Kings Count On Fresh Start : Hockey: They didn't reach expectations during the regular season, but they plan to change that when they begin the playoffs tonight at Forum against the Oilers.

By STEVE SPRINGER

April 18, 1992 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Inconsistency cost them their division title.

A strike nearly cost them their season.

A temper tantrum cost them their coach, Tom Webster, for 12 games.

In addition, their owner, Bruce McNall, threatened to relinquish control of the team and their star player, Wayne Gretzky, hinted at retirement.

And that was only the regular season for the Kings.

Well forget all that. They plan to.

The slate gets wiped clean tonight when the Kings open the NHL playoffs at 7:30 at the Forum with a best-of-seven Smythe Division semifinal series against the Edmonton Oilers.

If the Kings can make it to the Stanley Cup finals, or even to the third round for the first time in their quarter-century existence, the regular season will be nothing more than a bad dream.

“We’ll be a different team,” Gretzky promised. “There are too many of us who want to win a championship. You can throw away what we’ve done over 80 games. What happens here and now is what will determine if we win a championship. It doesn’t matter what happens for 80 games if you blow up after four (playoff) games.”

The Kings finished the regular season at 35-31-14 for 84 points. That is 11 victories and 18 points poorer than a year ago, when they won their first Smythe Division title.

The Oilers, in a year of transition, wound up exactly where they were a season ago, third in the Smythe. In finishing at 36-34-10, Edmonton was actually two points better than last season.

These are similar teams, both with excellent goaltending, at their best when they are using their speed and finesse.

But Webster won’t be satisfied with that. He wants to see some muscle as well.

“We know we have to play disciplined hockey,” he said. “We have to make sure we don’t take shortcuts.

“But we’ve got to make sure we get into the trenches. We’ve got to come to the rink with our lunch pails. . . . We’ve got to switch from a white collar to a blue collar. We’ve got to take the shirt and tie off and get those working clothes on.”

A key to that strategy figures to be defenseman Marty McSorley, who has been moved up to the front line to open some ice for Gretzky and Jari Kurri.

That move hasn’t been lost on the Oilers, who have gone out of their way in recent days to goad McSorley, jabbing him with comments instead of sticks.

“I’d rather see Marty on defense,” Edmonton Coach Ted Green said. “Last year in the playoffs, he was a minus-11 on defense. Maybe they feel a better position for Marty would be up front, but, given the right lineup, we should be able to burn him with our speed.”

Asked if the Oilers would rather see McSorley in the penalty box or on the ice, forward Esa Tikkanen replied: “I think it’s better if Marty is playing on the ice. That just helps us because he doesn’t have the greatest hands.”

And this from wing Martin Gelinas: “It just gets me going when I get a few hits, and even more when I hit Marty. I think he just gets upset and starts running around.”

When all this bulletin-board material was run past McSorley, he simply smiled and said: “They have no idea what I’m going to do. I’ll just leave it at that.”

Don’t expect Bernie Nicholls to leave it at that. The Edmonton center hasn’t forgotten his nine seasons with the Kings or his animosity toward Webster for what he feels was an unjustified trade to the New York Rangers a year and a half ago.

“When you leave the way I did, you’re kind of bitter at why you left,” he said. “I didn’t feel I should have actually been traded and then, not getting along with a couple of people, it would be extra special to go back and do well against them.”

Refusing to be pulled into the controversy, Webster would say of Nicholls only: “I wish him the best of luck in the playoffs.”

Beyond the personalties, here is how the teams match up:

OFFENSE--It wasn’t a good season for the Kings, despite powerhouse offensive potential. They scored 53 goals fewer than last season and it isn’t hard to see why. With 31 goals and 121 points, Gretzky had his poorest offensive season. So did Kurri with 23 goals and 60 points. Wing Tomas Sandstrom, because of injuries and a suspension, dropped from 45 goals to 17. Only Luc Robitaille, with a team-leading 44 goals, and career-high goal totals from Tony Granato (39), Mike Donnelly (29) and Corey Millen (20) averted disaster.

Edmonton seemed headed for disaster when it traded Mark Messier at the start of the season and his replacement, Nicholls, refused to report. But Edmonton got scoring punch from newcomer Vincent Damphousse and Joe Murphy, with 38 and 35 goals, respectively. Nicholls finally showed up and scored 49 points in 49 games. A key to the series is how far back from injury Tikkanen has come. Sidelined 40 games because of a shoulder problem, he made it back into the lineup for the last two regular-season games.

DEFENSE--A year ago, the Kings reduced their goals-against by 83 from the previous season, employing team defense, a tactic rarely considered by many of the King teams of the past. This season, they tacked 42 goals back onto their season total.

Edmonton’s biggest problems defensively might lay ahead. Two key veterans do not figure to appear in the series. Kevin Lowe has a groin pull and has had arthroscopic shoulder surgery, and Craig Muni has a serious knee injury.

SPECIAL TEAMS--Both finished in the middle of the pack on the power play. But in penalty killing, there is a wide discrepancy. The Kings were successful 81.8% of the time, good for sixth in the league. The Oilers had a 78% success rate, 21st among the 22 clubs.

GOALTENDING--Two solid veterans will be in the nets. Considering that he shouldered most of the Kings’ load, appearing in more than 60 games, 26-game winner Kelly Hrudey might have had his best year.

Bill Ranford has struggled for the Oilers, but he showed what he could do in the playoffs two years ago when he led Edmonton to its fifth Stanley Cup.

HOME ICE--Kings.

PREDICTION--Kings in seven.

Playoff Schedule

KINGS vs. EDMONTON OILERS

Tonight: at Forum, 7:30 p.m.

Monday: at Forum, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday: at Edmonton, 6:30 p.m.

Friday: at Edmonton, 6:30 p.m.

April 26: at Forum, 7:30 p.m.*

April 28: at Edmonton, 6:30 p.m.*

April 30: at Forum, 7:30 p.m.*

* If necessary