Kings Qualify, but for What? : Hockey: A 5-2 victory over Flames puts L.A. in playoffs, but Stanley Cup may be empty if players go on strike.

By beating the Calgary Flames, 5-2, Saturday at the Forum, the Kings made it official: They are in the playoffs.

But there wasn’t any celebrating in the Kings’ dressing room over what long ago became a foregone conclusion.

Rather, there was genuine concern over whether there will be playoffs.

Twenty-four hours after Bob Goodenow, executive director of the NHL Players Assn., announced his players would strike March 30 unless there’s a new collective bargaining agreement, King goalie Kelly Hrudey conceded: “For the players, it’s become the No. 1 issue away from the rink. We’re only human. This is an extremely important issue that could change the game. With where this thing is headed, the game of hockey will never be the same.”

In another corner of the room, owner Bruce McNall was holding court, giving the management point of view.

“Make my day,” he said in reference to Goodenow. “My theory has always been, ‘If you’re going to go on strike, what are you striking for?’ We (the owners) are making (in profits) nothing close to what the lowest-paid player on my team makes. What are they striking for? Fill in the blanks.”

The deadlock is merely another distraction for a team that has had difficulty paying attention to the task at hand since reeling off eight consecutive victories to tie a team record.

After that, the Kings lost four of five games and played, by the reckoning of Coach Tom Webster, only two good periods out of 15.

Saturday, before 16,005, the 64th consecutive regular-season sellout at the Forum, the Kings came out with rediscovered intensity.

Wayne Gretzky scored 1:11 into the game. Before the first period was six minutes over, the Kings had a 3-0 lead thanks to goals by John McIntyre (fifth) and Corey Millen (19th).

That chased starting goalie Mike Vernon, who lasted only 5:55, giving up the three goals on five shots.

The Kings scored again before the period was over, Millen getting his second of the day.

The Flames chipped away at that 4-0 lead but were never able to overcome it.

The Kings outshot the Flames, 32-31, scored on two of five power-play attempts and denied Calgary on six of seven.

Eliminated from the chance to repeat as Smythe Division champions by the Vancouver Canucks’ division-clinching tie Friday night, the Kings (34-28-13) are trying to hang on to to home-ice advantage in the postseason by finishing second. They lead the third-place Edmonton Oilers, who also won Saturday, by five points. But Edmonton has played two fewer games.

The Flames (27-36-10) are not concerned with home-ice advantage. They’re concerned only with staying home for the postseason, strike or no strike.

The loss leaves them in fifth place in the Smythe, four points out of a playoff spot with seven games to play.

Calgary’s difficulties resulted in a recent shake-up with General Manager/Coach Doug Risebrough concentrating solely on his general manager’s duties.

Assistant coach Guy Charron, appointed interim head coach, has hardly provided a spark for a team that is 2-6-1 since then.

Saturday, the Flames got goals from Sergei Makarov (16th) and Nevin Markwart (fourth) to cut the margin to 4-2 late in the third period after Jeff Reese replaced Vernon in goal.

But Calgary got no closer, with Gretzky adding his 30th goal of the season after Reese was pulled in the final minute.

It was Gretzky’s ninth goal into an empty net this season.

Like everyone else, Gretzky’s mind was elsewhere after the game.

“Hopefully next week they’ll sit down and hammer out a new deal,” he said. “I have the most to lose. I’m one of the older players. I can’t go anywhere. I don’t want to go anywhere. This is for the younger guys coming along.”

* NHL ROUNDUP: C8