Gretzky Gets Rebound and Kings Bounce Back : Hockey: His goal in overtime beats Canucks, 3-2, and evens series. Robitaille gets the tying score in third period.

Wayne Gretzky leaped so high in the air, he crashed when he hit the ice.

Troy Gamble felt so low, he just sat on his knees, staring at the ice.

They were the central figures in Saturday night’s dramatic ending as the Kings edged the Vancouver Canucks, 3-2 in overtime, before a sellout Forum crowd of 16,005 to win Game 2 of their best-of-seven series.

Game 3 is scheduled for Monday night in Vancouver.

The winning goal came after Tomas Sandstrom’s shot from the right side was blocked by Gamble.

It bounced in the air, allowing Tony Granato to take a shot. Gamble blocked that one with his arm.

But with the puck lying in the crease, Gretzky didn’t miss.

He charged in and flipped the puck over Gamble, who was sprawled on the ice, the puck going to the top of the net 11:08 into the overtime.

The Kings defense tightened considerably from Game 1, but their offense was stifled time and again by Gamble in regulation.

Luc Robitaille tied the game with 3:13 gone in the final period, putting a shot from the right circle past Gamble on the Vancouver goalie’s glove side.

But then Gamble closed the door.

He smothered a shot from Rob Blake on a rush to the net.

He blocked another shot in close from John McIntyre.

And he dove to kill a breakaway by Sandstrom.

In all, he had turned away 31 of 33 shots in regulation. He then stopped six more in overtime before Gretzky finally beat him.

For the second game in a row, the Kings allowed the opposing team to score first.

That certainly wasn’t the case in the regular season, when the Kings owned the first period. They gave up only 66 first-period goals all season, an average of fewer than one a game. They gave up three or more first-period goals only five times.

But they gave up three Thursday and one more on Saturday.

Saturday’s early goal came with the Canucks enjoying a one-man advantage after John Tonelli was called for cross-checking Cliff Ronning.

From the slot, Tim Kurvers took the first shot of the power play. It appeared King goalie Kelly Hrudey was bothered by Petr Nedved, who slipped behind defenseman Marty McSorley to skate past Hrudey as the puck arrived. It hit the ice and skidded between Hrudey’s legs at 10:35 to put the Canucks in front.

They added to their advantage 31 seconds into the second period. Their hot new line of Geoff Courtnall, Ronning and Trevor Linden struck again after accounting for four goals and nine points Thursday.

With Ronning in the slot, defenseman Larry Robinson skated away from him for an instant.

That’s all Linden needed.

He whipped the puck to Ronning, who was standing directly in front of Hrudey. Ronning, who scored the game-winning goal Thursday, whirled and shoved the puck under Hrudey’s arm to move Vancouver out to a 2-0 lead.

The Kings cut that in half 2:47 into the period.

On a power play, Dave Taylor brought the puck down the slot, battling elbow to elbow with defenseman Doug Lidster all the way. Taylor lost control of the puck, but it continued rolling into the crease where Linden and Blake kept battling for it.

Blake finally shoved the puck past Gamble with 17 seconds left on the power play.

King Notes

The only other time these two teams met in the playoffs was in the second round of the 1981-82 season. Vancouver won the last three games of that series, including two at the Forum, to win in five. The Canucks went on to the Stanley Cup finals, where they were swept in four games by the New York Islanders. . . . Before Thursday night, King goalie Kelly Hrudey had won his past 11 starts at the Forum. He hadn’t lost at home since December.

A year ago, Jari Kurri passed his former Edmonton Oiler teammate, Wayne Gretzky, to become the NHL’s all-time leading postseason goal scorer with 92. After his game-winning goal, Gretzky needs one to tie Kurri. . . . Coach Tom Webster, serving the final game of his four-game suspension for fighting with Calgary’s Doug Gilmour, watched the first period from the press section. Webster said he can’t sit still in his new role as spectator and rarely occupies the same seat for more than a few minutes. . . . Ron Scott, who served as a backup goalie for the Kings part of last season and spent this season with their New Haven Nighthawk farm team, is back with the big club for the playoffs in case of an injury to Hrudey or Daniel Berthiaume.