Red-Hot Kings Put on a Show : Hockey: Donnelly scores on a penalty shot and Kurri leads his line to 12 points in 7-4 victory over Canucks.

The Kings and Vancouver Canucks were more than obliging in the first game of their nine-game season series, offering hockey fans almost every conceivable highlight or lowlight Thursday night at the Forum.

Take your pick in the Kings’ 7-4 victory over the Canucks before 15,486.

There was, in short:

--A second-period goal on a penalty shot by King left wing Mike Donnelly, at 14:24.

--A multi-player brawl that forced referee Dan Marouelli to suspend play in the second period, sending both teams to their dressing rooms. So 23.8 seconds were added to the third period.

--The unraveling of Canuck enforcer Gino Odjick, who received three game misconducts after tangling with the Kings’ Dave Taylor and Warren Rychel. Odjick, who logs very little ice time, was put out by Vancouver Coach Pat Quinn seconds after Tomas Sandstrom’s goal had given the Kings a 7-2 lead.

--Another dazzling performance by the league’s hottest line, left wing Luc Robitaille, center Jari Kurri and the right wing, Sandstrom. Kurri was a playmaker and a finisher on Thursday, scoring twice and setting up three other goals for five points. Sandstrom also finished with four points on two goals and two assists. Robitaille had one goal and two assists for three points.

The line accounted for 12 points and pushed the Kings (11-4-2) into a first-place tie in the Smythe Division with Calgary, which lost to Boston, 5-3. Vancouver (8-6-2), in third place, is six points behind the Kings.

“I’m surprised we’re playing this well,” King owner Bruce McNall said. “This is phenomenal. (Coach) Barry (Melrose) has got them really excited and playing well. There’s a lot of character to this team.”

McNall’s team has won seven consecutive games at home since losing to Detroit on Oct. 8. Another streak continued as the Kings are unbeaten in six games, going 5-0-1. They have not lost since Oct. 29 in Boston.

One game after that loss, the line of Robitaille-Kurri-Sandstrom caught fire against Hartford and hasn’t looked back. Heading into Thursday night, the line combined for 18 goals and 29 assists for 47 points in five games.

Donnelly, for his part, has been the most productive King not on the top line. He had a hat trick against San Jose and scored twice on Thursday.

His first goal of the game and seventh of the season was a memorable one, coming on the penalty shot against Vancouver goaltender Kirk McLean.

Setting up the penalty shot was Donnelly’s superior speed. After he went around the Canuck defense, Vancouver defenseman Dana Murzyn threw his stick, attempting to stop Donnelly from scoring. Marouelli immediately called a penalty shot.

After a short delay and the crowd on its feet, Donnelly took the puck at center-ice and played the percentages. Going in on McLean, he made a slight deke and went to his forehand, beating McLean down low between the pads. That gave the Kings a 5-2 lead and slowed the Canucks’ momentum. Vancouver had pulled to 4-2 after the Kings had opened a 4-0 lead early in the second period.

“I was pretty relieved,” Donnelly said. “It seemed like a long time from when he made the call and when I got the penalty shot. . . . What can I say? We’ve got to play them eight more times and it’s going to be fun, exciting hockey every game.”

Melrose laughed when he was asked whether he said anything to Donnelly before the penalty shot.

“No, I scored four goals in my career,” he said. “I’m not telling anyone what to do. Those guys know what they’re doing.”

King Notes

Defenseman Jeff Chychrun, who was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Peter Ahola last week, made his first appearance since the trade. Chychrun, wearing No. 6, was paired with rookie defenseman Alexei Zhitnik. . . . Center John McIntyre (back strain) has resumed practicing. McIntyre, who was injured last week against New Jersey, has missed four games. In his absence, the Kings’ centers were Jari Kurri, Corey Millen and Pat Conacher.