There’s No Easy Way for Winner : Game 7: Both the Kings and Maple Leafs have overcome obstacles that many observers thought were insurmountable for them.

What a quandary for Canadians, knowing that the only thing between their dream of an All-Canadian Stanley Cup final is their native son and favorite export, Wayne Gretzky.

Tonight, the Kings will play Toronto in Game 7 of the Campbell Conference finals for the right to meet the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup finals.

Gretzky, who grew up about an hour away from Maple Leaf Gardens, is the reason the Kings still have playoff life. He kept their Stanley Cup hopes alive with his power-play goal at 1:41 in overtime of Game 6 on Thursday at the Forum, giving the Kings a 5-4 victory.

It was Gretzky’s only point of the night, but the goal was the biggest in the 26 years of King franchise history. Never before have the Kings been within one game of the Cup finals. They reached the final four in 1969, but were swept in four games by the St. Louis Blues.

“I can’t believe we’re one game away from the Stanley Cup final,” King owner Bruce McNall said. “I thought it was a dream I’d never see.”

Somehow, it was fitting that Gretzky was the one who has put the Kings within reach of the finals. Gretzky and the Kings were written off at the start of the season when he suffered a herniated disk, which caused him to sit out the first 39 games of the season.

“Wayne’s Wane” has been a constant theme in the NHL.

“We started the season 20-8 and later we were 30-30,” Gretzky said. “And everybody said we were going to lose to Calgary. Everybody said we were going to lose to Vancouver. Everybody thought we were down and out.”

King Coach Barry Melrose pledged that his team would be going to Montreal and then spoke about Gretzky’s playoff performance, particularly the overtime goal.

“If you ask him how he scored the goal, he probably doesn’t know,” Melrose said. “But if Wayne sees any weaknesses, he’ll take advantage. It’s nice to see him do this because people have been ripping him all series in the Toronto newspapers.”

The perception was that Gretzky was being outplayed by center Doug Gilmour, who has been the heart and soul of the Maple Leafs throughout the playoffs. Although Gilmour had two assists during Game 6, he has not been taking control the way he did during Game 1, figuring in all four Toronto goals. In Game 3 through Game 5 he was held to three points, appearing to finally wear down from the rigorous travel schedule.

It was left wing Wendel Clark, not Gilmour, who brought the Maple Leafs back from oblivion and into overtime with his hat trick during Game 6. All of the Kings were saying they have to concentrate on shutting down Clark during Game 7.

“We always have to depend on one guy every night,” Toronto Coach Pat Burns said. “It’s Felix (Potvin) one night. It’s Wendel another night. It’s up to all of us. But when you go to seven games, nobody’s stunk up the place.”

The Maple Leafs are playing in their third consecutive seven-game series and were not favored to reach the final four. Toronto, however, had the chance to clinch all three series in Game 6.

“Nothing has come easy for us all year--just like them,” Melrose said. “Toronto is a lot like us. They weren’t supposed to be here, and neither were we.”

Said Gretzky: “They’re one of the best defensive teams in hockey. Wendel Clark has been playing exceptionally. Gilmour has been leading everybody, and they’re riding a wave.”

Statistics do not appear to favor either team. The Kings and Maple Leafs have gone to overtime in their last two games, splitting them. Toronto has played five overtime games in the playoffs, winning three times. As for the Kings, they have been in overtime three times and are 2-1.

This will be the fifth time in the Kings’ history that they needed a seventh game to decide a series. They are 2-2 in Game 7s and 1-1 on the road. Most recently, the Kings won Game 7 in the first round of the playoffs in 1989 against the Edmonton Oilers. Gretzky, then in his first season as a King, keyed a 6-3 victory over his former teammates at the Forum.

Said Robitaille as the Kings left Van Nuys on their private jet: “We all grew up watching ‘Hockey Night in Canada’ on Saturday night. Tomorrow is the biggest game of my life.”

Playoff Notes

Because the Kings have played their two best games of the series without struggling center Jimmy Carson, he will be scratched for the third consecutive game. In Game 6, Coach Barry Melrose replaced Carson with defenseman Mark Hardy, going with 11 forwards and seven defensemen.

There is not a lot either team can say at this point in the playoffs. Toronto Coach Pat Burns did not even enter the Maple Leaf dressing room during the intermission before the third period Thursday. “I told them, ‘Somebody better talk in there,’ ” he said. “I have no idea who did (the talking). It doesn’t come down to tactics now.” Wayne Gretzky said the atmosphere in the Kings’ room was not subdued before overtime, even though they blew a two-goal lead during the third period. Perhaps knowing they had a power play in overtime helped the morale. “There was not a whole lot of talk,” Gretzky said. “We just said, ‘Let’s not end the season like this.’ ” . . . Andy van Hellemond, generally regarded as one of the NHL’s top referees, will officiate tonight’s game.