Gretzky Gets Six Points; Kings Not Happy in Win

A reporter entering the King locker room Tuesday night after the club had beaten the Winnipeg Jets, 9-5, could be excused for going back to check the team name on the door.

Was this really the winning team?

Hadn’t the Kings ended a two-game losing streak with their highest-scoring output of the season before 14,158 at the Forum?

Yes to both of the above.

Led by Wayne Gretzky’s six points (two goals and four assists) and two goals each by Keith Crowder and Steve Duchesne, the third-place Kings had indeed increased their advantage to four points over the fourth-place Jets in the Smythe Division.

So why all the long faces?

Defense, that’s why. Or lack of it. Once again, the Kings had gotten a big lead, only to let up.

This time, leading 7-1 after two periods, the Kings gave up four final-period goals.

“I’m fuming,” said King Coach Tom Webster, who had already made that obvious. “Sure we played well for the first two periods, but they could have gotten back into the hockey game. We got lazy. Completely lazy. We got to the point where we didn’t care what we did on our end of the ice.

“Put it this way: I’m glad we won. There’s no way we’ll win a championship that way.”

Crowder’s two goals were particularly impressive since he had gone through the first 21 games of the season without scoring. A free agent who played for the Boston Bruins last season and signed with the Kings during the off-season, Crowder scored his first goal as a King two games ago.

Gretzky, the NHL scoring leader, increased his point total to 73 with his six Tuesday night, which tied his single-game high.

The Kings’ first goal came on a power play, 2:55 into the first period.

Gretzky, often on the giving end of great passes, was on the receiving end of this one. Defenseman Brian Benning faked a shot from the left side, then slid the puck past two defenders to Gretzky, who was coming in from the right side.

It’s hard enough to stop Gretzky head on, but Winnipeg goalie Daniel Berthiaume never had a chance as Benning’s fake left him leaning the wrong way.

Gretzky easily flipped the puck in for his 16th goal, his fifth on a power play.

The second goal looked a lot like the first.

Defenseman Tom Laidlaw, back in the lineup after missing four games due to a slash over his right eye, set up the second score after stealing the puck.

He passed it to winger John Tonelli who, like Benning, came in from the left side, faked the slap shot and then pushed a pass through the slot.

The recipient this time was Crowder, who shoved the puck past Berthiaume’s glove at 14:44 for his second goal of the season.

King left winger Luc Robitaille, who entered play Tuesday night tied with Brett Hull of the St. Louis Blues for the league lead in goals with 26, picked up his 27th at 16:55 off a centering pass from Gretzky to boost the Kings into a 3-0 lead.

The Kings added four more in the second period.

Duchesne scored his 10th at 2:54 of the period on a slap shot off a pass from Gretzky.

At 13:12, Duchesne got his second goal of the evening and 11th of the season on a rising shot that Berthiaume deflected, but couldn’t control, the puck getting past him.

The Kings added two more goals in a span of 40 seconds.

Crowder scored his second of the night on a pass from Tonelli at 16:18. Then, the Kings scored again at 16:58.

Winnipeg’s Brent Ashton appeared to be clearing the puck when Berthiaume stuck out his stick, stopping the puck in front of the goal.

Two Kings were on the spot to respond: Mikko Makela to tap it over to Gretzky, who popped it in.

The Jets’ only goal in the first two periods came off the stick of center Thomas Steen, who scored his 10th goal at 10:32 of the second period. Steen later added two assists.

When the final red lights had stopped flashing, goaltender Kelly Hrudey, who faced 41 shots, 20 in the final period, was asked why the Kings have become so lax on defense.

“I don’t know. Ask them,” he said, pointing to his teammates.

But nobody seemed to have answers this night.

Just a lot of frowns.

King Notes

Winnipeg goalie Daniel Berthiaume gave up seven goals on 29 shots in 40 minutes. Daniel Essensa replaced him in the final period and gave up two goals on six shots.