Duchesne Returns to Haunt Kings, End Home Streak

The Quebec Nordiques were so awful that Eric Lindros wanted no part of them after they made him the No. 1 pick in the 1991 draft. He sat out last season to force a trade.

But the Nordiques, who finished last in the Adams Division the last five seasons, are one of the most improved teams in the NHL this season, as evidenced by their 5-4 victory over the Kings on Thursday night before 15,221 at the Forum.

Former King defenseman Steve Duchesne assisted on three goals as the Nordiques overcame a 4-3 third-period deficit to end the Kings’ 12-game Forum winning streak, longest in the NHL this season.

Trailing, 3-2, going into the third period, the Kings scored twice in the first 3:28 of the final period to take a 4-3 lead.

The Kings tied it, 3-3, 21 seconds into the period when Luc Robitaille scored his 24th goal of the season. Paul Coffey set up Robitaille with a pass from the left point.

Center Corey Millen scored an unassisted short-handed goal at 3:28 of the period when he checked Nordique center Joe Sakic off the puck at the left point and raced in to beat Nordique goalie Ron Hextall to give the Kings their first lead of the game.

However, the Kings, who wasted a three-goal lead in Tuesday night’s 5-5 tie against Montreal, quickly squandered this lead.

Nordique right wing Owen Nolan tied it, 4-4, when he scored a power-play goal on a back-hander that went into the net off Coffey’s skate at 4:39.

Quebec took a one-goal lead at 5:43 when left wing Martin Rucinsky scored on a rebound of a shot by Nolan that Kings’ goalie Hrudey failed to cover. The puck slid out to Rucinsky, and he flipped it over Hrudey and into the upper left corner of the net.

The Kings had started fast in their last 18 games, outscoring their opponents, 32-13, in the first period. However, the Nordiques took a 2-1 lead in the first period.

Trailing, 1-0, after Quebec center Mike Ricci redirected a shot by teammate Scott Young for his 10th goal of the season at 4:56, the Kings tied it, 1-1, when Granato scored at 15:26 of the opening period.

The Kings’ line of Mike Donnelly, Millen and Tony Granato, which had combined for 46 points in their last nine games entering Thursday night’s game, accounted for the Kings’ only first-period goal.

Granato took a pass from Millen, who was behind the net, and beat Hextall for his 13th goal of the season. Granato has scored at least one goal in seven of his last 10 games.

However, the Nordiques regained the lead only 1:24 later when right wing Tim Hunter scored his fourth goal of the season. Center Claude Lapointe set up Hunter at the bottom of the left circle. After fanning on his first shot, Hunter beat Hrudey.

The Kings tied it, 2-2, at 3:03 of the second period when rookie right wing Tim Hiller scored his sixth goal from the right circle that beat Hextall to the glove side. Jari Kurri’s pass set up the goal.

Granato almost got his second goal of the game when he hit the left post with a slap shot from the middle of the slot at 8:08 of the second period.

The Nordiques took a 3-2 lead into the third period when right wing Andrei Kovalenko scored his 12th goal of the season with 24.1 seconds remaining in the second period. Sakic set up Kovalenko in the left slot with a pass from the left corner, and Kovalenko stopped the puck with his right skate and beat Hrudey from point-blank range.

King Notes

Nordiques’ right wing Mats Sundin, who had scored at least one point in every game this season, had his 29-game scoring streak ended. . . . Defenseman Paul Coffey, who assisted on Luc Robitaille’s third-period goal, moved into an eighth place tie with Alex Delvecchio on the all-time NHL assist list with 801. . . . Injured King center Wayne Gretzky, sidelined indefinitely with a herniated disc, skated for 30 minutes at the Forum on Thursday.