Kurri Is King for the Day : Hockey: He gets his 500th goal and Los Angeles, with an 8-6 victory over Boston, is off to its best start since the 1980-81 season.

For converted King center Jari Kurri, it wasn’t a textbook goal by any means. But his 500th NHL goal was a vintage Kurri trademark, at least in one sense.

Kurri’s defensive skills led to his ascension into the NHL’s most-exclusive offensive club. After a faceoff in his own zone, Kurri stole the puck from Boston defenseman Ray Bourque and outraced Bourque and another Bruin defender down the left wing and lofted a wrist shot about 30 feet into the net.

An empty net.

The Bruins, down one goal, had pulled their goaltender for an extra attacker and were pressing before Kurri scored with 53 seconds remaining. Kurri’s goal provided the insurance and secured the Kings’ 8-6 victory over the Bruins Saturday night. He had been stuck on goal No. 499 for the last week. since scoring twice aganst the Winnipeg Jets last Saturday.

“For sure it’s been on my mind for a long time,” Kurri said. “I had a lot of chances and they didn’t seem to go in.”

The goal also meant that Kurri the 18th player in NHL history to reach 500. He was able to get in there in his second season with the Kings after playing 10 in Edmonton. King defenseman Paul Coffey, another former Oiler, was teasing Kurri afterward in the dressing room.

“I saw your first two goals. . .on the Island,” Coffey said. “Against the New York Islanders.”

Coffey was right. Kurri’s first NHL goal was on Oct. 18, 1980 against Islander goaltender Billy Smith.

Kurri’s goal punctuated a wild third period in which the Bruins had pulled within one on three consecutive goals. The Kings and goaltender Robb Stauber were jolted out of a third-period lull.

Kurri also saved the team from a heated postgame lecture from Coach Barry Melrose.

“I said, ‘We’ll talk tomorrow,’ ” Melrose said of the third period collapse. “It’s Jari’s night.”

“He saved our necks. With the (Wayne) Gretzky injury, if he hadn’t come in and played center the way he has, we would have been forced to make a trade from a weak position.”

Before the third, it had looked like a familiar story for the Kings at the Forum, before a sellout crowd of 16,005. Throw a variety of shots at the goaltender and open abig lead.

For the second consecutive game, the Kings forced the opposing goaltender to the safety of his own bench. This time, it was Boston’s beleaguered Andy Moog.

Left winger Luc Robitaille, again, provided the offensive punch with one goal and two assists. He now has 11 points in his last four games. His linemate, rookie right winger Jim Hiller scored twice. The third member of the line, Kurri had the historic goal and added two assists.

Moog lasted until 2:19 of the second period. By then, the Kings were up, 4-0, and Moog had made only nine saves and was replaced 38-year-old Reggie Lemelin.

The Kings, undefeated in their last four games, are 5-1-0 and off to their best start since the 1980-81 season when they opened 5-1-0. Boston (3-1-1) had been among the final four undefeated teams in the NHL, heading into Saturday night’s action. With Quebec also losing, there are only two unbeaten teams remaining, Vancouver and Pittsburgh.

King Notes

Why tamper with a winning team? King Coach Barry Melrose has used the same lineup the last three games, with the exception of injured center Corey Millen and backup goaltender Robb Stauber. Millen (strained lower back) has missed the last two games after playing the first four. Stauber played Saturday after Kelly Hrudy made the two previous starts. Right winger Bob Kudelski has been scratched the last three games. In Millen’s absence, the Kings’ centers have been Jari Kurri, Robert Lang, John McIntyre and Pat Conacher.