Kings Cancel Canucks, 4-1, to Win Series : Game 6: Taylor scores key goal. L.A. will play winner of Flame-Oiler matchup beginning Thursday at the Forum.

There were no champagne corks popping in the Kings’ dressing room at the Pacific Coliseum Sunday. No high-fives exchanged.

No wild celebrating after the Kings, behind the defense that has been the key to their whole season, beat the Vancouver Canucks, 4-1, Sunday night in Game 6 of their opening-round playoff series, sending the Kings into the division finals against either Calgary or Edmonton.

That series will start at the Forum Thursday.

Sunday’s victory eliminated a tough underdog that extended this series beyond what most predicted, beyond what was expected of a team that finished 37 points behind the Smythe Division champion Kings in the regular season.

But the Kings are under no illusions. They know tougher teams are ahead on a road that figures to have many more twists and turns before any thoughts might be entertained of celebrating.

“While we were in it,” said goalie Kelly Hrudey, “this felt like a huge undertaking. But we know it’s only a steppingstone to Calgary or Edmonton. There’s no celebrating. Just a nice feeling.”

Coach Tom Webster agreed, but he couldn’t help but flash a relaxed smile.

“We have to sit back and enjoy this for a couple days,” he said.

Especially Webster.

He has been saying since way back in September half a continent away in the city of Hull on the opening day of training camp that his club would go only as far as its defense would carry it.

Sunday’s game, played before a sellout crowd of 16,123, was a lot tougher than it would first appear. The last two goals were scored by Mike Donnelly into an open net after Vancouver had pulled goalie Troy Gamble in the closing minutes.

But the goal-ahead goal came with 12:11 gone in the final period, scored fittingly by Dave Taylor, the 14-year veteran.

“I have a lot of satisfaction,” said Taylor, who has seen more playoff series end with the Kings on the short end than the winning end over the years. Taylor intended to pass to Todd Elik, the puck instead going off a defenseman’s stick, through Gamble, off the right post and behind the net where Taylor caught up with it.

With Gamble sprawled on the ice, Taylor came around the other side and shoved the puck past him.

But the spotlight in this series had to be on the defense that allowed a total of four goals in the three games played at Vancouver.

“It’s very big for us to win on the defensive side,” Webster said. “It’s a tribute to what we tried to accomplish this year.”

The Canucks scored 16 goals in the series, but six of those came in the opening game when they came back from a two-goal deficit to win.

Of those 16 goals, nine came from Cliff Ronning and Geoff Courtnall, who joined with Trevor Linden to form the only line that was effective for Vancouver the entire series.

Sunday, Webster countered with three lines. His checking line of Steve Kasper, Bob Kudelski and Donnelly; his first line of Wayne Gretzky, Tomas Sandstrom and Tony Granato, and his second line of Taylor, Elik and Luc Robitaille all took turns against the Ronning line, combining to shut them down.

The Kings didn’t get their first shot on goal until a bit more than nine minutes into the game.

But they made the most of their weak start, scoring on their second shot.

Steve Duchesne brought the puck across the middle into the left circle where he squeezed by several Canucks and put the puck through Vancouver goalie Gamble’s legs from the middle of the circle at 9:35 for the only goal of the opening period.

It was Duchesne’s third goal of the series.

The tying goal came at even strength at the 16:13 mark of the second period. Leading a three-on-two rush, Linden passed to Doug Lidster, who fed Tom Kurvers in the slot.

Marty McSorley, the lone defender back, could do little as Kurvers lofted his second goal of the series over Hrudey’s left shoulder from about 20 feet out.

The Kings outshot the Canucks, 28-21. Vancouver had only four shots on goal off Hrudey in the first period and three in the final period, collecting the other 14 in the middle period.

“We knew right from the beginning that we were in for a tough series,” Gretzky said. “Maybe that’s what we needed. If we had won in four or five, we might not have been prepared for playoff hockey.”

After losing two of the first three games of the series, the Kings wrapped it up with three straight victories.

Webster has given them today off.

They’re not planning on another one for quite awhile.

King Notes

While the Kings headed to Vancouver, Raghib (Rocket) Ismail went home to Indiana to ponder his fate. The Notre Dame football star, expected to be the first pick in next weekend’s NFL draft, was wined and dined during the weekend by King owner Bruce McNall, who has offered Ismail $6 million over two years to sign with his Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. In addition to being the host for Ismail at his first hockey game Friday night at the Forum, McNall took Ismail and Toronto quarterback Matt Dunigan shopping in Beverly Hills, buying each a new wardrobe.

Vancouver forward Steve Bozek returned after sitting out three games because of sore ribs. Fellow Canuck Igor Larionov played despite bruised ribs.