Kings Pull Goalie and Pull Out Tie : Hockey: Zhitnik’s second goal of the game, with 1:05 to play, gives team a 4-4 draw after a strange Oiler penalty.

The sight of Oiler defenseman Chris Joseph trying to throw the puck out of his own zone late in the game was a curious vision indeed. And he wasn’t even able to heave the puck more than a couple of feet.

His apparent brain-lock salvaged Thursday’s potentially gloomy proceedings for the Kings, who were able to secure a 4-4 tie with the Edmonton Oilers, who had lost to the Mighty Ducks the night before.

Referee Paul Stewart called a minor penalty on Joseph with 1:28 remaining for closing his hand on the puck, and the Kings were able to gain a six-on-four advantage by pulling goaltender Kelly Hrudey for an extra attacker.

Six-on-four was the right combination for the Kings as they needed only 23 seconds for defenseman Alexei Zhitnik to score, securing the tie against the Oilers before a crowd of 14,813 at the Forum. Zhitnik, on a slap shot from the middle of the left circle, beat Edmonton goaltender Bill Ranford between the pads with 1:05 remaining for his second goal of the game and third of the season.

“You see that in high-pressure situations--he’s in the slot and he doesn’t know what to do,” King Coach Barry Melrose said. “I was sure glad to see him throw it. He gave it the Nolan Ryan windup. But it didn’t come out of his glove--he was using too much pine tar.

“I had him in junior in Seattle. I knew he didn’t have a good arm.”

Who wouldn’t be giddy after the Kings had sneaked away with a point?

The Kings could have earned two with any luck. In overtime, the Kings had three shots on goal and the Oilers had one. The Kings, who had 49 shots on goal, are 3-1-1. The Oilers are 2-2-1.

Perhaps the worst thing that could have happened to the Kings actually occurred two days ago more than 40 miles away in Anaheim. There, the Oilers earned the dubious distinction of being the first team to lose to the expansion Ducks. But Thursday, Edmonton put itself in position to win, taking a 4-3 lead on third-period goals by Scott Pearson and Zdeno Ciger.

“They were embarrassed last night,” Melrose said. “If you know (Oiler Coach) Ted Green, they were really wired tonight. We expected that.”

What turned the game in the Kings’ favor--besides Joseph’s puck toss--was their power play. They were three for 10 with the man advantage against the Oilers.

“I’ve got a comment about a lot of the penalties, but I can’t comment because the NHL has put in a gag order,” Green said. “The game was meant to be played five on five.”

The power play helped the Kings take a 3-2 lead heading into the third period. With the Kings trailing, 2-1, defenseman Rob Blake and Zhitnik scored second-period power-play goals. Blake scored on a slap shot from just inside the blue line 28 seconds into the period.

Zhitnik scored in much the same fashion as he took a pass from Wayne Gretzky and blasted a 50-footer past Ranford, beating him on the glove side.

Gretzky, continuing his sharp play, assisted on the two second-period goals. He has 13 points in the last four games, two goals and 11 assists.

Gretzky got a scare in overtime when Oiler defenseman Dave Manson received a five-minute major for elbowing him into the end boards. Gretzky was shaken up and later said his jaw was sore but that he was OK.

The first period may have been Edmonton’s downfall against the Mighty Ducks as the Oilers may have played what was their “worst period” of hockey, at least according to Glen Sather, the team’s president and general manager.

This time, the Oilers startled the Kings with a strong first period, opening up a 2-0 lead on goals by Pearson at 9:35 and Shayne Corson at 13:51. Pearson’s was a bit of a fluke as he passed the puck out front and it went off the inside of Hrudey’s right skate and between his pads.