Islanders Cut Down Kings, 7-4

If it were based only on the New York Islanders’ 7-4 victory over the Kings Wednesday night, that big trade of last February wouldn’t look so good for Los Angeles.

Kelly Hrudey, the Kings’ prize of that deal, gave up all but one of those goals Wednesday, in his first game against his former Islander teammates. Young goaltender Mark Fitzpatrick held off his former King teammates, and Doug Crossman, the player to be named, added two points for the Islanders.

But King Coach Tom Webster wasn’t about to complain. “It’s just one game,” he said.

The likes of which the Kings don’t want to see again for a while. And that goes for the 14,261 at the Forum, many of whom left early.

The Kings did stage an impressive comeback, just when the game was reaching its most embarrassing ebb, 5-1. But the comeback fell short.

Wayne Gretzky did get three more points, and needs five to break Gordie Howe’s National Hockey League scoring record of 1,850.

Gretzky got points No. 1,844 and 1,845 on assists and No. 1846 on a power-play goal that made the score 5-3 in the third period. He beat Fitzpatrick in the tiny space the goalie had left between his left pad and the goal post.

Fitzpatrick won’t be 21 until November. Last November, after recording a 5-3 victory at Chicago in his NHL debut with the Kings, Gretzky compared Fitzpatrick to the likes of Ken Dryden, Ron Hextall and Grant Fuhr.

After getting his first victory this season, Fitzpatrick said: “Any time you get traded, you always have some personal revenge. Winning was the first thing I wanted to do. Beating these guys was a bonus . . .

“I couldn’t be more happy with the Islanders. It was nice being with the Kings, but I like the Islanders better. They’re patient with young players. That’s something the Kings didn’t want to do.”

The Islanders, as a whole, are a young team. So Coach Al Arbour is set to be patient this year.

The Kings traded Fitzpatrick for Hrudey, 28, in an effort to win immediately.

The Kings’ are 2-2-0, but so are the Islanders.

Still, Webster said: “It’s early.”

Not that he was excusing the Kings’ game.

“We tried to salvage a hockey game in 20 minutes,” he said. “You can’t do that.”

Said Gretzky: “Over the last couple of years, we have created an atmosphere here that we don’t give up. But the negative side of it was that we were not in the game. It was 5-1 and they were pretty much embarrassing us . . . “

And the Kings were playing catch-up all the way.

Gretzky’s first point was scored on the power-play goal by Dave Taylor at 13:52 of the first period.

It was the Kings’ only goal of the period. But, then, they took only six shots.

The Islanders were ahead, 2-0, by the time Taylor scored. Pat LaFontaine scored on the first shot Hrudey faced, and Bryan Trottier added a power-play goal.

Trottier scored with one second left on the penalty Ken Baumgartner received for fighting right winger Alan Kerr, who was hounding Gretzky. Baumgartner and Kerr each were assessed five-minute penalties, but Baumgartner received an additional two minutes for instigating the fight.

The Kings scored in the second period with Gretzky, again, getting an assist. Gretzky sent a pass to Bernie Nicholls, who set up John Tonelli for the straight-on shot through the slot. It was Tonelli’s first goal of the season, a power-play goal that cut the Islanders’ lead to three.

The Islanders had opened the second period with back-to-back power-play goals by Mikko Makela and LaFontaine before Tom Fitzgerald stole a pass from Luc Robitaille, turned and flipped the puck past Hrudey at 15:38 to give the Islanders a 5-1 lead.

Then the Kings rallied, and Gretzky’s goal cut the Islanders’ lead to two at 1:27 of the third period. And at 7:40 the Kings took advantage of another power play to close to within a goal when Gretzky sent the puck from the right corner to defenseman Larry Robinson, who passed to Bob Kudelski at the left side. He waited for Fitzpatrick to square off against him before centering it to Tonelli, who was wearing an Islander on his back and falling forward as he fought his way to the right side to deflect the puck into the net.

Tonelli, who played for Arbour in the Islanders’ glory days, had his second goal of the season with more than half the period left.

But Randy Wood scored at 18:40 to give the Islanders some breathing room, and Brent Sutter padded the score with his goal on the empty net.

All four King goals were scored on power plays.

“They’ve got a pretty dangerous power play,” Arbour said. “We got ourselves in trouble and lost our composure a bit, but, then, we came back and regained it, which is a good sign.”

King Notes

Gordie Howe’s wife, Colleen, released a statement through Gary Meagher of the National Hockey League saying “no decision has been made” regarding the much-ballyhooed notion that Howe will play in an NHL game next year so that he can lay claim to having played in six decades. The statement added that “health, conditioning, timing and desire” would have to be considered and that “for now, it is merely a fantasy which will be given some further thought.” The talk actually started between Howe and King owner Bruce McNall at the Hall of Fame presentations in Toronto last June. They have gone so far as to talk with Hartford, because Howe still works for the Whalers, and the league, which would have to approve it. It would be a stunt, but it could happen. Howe is 61 and was starting to creak a little after his day of golf with McNall on Monday. Brace for more rumors, however. In joking about his January comeback, Howe said: “I’ll go even beyond that. My grandson is 11, it’s not that long to wait to play with him.”

Rick Wilson, a new Kings’ assistant, was on the Islander staff last season. . . . Defenseman Barry Beck, who has a groin injury, is expected to play in his first regular-season game for the Kings at Vancouver Friday night.

GRETZKY’S COUNTDOWN TO 1,851 POINTS

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

POINT: 1,838 GORDIE HOWE IN 1980: Feb. 15: Winnipeg at Hartford Scores unassisted goal in the first period. Goaltender: Markus Mattsson. 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: 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 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: 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. 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.

POINT: 1,841 GORDIE HOWE IN 1980: Feb. 29: St. Louis at Hartford Scores goal in third period. Assists to Greg Carroll and Bernie Johnson. Goaltender: Mike Liut. WAYNE GRETZKY IN 1989: Oct. 8: Detroit vs. Kings at Forum. Assists with Mikael Lindholm on goal by Bob Kudelski in first period Goaltender: Tim Cheveldae.

POINT: 1,842 GORDIE HOWE IN 1980: March 1: Hartford at St. Louis Assists on goal by Nick Fotiu in first period. Goaltender is Mike Liut. WAYNE GRETZKY IN 1989: Oct. 8: Detroit vs. Kings at Forum Assists with Tom Laidlaw on goal by Bob Kudelksi in first period. Goaltender: Tim Cheveldae.

POINT: 1,843 GORDIE HOWE IN 1980: March 8: Hartford at Washington Assists on goal by Rick Ley in third period. Goaltender is Rollie Boutin WAYNE GRETZKY IN 1989: Oct. 8: Detroit vs. Kings at Forum Assists with Keith Crowder on goal by Mikael Lindholm in second period. Goaltender: Tim Cheveldae.

POINT: 1,844 GORDIE HOWE IN 1980: Mar. 12: Hartford at Detroit Assists on goal by Dave Keon in first period. Goaltender: Rogie Vachon. WAYNE GRETZKY IN 1989: Oct. 11: N.Y. Islanders vs. Kings at Forum Assists with Luc Robitaille on goal by Dave Taylor at 13:52 of first period. Goaltender: Mark Fitzpatrick.

POINT: 1,845 GORDIE HOWE IN 1980: Mar. 19: Montreal at Hartford Assists on goal by Jordy Douglas in first period. Goaltender: Denis Herron. WAYNE GRETZKY IN 1989: Oct. 11: N.Y. Islanders vs. Kings at Forum Assists with Bernie Nicholls on goal by John Tonelli at 16:52 of second period. Goaltender: Mark Fitzpatrick.

POINT: 1,846 GORDIE HOWE IN 1980: Mar. 21: Philadelphia at Hartford Assists on goal by Jordy Douglas in second period Goaltender: Phil Myre. WAYNE GRETZKY IN 1989: Oct. 11: N.Y. Islanders vs. Kings at Forum Scores power-play goal at 1:27 of the third period. Assists to John Tonelli, Marty McSorley. Goaltender: Mark Fitzpatrick.