Kings Collapse Again, Lose Fifth in a Row : Hockey: McSorley’s suspension announced before game. Then, Maple Leafs score five in the third period to win, 6-4.

Wayne Gretzky showed up at the Forum early Monday afternoon and signed his new contract.

Marty McSorley showed up and learned he had been suspended for allegedly gouging the eye of a San Jose Shark last Saturday.

Most of the other Kings didn’t show up at all.

At least not for the final 12 minutes of their game at the Forum against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Leading by 3-1 in the final period, the Kings collapsed, surrendering four goals in 10 minutes and five in the period to tumble to their fifth consecutive defeat, 6-4.

The loss drops the Kings to 21-32-6. Because San Jose also lost Monday, the Kings remain seven points behind the Sharks, holders of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

“When a team is struggling,” said King Coach Barry Melrose, “nobody wants to be on the ice. When you’re winning, everybody wants to be out there. We have a lot of guys who didn’t want to be out there today. They are thinking negatively. They don’t want to make mistakes.”

It could have been a joyous day for Gretzky. He finally signed the three-year, $25.5-million contract that he agreed to in principle five months ago. In the interim, additional negotiations resulted in deferred money being moved up from 15 years after the end of the contract to six years.

Gretzky celebrated by scoring his 29th and 30th goals of the season, giving him 795 in his career, six shy of Gordie Howe’s NHL record total of 801. But there was no joy in Gretzky’s locker stall after the game.

“For two periods,” he said, “we played like Stanley Cup finalists. But for 12 minutes, we played without any confidence. I can’t put my finger on it, but that explains our year--one good period and one bad period, one good shift and one bad shift.”

The Kings are not only losing confidence and games, but bodies. They lost Tony Granato nearly two weeks ago for 15 games because of a slashing incident.

They lost McSorley for at least Monday after he had played only two games for the Kings since coming from the Pittsburgh Penguins in last week’s big trade.

McSorley, who will get a hearing by phone today, is accused of gouging the eye of San Jose’s Bob Errey at the end of last Saturday night’s game.

Even as the green light came on, signaling the end of the game, McSorley and Errey continued to battle in front of the net.

“There was a lot of pushing and shoving,” McSorley said, “but it’s best I do not say anything until after the hearing.”

This much is known:

When the scuffle was broken up, McSorley was assessed a minor penalty for roughing. He emerged from the struggle with blood streaming down from a cut over his left eye, a cut that required stitches to close.

Errey has a corneal abrasion and a bruise under one eye.

League officials assured the Kings that Errey would also not play Monday, but he wound up doing so.

The Sharks sent the NHL office a tape of the incident. Upon viewing it Monday morning, Brian Burke, the league’s director of hockey operations, saw enough to suspend McSorley pending today’s hearing.

Despite all their troubles, however, the Kings still enjoyed the early lead over Toronto, Central Division leaders with a 33-17-11 mark.

Goals by the Kings’ Alex Zhitnik, his 10th, and the Maple Leafs’ Peter Zezel, his fourth, had left the score tied after one period.

Then came Gretzky’s goals.

Then came the debacle.

Rob Pearson scored his 11th goal with a 45-foot shot into the upper-left shelf of the net 7:49 into the final period.

Dmitri Mironov got his seventh on goalie Kelly Hrudey’s stick side at 11:53.

Doug Gilmour picked up his 22nd after Nikolai Borschevsky stole the puck from Darryl Sydor, Gilmour’s goal coming at 14:43.

Gilmour came back to add his 23rd and the 300th of his career at 17:47 after a giveaway by Zhitnik.

Luc Robitaille’s team-leading 33rd goal made it closer, but Bill Berg then scored his sixth into an empty net to put the game out of reach.

And leave the Kings tumbling out of control.