Kings Like the Sound of 8-2 Victory

They played “I Love L.A.” so often at the Forum Tuesday night, it sounded like a Randy Newman concert.

Actually, it was just another virtuoso performance by the Kings, who blasted the Pittsburgh Penguins, 8-2, before a sellout crowd of 16,005.

They traditionally play a few bars of Newman’s song after every King goal, so he got plenty of air time as the Kings clinched a playoff berth with their fifth consecutive victory, improved their record to 37-20-7 and increased their Smythe Division lead over the Calgary Flames to six points.

This team seems to be getting stronger as the season wears on. The Kings appear to have every angle covered. Even those they don’t diagram in the coaches’ manual.

For example, the offensive star Tuesday, in a game featuring Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, was Mike Donnelly.

Donnelly, who started Tuesday with one goal, tripled that total with a game Minnesota Fats would be proud of. Donnelly scored by bouncing the puck off a skate, a glove and a crossbar. About the only thing he didn’t hit was the scoreboard.

“It’s nice to contribute offensively,” said Donnelly, when he found himself surrounded by reporters in the postgame clubhouse for the first time all season. “I’m happy in my role of staying back and playing defense, but it’s nice to score. I hadn’t scored in two months.

“(Coach Tom Webster) came to me just recently and told me, ‘Keep playing solid defense, keep plugging away and the offense will come.’ ”

Donnelly’s first goal came in the first period with the score even, 1-1. King wing Tomas Sandstrom had opened the scoring on a power play with his 35th goal, but Phil Bourque had enabled the Penguins to keep pace with his 19th goal. Bourque scored on a King power play, getting his third short-handed goal of the season.

Enter Donnelly.

Midway through the first period, he skated around the right side and shoved the puck into the slot.

It hit Pittsburgh defenseman Larry Murphy’s skate and slipped past goalie Wendell Young at 10:06 of the period.

The Kings added two more goals in dramatic fashion before the period was over.

Luc Robitaille scored his 36th at 14:27 and John McIntyre came back with his eighth only nine seconds later.

McIntyre stole the puck from Penguin defenseman Gordie Roberts, flipped it over Young and the Kings led 4-1.

McIntyre missed a team record by three. Twice in Kings’ history, in 1968 and ‘72, they scored goals six seconds apart.

After Tony Granato collected his 23rd goal and Steve Kasper his seventh, Donnelly struck again.

This time he hit what looked like a knuckleball that glanced off the glove of Roberts, hit the Pittsburgh crossbar and went past a frustrated Young.

“Neither one of my goals was pretty,” Donnelly said, “but I’ll take them. They really help my confidence level.”

After Young left with a dislocated shoulder, goalie Frank Pietrangelo gave up John Tonelli’s 14th goal.

The Penguins managed only a dozen shots on goal over the last two periods. And while Lemieux managed to extend his point-scoring streak to eight games with an assist, he got only one shot on goal.

“He’s still capable of doing great things,” said Kasper, center on the line that checked Lemieux.

Not Tuesday.

King Notes

King center Todd Elik bruised a leg in the first period and did not return. He was pushed into a post by Gordie Roberts, who was called for interference on the play. . . . King trainer Pete Demers was honored before the game, his 1,500th in a row. King owner Bruce McNall is rewarding him with 1,500 Silver Eagle dollars, worth $10,000.