A King in the Box Is No Problem for L.A.

Getting goals at the unlikeliest times and from the unlikeliest people, this was a night for the unlikely Los Angeles Kings to win one the hard way.

With not one but two short-handed goals, old-timer Dave Taylor scoring one of them, and with defensemen Rob Blake and Alexei Zhitnik taking turns pretending “I’m Bobby Orr!” “No, I’m Bobby Orr!” the Kings won Game 3 of the Campbell Conference final Friday night, knocking the sap out of the Maple Leafs, 4-2.

“They outmuscled us, they outskated us and they outscored us,” Toronto Coach Pat Burns said.

The only thing more unlikely than a goal scored by Ken Baumgartner for Toronto was this surprise attack by the Kings, with Taylor’s goal providing the real icing on the cake. And even Taylor’s goal was created by a defenseman, Marty McSorley, who resisted the urge to head-butt Doug Gilmour and instead demonstrated his ability to skate.

Violence was kept to a minimum for most of the contest, with everybody on his best behavior. The worst injury was a numbing of Toronto center Peter Zezel’s arm that resulted from a bumping into the boards he took from rookie defenseman Zhitnik early in the game. Deep in his own zone, a zealous Zhitnik zigzagged zestfully into Zezel and zapped him.

As if to retaliate, although his intent wasn’t obvious, Dave Andreychuk of the Maple Leafs drew the only actual bloodshed of the period by blind-siding the Kings’ Charlie Huddy, nailing him first with the hockey equivalent of a crackback block, then surgically altering Huddy’s features with his stick.

One of the most dangerous scorers in the playoffs with a dozen goals in 16 games, Andreychuk was sentenced to five minutes for high sticking and another 10 for conduct unbecoming an ice skater. The Kings were glad to bid him good riddance, even though Andreychuk has yet to score a goal in this series.

Meanwhile, Maple Leaf skull-butter Gilmour and the King he crowned in Game 2, McSorley, declared a temporary truce, laying off one another for a night. And it was McSorley who demonstrated a Gilmour-like maneuver that gave the Kings their most unexpected goal.

Ahead on a goal by Rob Blake that accounted for the only scoring of the first period, the Kings found themselves skating short-handed midway through the next period after Blake was sent off for interference. McSorley raked free a loose puck, put down his head, opened his one good eye--the other is as half-closed as Popeye’s--and began churning along the boards with a move reminiscent of Bonnie Blair speedskating at the Winter Olympics.

Todd Gill couldn’t catch him. Dmitri Mironov tried to distract him, placing himself between McSorley and the goal. With a pass that slid inches from Mironov’s stick, McSorley put the puck on the curved stick of Kurri, who promptly flicked his 100th career playoff goal over Toronto goalie Felix (the Cat) Potvin’s right paw.

Kurri was congratulated on the bench by Tony Granato, who gave him a wide assortment of goofy handshakes.

And the 2-0 advantage also became the Kings’ biggest lead of the series.

It lasted fewer than two minutes. Kelly Hrudey finally was touched for a goal after 71 minutes 15 seconds of gloving or deflecting everything that came his way. The culprit was Gilmour, who can score with the best of ‘em.

This was followed by a goal by Baumgartner, who can barely score with the worst of ‘em. Suffice it to say that, going into this season, Baumgartner was tied for 102nd place on the Kings’ all-time playoff scoring list. Among those he was tied with--at one assist apiece--were such notable scorers as Kyosti Karjalainen, Ilkka Sinisalo, Poul Popeil . . . and Kelly Hrudey.

Baumy’s goal could have driven the Kings balmy. At that point they could have thrown up their arms and said: “If he can score against us, anybody can.” Some of them would have been less astonished had Potvin been the one who scored.

Instead, the Kings brought back some unexpected scorers of their own. Zhitnik took time out from playing defense to respond to Baumgartner’s goal and give the Kings their lead back, 3-2, shortly before the end of the second period.

Then, who should score in the third period--again, short-handed--but Taylor, the oldest skater in America this side of Dorothy Hamill. It officially became party time in the Forum when this throwback from the purple-and-golden era slapped one past Potvin and put the Kings on top for good, 4-2.

The game isn’t over until the old guy scores.

Toronto never seriously threatened thereafter, possibly because the Maple Leafs figured when you give up two short-handed goals, this ain’t gonna be your night. Even Gilmour took the rest of the night off, which is what he should have done Monday when his team was leading late in the game.

The Kings never scored again either, suffering from the disadvantage of being at full strength. They will take the ice again Sunday, and Barry Melrose is seriously considering beginning the game with five Kings on the ice instead of the usual six.