals in less than a minute left the Kings trailing by two.

It was a bad stretch for the Kings, starting with a bad decision by Ken Baumgartner.

At 9:29, Baumgartner decided to pull up near center ice to check MacTavish into the boards. He took MacTavish out of the play, but he also took himself out, leaving McSorley facing a two-on-one against Esa Tikkanen and Kurri that ended with Tikkanen’s goal.

At 9:50, Nicholls’ second goal of the game, a strong shot from the right circle, put the Kings within one.

But at 10:20, Glenn Anderson flipped the puck past Hrudey as Anderson was falling to the ice with defenseman Larry Robinson on top of him. Both Anderson and Robinson piled into Hrudey, and they all followed the puck into the net.

With 51 seconds left, Robitaille scored his second goal of the night on a power play.

King Notes

After missing all exhibition games and the first two games of the regular season with a pinched nerve in his neck, Dave Taylor plans to play tonight against Detroit. . . . King center Hubie McDonough was not at the game Saturday night. He had returned to New Haven, Conn., where his wife, Amy, was soon to give birth to their first child. . . . Saturday night’s game was delayed on account of snow. Between the second and third periods malfunctioning ice-resurfacing machines dumped three snowbanks on the ice, causing the fans to boo and cheer as two machines appeared and disappeared, taking turns trying to get the ice cleaned. Finally, one of the machines came to life to clean the ice. The game was delayed about 20 minutes.

GRETZKY’S COUNTDOWN TO 1,851 POINTS

Gordie Howe’s all-time regular-season scoring record (points and assists) is 1,850. Through Saturday night’s game, the Kings’ Wayne Gretzky is 11 points away from breaking that record.

POINT NO.: 1,838 GORDIE HOWE IN 1980 Feb. 15: Winnipeg at Hartford Scores unassisted goal in the first period. Goaltender: Markus Mattsson. POINT NO.: 1,838 WAYNE GRETZKY IN 1989 Oct. 5: Toronto vs. Kings at Forum Gets an assist on goal scored by Hubie McDonough in the second period. Goaltender: Allan Bester. POINT NO.: 1,839 GORDIE HOWE IN 1980 Feb. 16: Hartford at Toronto Gets an assist in third period on goal by Jordy Douglas Goaltender: Jiri Crha. POINT NO.: 1,839 WAYNE GRETZKY IN 1989 Oct. 7: Edmonton vs. Kings at Forum Scores goal at 10:53 of first period Assists to Luc Robitaille and Bob Kudelski. Goaltender: Bill Ranford. POINT NO.: 1,840 GORDIE HOWE IN 1980 Feb. 26: Hartford at Quebec Gets an assist in third period on goal by Tim Sheehy. Goaltender: Michel Dion. POINT NO.: 1,840 WAYNE GRETZKY IN 1989 Oct. 7: Edmonton vs. Kings at Forum Scores goal at 1:07 of second period Assist to John Tonelli. Goaltender: Bill Ranford.