Kings Clinch in Overtime, 4-3 : NHL playoffs: Flames, defending Stanley Cup champions, are eliminated on goal by Krushelnyski in second extra period.

At 3:14 of the second overtime at the Forum Saturday night, Mike Krushelnyski lofted the puck over the grasp of Calgary Flame goalie Mike Vernon to give the Kings a 4-3 victory in the longest game in their history.

That eliminated the defending Stanley Cup champions in six games in the opening round of the NHL playoffs and sends the Kings against the winner of the Edmonton Oiler-Winnipeg Jet series.

The Flames seemed to have won the game with 2:23 remaining in the first overtime when a shot by former King Brian MacLellan was signaled a goal by the goal judge. MacLellan had banged a rebound that was first ruled to have crossed the goal line under King goalie Kelly Hrudey as the red light went on. But that shot was ruled a no-goal after officials conferred at length.

Last year, the Kings rebounded from a 3-1 deficit to eliminate the defending NHL champion Edmonton Oilers.

By knocking off Calgary, the Kings became the fifth team in NHL history to eliminate consecutive Stanley Cup champions.

If shots on post counted as goals, the Kings would have surged into the big first-period lead. Three early scoring chances were thwarted by the metal posts that hold up the net.

At the start of the game, Bob Haldikis, skating down the right side, spotted a wide-open John Tonelli on the left and got him the puck. Tonelli charged the net unchallenged and fired, over goalie Mike Vernon’s shoulder, only to have the puck hit the right post and bounce away.

The Kings got one past the post into the net less than a minute later on a power play. Tomas Sandstrom passed to Wayne Gretzky, stationed by the right post, and he shoved it through just inside the left post 1:08 into the game.

It was Gretzky’s second goal of the series, his seventh point and the 21st point for the line of Gretzky, Sandstrom and Tony Granato.

Calgary tied the score at the 4:51 mark of the period when the puck got by Rob Blake. Gary Roberts skated down the left side with it into the Kings’ zone. When Steve Duchesne came over to pick him up, Roberts slipped the puck to Joe Nieuwendyk, skating down the slot sandwiched by Bob Kudelski and Blake.

Both were helpless as Nieuwendyk fired from 10 feet out, the puck sailing past Hrudey on the left side.

It was Nieuwendyk’s team-leading fourth goal of the series.

The Kings had a chance to move ahead in the second period when they got a two-man advantage, but failed to convert.

It was close to standing-room only in the penalty box after Todd Elik was sent there for holding, MacLellan for slashing and Sergei Makarov after Calgary was called for too many men on the ice.

That left the Kings with:

--A four-on-three advantage for the one second remaining on Elik’s sentence.

--A five-on-three for 1:28.

--And a five-on-four for 31 seconds.

Sum total for the Kings over that span was two shots, both of which missed.

The Flames didn’t miss late in the period when Makarov skated in from the right and passed to Doug Gilmour on the left.

Gilmour blew past Blake and smashed the puck between Hrudey’s legs at 18:17, his third goal of the series to push Calgary ahead, 2-1.

Back the Kings came at the start of the third period, scoring on a power play.

Gretzky camped in his favorite spot behind the net, passed out to Duchesne who shot from the top of the slot, scoring when the puck sailed over Vernon’s glove at 1:01.

It was Duchesne’s first goal of the series.

Although two minutes later the Flames were called for too many men on the ice for the second time in the game, they missed an opportunity for a short-handed goal after defenseman Larry Robinson gave the puck up to Joe Mullen in the Kings’ zone.

Mullen skated down the slot on the breakaway, but shot too high, Hrudey getting a piece of the puck to send it flying over the top of the net.

The Flames went ahead, 3-2, with 4:12 to play after Paul Ranheim beat Elik down the left side. With Mullen skating down from the right, the lone defender, Robinson, was caught in the middle. He moved toward Ranheim, as did Hrudey. Ranheim sent the puck to Mullen, who scored on the open right side.

Duchesne got the tying goal with 1:43 to play after Gretzky won a faceoff and got him the puck. Duchesne shot from edge of the right circle, scoring his second goal of the night.