Offense Takes Kings to Next Level : Stanley Cup playoffs: They outscore Flames, 9-6, to win third in a row and advance to Smythe Division final against Vancouver.

Playoff hockey might mean one thing in Montreal, Toronto and Chicago. But in Los Angeles, it means 18 goals in the final two games that clinched the Smythe Division semifinal for the Kings.

Establishing a team record for goals scored in a series, the Kings were the last team standing at the end, as their 9-6 victory over the Calgary Flames in Game 6 clinched the series, four games to two, before a sellout crowd of 16,005 on Thursday night at the Forum. It is the first playoff series victory since 1991 for the Kings, who will play the Vancouver Canucks in the Smythe Division final.

“This was L.A. King playoff hockey,” said Coach Barry Melrose, shaking his head in mock exasperation.

“I’m never going to die of boredom. I love them. I hate them--all in the same shift. We played hard tonight. But we never make anything easy.”

Said Wayne Gretzky: “As a team, it’s gratifying because of all the ups and downs we had this season. For myself, it’s fun because I never thought I’d play hockey again. I feel very fortunate. I’m getting a second chance. I’m excited.”

After trailing 2-1 in the series, the Kings won it by taking the final three games. And they did it by playing two vastly different styles. Game 4 was a tight defensive victory and the final two games were blowouts.

Game 1 of the Smythe final will be televised Sunday at noon by ABC at the Pacific Coliseum at Vancouver, with Game 2 there on Wednesday.

To get there from here, however, it took an offensive show from the Kings in the finale of this unpredictable playoff series. The Kings scored nine goals in consecutive games and set a club playoff record with 33 goals in six games, surpassing the previous record of 29 goals in a series.

Certainly it wasn’t typical playoff hockey.

How weird was Game 6?

At one point, a fan tossed an octopus on the ice in the second period. The way things were going for Flame starting goaltender Jeff Reese, it’s surprising the octopus didn’t slide between his pads.

Nearly everything the Kings threw at Reese got past him. He was replaced by Mike Vernon at 9:56 of the third period, having given up eight goals on 18 shots.

In all, the Kings scored nine goals on 23 shots.

Center Jari Kurri led the offense with one goal and three assists. Gretzky had a three-point performance with one goal and two assists, scoring the Kings’ first goal of the game. Tomas Sandstrom had two goals and left wing Mike Donnelly added two assists. Nine other King players recorded at least one point.

And it was a good thing because goaltender Robb Stauber showed his first case of playoff jitters. He gave up six goals on 42 shots but seemed to calm himself for the third period.

Stauber and Reese didn’t exactly put on a clinic through the first two periods, perhaps showing their playoff inexperience. Before this series, Stauber had never played in a Stanley Cup playoff game and Reese recorded only 101 playoff minutes with his former team, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“That’s great,” Stauber said of Reese’s problems. “I’m glad. Any time you’ve got a guy on a night like that . . . It’s happened to me before. In no way do I feel sorry for him. I’ve been there before, too.”

The Kings and Stauber let the Flames slip back into the game with two unanswered goals after Kurri had given the Kings a 4-2 lead early in the second period, at 4:25, blasting a 50-footer past Reese.

Then it seemed as though the Kings were content to sit on their lead. Calgary took advantage and tied it with a goal from Theo Fleury at 6:57 and defenseman Al MacInnis’ power-play goal at 12:54. Fleury helped set up the Flames’ fourth goal by winning a faceoff from Pat Conacher. Trent Yawney took control of the puck at the left point and slid it across to MacInnis at the right point.

The blast from MacInnis looked as if it hit Stauber’s glove and leg pad before it went in. Only 23 seconds later, King left wing Luc Robitaille took a holding penalty and the momentum continued to swing Calgary’s way.

But the Kings punctured it with a short-handed goal by defenseman Rob Blake with 17 seconds remaining on the Flames’ power play.

That gave the Kings a 5-4 lead and they went ahead by two again on a goal by Tony Granato, who skated out from behind the net and beat Reese with a 15-footer from the edge of the right circle at 16:03, only 1:03 after Blake’s goal.

Reese at that point had given up six goals on 13 shots. In the second period, he gave up three goals on four shots. But the Flames kept coming back and pulled within one by the end of the second period, scoring with 18 seconds remaining on Joel Otto’s fourth goal of the playoffs.

Sandstrom gave the Kings a 7-5 lead at 5:04 of the third period, but Chris Dahlquist cut it to 7-6 at 8:34. Corey Millen and Jimmy Carson closed out the scoring for the Kings.

King Notes

All 11 King forwards scored goals in the first-round series. . . . Defenseman Charlie Huddy was roughed up in the series. He suffered a pulled groin muscle in Game 2. Thursday, he was cut over his right eye by right wing Ronnie Stern in the first period. Stern received a five-minute major.

* ‘IT WAS TOO WEIRD A GAME’

That was King goaltender Robb Stauber’s assessment after he gave up six goals and still was by far the best goalie on the ice. C12

* NHL ROUNDUP

Greg Adams’ second goal, 4:30 into overtime, lifted the Vancouver Canucks over the Winnipeg Jets, 4-3, and into the Smythe Division final. C12.