Overtime Was Right for Kings : Flames: Calgary’s players stay cool, but their coach is testy after goal is disallowed in first extra period.

Terry Crisp, coach of the Calgary Flames, is sometimes described by Calgary reporters as His Crispness.

Late Saturday night, His Crispness was extra crispy.

An apparent game-winning goal by Doug Gilmour of the Flames with 2:23 left in the first overtime had been disallowed by referee Denis Morel, who said that he had whistled the play dead.

The Kings went on to beat the Flames, 4-3, at the Forum on a fluke goal by Mike Krushelnyski at 3:14 of the second overtime, wrapping up the best-of-seven Smythe Division semifinal playoff series.

As the Edmonton Oilers had been last April, the defending Stanley Cup champions were dethroned in Inglewood.

His Crispness believed that the Flames had been burned.

When Morel’s ruling was first announced, Crisp climbed onto the boards in front of the Flames’ bench and screamed across the ice at the referee, then gestured emphatically toward a television camera, apparently suggesting that Morel consult a replay.

Immediately after the game, Crisp was more subdued, calmly answering questions from the media. But as a second wave of reporters began asking again about Morel’s call, Crisp grew more animated, throwing a cup of ice to the floor.

“We scored a goal and he just takes it away,” Crisp shouted. “He just says, ‘No goal.’ The replay shows it definitely was in, the goal judge puts the light on and with total disregard for everything our game stands for, he calls it off. He became judge, jury, executioner.

“We should be going home for a seventh game and we’re not.”

Morel blew the play dead before the puck slid across the goal line, apparently losing sight of it after Gilmour’s shot from behind the net trickled off the pads of King goaltender Kelly Hrudey.

What did Crisp tell his players?

“I said, ‘Thank you very, very much,’ ” Crisp said. “They won the hockey game and had it taken away from them.”

However, most of the Flames didn’t feel cheated.

“We cheated ourselves,” defenseman Brad McCrimmon said.

Winners of the Smythe Division for a third consecutive season, the Flames self-destructed against the fourth-place Kings. They took a rash of ill-advised penalties, allowing the Kings almost eight power-play opportunities per game, and their own power play lost its vigor.

After converting 27.7% of their power-play opportunities during the regular season--best in the NHL--the Flames scored only twice in 33 manpower advantages against the Kings, only once in 31 chances after Al MacInnis scored on a penalty shot in the first period of Game 1.

They lost Game 1 after leading, 3-1, in the third period, they lost Game 3 in overtime on a shorthanded goal by Tony Granato and they gave up a club-record 12 goals in an eight-goal loss in Game 4.

Even in winning Game 2, the Flames were far from dominant.

“We didn’t play to our ability early in the series, when we should have,” winger Gary Roberts said. “We were down, 3-1, before we blinked our eyes. And when you’re down 3-1, a few bad bounces against you and it’s over.”

Such was the case in Game 6.

The Flames led, 3-2, with less than two minutes left in regulation before a shot from the right point by the Kings’ Steve Duchesne appeared to glance off a Flame player, changing direction slightly and sailing past goaltender Mike Vernon for the goal that sent the game into overtime.

“The bottom line is, we left ourselves open to that kind of a risk by putting ourselves in the hole that we dug for ourselves,” McCrimmon said. “We put ourselves there. It’s our own fault.”

But if Morel’s call had favored the Flames, and Gilmour’s apparent goal had been allowed, they would be back in the Saddledome again.

And they would have been heavy favorites to win Game 7.

“If wasn’t on our side tonight,” Ric Nattress said.

Neither was Morel, but too many other things had gone wrong for the Flames to blame their plight on one call, the veteran defenseman said.

“What happened in the first four games?” Nattress said. “We played our best hockey the last two games, but the first four games we didn’t play to our capabilities, and it showed. It showed in the 12-4 score (in Game 4) and it showed in letting them score five goals after we were (way ahead) in Game 2.

“I don’t want to say that our effort wasn’t there, but we weren’t concentrating in the right direction in the first four games. Unfortunately, we kicked it in when maybe it was a little too late.”

While most of the Flames seemed to believe they got what they deserved, Crisp seemed to believe otherwise.

“It’s a shame that it has to end like this,” he said.

When had the series turned, somebody asked the coach.

“I guess when they disallowed the goal,” Crisp said.