Gretzky Is in Better Shape Than the Kings : Hockey: In return, he gets two assists, but the team’s winless streak goes to nine games with a 6-3 loss to the Lightning.

Three months off this season seemed to do wonders for Wayne Gretzky, who had his hockey career threatened by a herniated disk.

He returned to the Kings’ lineup in great shape, and the time away certainly didn’t erode his superb, pinpoint passing ability as he had two assists on Wednesday in his season debut and his 1,000th NHL game.

Gretzky looked good. He felt good. And he discovered a few things about himself against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

There was one other discovery: He may be in excellent shape, but the Kings are anything but. The expansion Lightning defeated the Kings, 6-3, before a sellout crowd of 16,005 at the Forum, spoiling Gretzky’s return.

“I feel very fortunate,” said Gretzky, who turns 32 later this month. “I feel very lucky. A lot of people don’t get second chances. I just don’t want to blow it.”

Said King Coach Barry Melrose: “He’s still a great athlete, the greatest player in the world. Wayne could have had five or six points if we’d cashed in on all our opportunities.”

Gretzky seemed subdued in the aftermath of the Kings’ seventh loss in their last nine games.

“It’s very frustrating for me,” he said. “In my career, almost all the big nights have been wins. That’s what makes it gratifying. If you don’t win, it’s just not fine.”

This was the second consecutive time the Lightning (15-25-2) has defeated the Kings this season. Then again, the Kings (20-15-5) seem to be losing to everyone these days, good teams and bad teams. They are 1-8-3 in the last 12 and haven’t won in the last nine games, dating to a victory Dec. 12 over the St. Louis Blues.

Tampa Bay hasn’t exactly been a force lately, having lost its five previous games, and being outscored, 14-1, in the last three. By the end, the Forum crowd booed the Kings and directed some derisive cheers at goaltender Kelly Hrudey.

Obviously the Kings hoped that Gretzky’s comeback would give them something of a bounce. If anything, Gretzky’s return seemed to unnerve his teammates, at least in the first period. The Kings seemed conscious and pressed too hard but relaxed once Gretzky picked up his first assist. It came on a power-play goal at 5:30 of the second period.

Gretzky, from the right circle, hit defenseman Rob Blake at the left point with a smooth cross-ice pass. Blake wound up and beat goaltender J.C. Bergeron with a slap shot from just inside the point, cutting the Lightning’s lead to 4-1.

Gretzky’s assist got the crowd into the game and lifted the Kings, who dominated the second period.

Part of the Kings problem was with Hrudey, who continued to have problems in the second after the Kings had fallen behind, 4-0, after one period. After Blake’s goal, the Kings pulled within one, 4-3, on two goals by left wing Mike Donnelly. Gretzky got the second assist on Donnelly’s second goal, on a power play, at 14:02 of the second.

But all the momentum went out of the Kings when Tampa Bay went up 5-3 with Mike Hartman’s first goal of the season at 16:35 of the second on a two-on-one. It was the Lightning’s third shot in the period, and Hrudey gave up two goals on the three shots.

Gretzky averaged about six minutes per period, playing a total of 17:40. He took six shifts in the opening period. Additionally, he took a regular turn on the power play.

He started off on a line with Donnelly and Tony Granato and later played with Granato and Jim Hiller. Gretzky, who had three shots on goal, could have easily had three assists in the first period when he set up Granato twice and Hiller once.

Gretzky said that he didn’t start feeling nervous until about 20 minutes before the pregame warm-up.

“That’s when you start bearing down,” he said. “On the first shift, I just didn’t want to make a mistake. People have visions of scoring a goal or something. I just didn’t want to make a mistake.”

For Gretzky, the true test will come in Smythe Division games against the likes of Calgary and Vancouver. He will play against Winnipeg on Friday and it is uncertain whether he will sit out against Chicago on Sunday.

‘I don’t know who is going to have the final call,” he said of Sunday. “If I feel good, I want to play.”

Of course, Gretzky wants to play every game. That’s only a natural feeling after missing the first 39 with a career-threatening injury.