Kings Beaten in Last Minute : Hockey: MacInnis scores with 37.4 seconds left in overtime, giving Flames 5-4 victory. Gretzky 10 shy of Howe.

Almost everything about the Kings is murky and filled with some sort of intrigue these days.

On the ice, they are performing with constant unpredictability. Saturday, the Kings failed to survive a wild overtime as Flame defenseman Al MacInnis scored a power-play goal with 37.4 seconds remaining, giving Calgary a 5-4 victory.

The Flames went on the power play when King defenseman Doug Houda went off for cross-checking Theoren Fleury. On the game-winner, center Pat Conacher lost the draw and after a scramble, Gary Roberts fed it back to MacInnis at the right point. MacInnis beat King goaltender Kelly Hrudey between the pads.

“That one looked like the puck just had eyes,” MacInnis said. “It took a short hop up and went between his legs.”

Said Hrudey: “Regardless of that, I’ve been around long enough to cover it better.”

But King Coach Barry Melrose was upset that Luc Robitaille’s cross-checking penalty in overtime ended their power play and killed the momentum. “When your leaders are doing that, you are in trouble. You just can’t do that,” Melrose said.

Wayne Gretzky, who had been having a quiet game, was responsible for pushing the game into overtime, scoring his 26th of the season, with two minutes remaining in regulation. And he had some help from Flame defenseman Frank Musil’s skate.

The sellout crowd of 16,005 at the Forum celebrated along with Gretzky, who needs 11 goals to break Gordie Howe’s all-time record of 801 goals.

But it didn’t stop the Kings (19-27-6) from losing their third consecutive game, remaining in 10th place in the Western Conference with one victory in their last nine, going 1-6-2.

This one almost slipped away with a shoddy second-period effort in which the Kings gave up four consecutive goals, including three in a span of 4:34. Their collapse allowed the Flames to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 4-3 lead by the end of the second as the Kings briefly rallied to pull within one on Robitaille’s second power-play goal of the night, at 9:42.

The Kings had come out swinging in the first period. Perhaps they were inspired after Saturday’s morning skate by watching the tape--three times--of former teammate Marty McSorley’s lengthy bout against Bob Probert in the Pittsburgh-Detroit game on Friday night.

But it doesn’t take much to get ready for a natural rival like Calgary. The Flames have been leading the Pacific Division since Oct. 30 and had not had much competition for first place until a recent surge by Vancouver. Now, Calgary leads the Kings by 17 points in the division.

It’s difficult to tell what is going on off the ice. Melrose held a team meeting and brought in individuals. Owner Bruce McNall appeared in the dressing room on Friday, according to several players, which surprised them. General Manager Nick Beverley has not been speaking much with his coaches--by phone or in person. He was in Sweden last month when Martin Gelinas was put on waivers by Quebec and picked up by the Canucks when the Kings could have used him. Now, with the Kings mired in another losing streak, Beverley is in Michigan on another scouting trip.

McNall acknowledged that there are continuing problems. “I think there is too much of it (differences),” he said. “I’ve always tried to be the bridge. . . . I try to find a way to bring some harmony, if there’s disharmony. Maybe’s there’s more than I recognize.”