Gretzky’s Third Point Helps Kings to 6-5 Win

Wayne Gretzky’s third point--an assist--was a big one Friday night.

He passed to Steve Kasper, who scored a last-second goal that gave the Kings a 6-5 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in front of 16,123 at the Pacific Coliseum.

As seconds ticked away, the winning goal was set up when Gretzky carried the puck into the Canucks’ zone--acting as a magnet to two defenders who couldn’t help but give chase.

Kasper, who used to lead the Boston Bruins’ checking line, liked what he saw.

“I could see both Vancouver guys going at Wayne, and I started yelling for the puck,” he said. “I probably didn’t need to be yelling, because he sees everything. He doesn’t miss anything.

“When I looked for the shot, which I think went between (Kirk McLean’s) pads, I knew time was running short. But I didn’t know it was just one second.”

Kasper gave the Kings their third victory in five games and helped Gretzky close the gap on the National Hockey League points record.

“I knew from my years in Boston what was going to happen,” Kasper said. “That’s why we used to designate one guy to go with him and say, hey, that’s his responsibility, let’s not get caught trying to do everybody else’s job. Because when he draws two men, somebody’s open.”

Gretzky has made a career of setting up the open man.

All three points Friday night were assists.

Gretzky needs two to break the points record of 1,850 that Gordie Howe set over the course of a 26-year National Hockey League career.

Howe and several league officials were on hand in case Gretzky set the record, but it really was not expected to happen Friday night. Not even Howe thought so. He quipped before the game: “If I thought he was going to get it, I’d have worn my suit.”

Gretzky’s parents didn’t even make the game. They were figuring they could show up at Sunday’s game in Edmonton without missing the milestone.

They were right about that.

Gretzky has said he would like to break the record at the Forum and, failing that, his second choice would be to break in Edmonton. But Gretzky did not hold back against the Canucks.

The Canucks held him back, perhaps, limiting him to one shot on goal. But he didn’t duck ice time.

Gretzky skated with his own line of John Tonelli and Bob Kudelski and took turns with Bernie Nicholls centering a line with Hubie McDonough and Jim Fox.

And Gretzky did his share of penalty killing and skating on the power play.

But the Canucks know how to play him. Vancouver Coach Bob McCammon, who was an assistant coach at Edmonton during Gretzky’s reign there, said before Friday’s game that he knew what it took to slow--if not stop--Gretzky, including using two lines to check him. Gretzky’s stamina is such that he can wear down one line.

Traditionally, the Canucks defend against Gretzky pretty well. He was shut out here in one game last season.

In the first period, the Canuck defense stopped all the Kings, holding them to three shots on goal--none for Gretzky--to 14 for the Canucks.

Vancouver took a 1-0 lead in the first period, on a play initiated when Trevor Linden, one of the league’s best rookies last season, blew past King defenseman Petr Prajsler coming up the right side. That drew goalie Kelly Hrudey out and he then passed through the crease to center Greg Adams, who scored in the open net behind Hrudey.

Adams scored another power-play goal to put the Canucks ahead, 2-0, early in the second period. But the Kings took control in the period, outscoring the Canucks by three goals to take a 5-3 lead.

The Kings started to rally with a power-play goal by Kudelski from defenseman Steve Duchesne and Gretzky. Less than a minute later, Craig Duncanson’s goal tied it.

The Canucks’ Soviet tandem stepped forward, with Igor Larionov scoring off a pass from Vladimir Krutov on the power play for a brief lead before the Kings scored the last three goals of the period.

Dave Taylor scored twice in that run, beating McLean to tie it at 14:36 and again to make it 5-3 on the second goal of a four-minute power play that resulted from a fight between Canuck defenseman Larry Melnyk and King defenseman Keith Crowder.

They both received five minutes for fighting, but Melnyk also got two minutes for charging and two minutes for instigating.

Kudelski scored first for the Kings on that power play off a centering pass from Gretzky.

Petri Skriko and Larionov scored early in the third period to tie the score again, and the game remained a standoff until Kasper and Gretzky won it with one second left.

King Notes

Mikael Lindholm, the young Swedish player who has been on Wayne Gretzky’s line since the first day of training camp, was scratched Friday night. John Tonelli was moved into his spot to play opposite Bob Kudelski, who now leads the Kings with four goals. . . . Left winger Jay Miller was scratched to let a bruised lower leg heal. . . . Since joining the Kings, goalie Kelly Hrudey is 3-0 against the Canucks. . . . The Canucks outshot the Kings in six of eight games last season, and did it again Friday night.