THE NHL / HELENE ELLIOTT : Kings Slam the Door on Themselves

To borrow a phrase or two from Laker announcer Chick Hearn, the Kings’ season is in the refrigerator. The door’s shut, the lights are out, the eggs are cooling, the butter’s getting hard and the Jell-O’s jiggling.

This one is over. Their playoff hopes evaporated Sunday, when they lost to Vancouver and fell 10 points behind San Jose for the last Western Conference playoff berth with nine games to play. The Sharks, showing character when it counted, were 3-0-1 on a tough trip last week. They have eight games left, including five at home.

As for the Mighty Ducks, their door is still open, but only a crack. They’re eight points out with eight games to play.

“We’re on the back burner,” Duck Coach Ron Wilson said recently. “But we might have to get popped in the microwave.”

Quick heating probably won’t save the Ducks, but their season is still a success because so much less was expected of them in their debut than was expected from the Kings, who were Stanley Cup finalists last spring.

The Ducks are a young, enthusiastic, hard-working team with excellent prospects in Paul Kariya--the fourth pick in last year’s draft--and whoever they choose as the second pick in this year’s draft. Their coach, Ron Wilson, and general manager, Jack Ferreira, respect one another and work well together. They have stable ownership, a showcase arena and a cohesive organization.

The Kings are Wayne Gretzky and Kelly Hrudey and whoever else feels like playing that night. Their coach, Barry Melrose, and general manager Nick Beverley, snipe at one another. They allowed Darryl Sydor, a talented young defenseman, to regress this season and put too much pressure on Rob Blake, another youngster. Their defensive play is a joke.

Rarely did they show the urgency that fueled their playoff drive last spring. They always had excuses for losses and projected the attitude that it’s a long season and there was plenty of time to start a winning streak.

Not anymore, there isn’t.

From owner Bruce McNall on down, changes are likely next season. Beverley and President Roy Mlakar are primary candidates for dismissal and Melrose isn’t safe either. He will probably get a grace period to prove which was the fluke, this season’s dismal performance or last spring’s run to the final, but unless he figures out how to motivate and lead this complacent, rudderless team, he won’t last long.

PLAYOFF DERBY

In the Eastern Conference, the expansion Florida Panthers have regained a small lead over the Philadelphia Flyers for the final spot. The edge there goes to the Panthers, based on the season-long excellence of goaltenders John Vanbiesbrouck and Mark Fitzpatrick. The Flyers’ offense is more explosive, but good goaltending will win playoff games--and games that determine playoff races.

The Washington Capitals are holding onto seventh place, mostly by default. The New York Islanders are too soft to challenge and the Quebec Nordiques started their surge too late.

The real jockeying is for the top seedings. The New Jersey Devils, probably the best-kept secret in the NHL this season, on Sunday tied the New York Rangers for the top point total at 99. They’re 12-1-3 over the last month under first-year Coach Jacques Lemaire, who obviously learned something about winning during his years with the Canadiens.

WOE IS HE

Banks are clamoring for money they say he owes them, he’s trying to sell a majority interest in his hockey team and he is quoted in a “Vanity Fair” article as saying that he smuggled some of the ancient coins that formed the basis of his financial empire. What’s next for King owner McNall?

Losing his position as chairman of the NHL’s Board of Governors.

McNall’s term expires in June, so he will probably just decline to run for reelection. It’s a perfect way for him to exit somewhat gracefully, given his financial entanglements and the concern among NHL officials that he couldn’t be an effective chairman while owning as little as 35% of his own club.

Commissioner Gary Bettman intended to discuss McNall’s intentions last week when the two flew to New York for a board meeting but McNall fell asleep and the conversation was postponed. Expect Bettman to reschedule it soon.

RAGING RANGERS

Coach Mike Keenan’s imprint was unmistakably stamped on all five trades the Rangers made last week. General Manager Neil Smith said forwards Tony Amonte and Mike Gartner “had no nastiness to them,” and the players he got, Craig MacTavish, Stephane Matteau and Brian Noonan “have nastiness.”

Didn’t he already have enough nastiness, with Keenan there?

“(Keenan) is running everything,” traded forward Phil Bourque said. “It’s his show.”

The deals seem to back that up. Matteau and Noonan played for Keenan in Chicago, and Keenan praised MacTavish two years ago for his performance in a playoff series against the Keenan-coached Blackhawks. He also wanted players who have won Stanley Cup rings and he now has seven who won jewelry in Edmonton--but how relevant are rings won seven years ago? The Rangers are significantly older--Anderson is 33 and MacTavish 35--and probably less skillful.

If they don’t win the Cup this season, look for Smith to take the fall because Keenan is in his first season and Smith has had five seasons to win. Smith has assembled incredible talent, but the Rangers have always found a way to lose.

Said Bourque of Keenan, “I’d love to knock him out of the playoffs again.”

Bourque had that pleasure two years ago, when he played for the Pittsburgh Penguins and defeated Keenan’s Blackhawks in the final.

SLAPSHOTS

Law enforcement officials in Buffalo believe there’s no connection between past blackmail attempts against players from the former Soviet Union and the Russian man who was arrested outside the Sabres’ locker room Saturday and charged with threatening to shoot and stab Buffalo right wing Alexander Mogilny unless Mogilny paid him $150,000. Sergey Pavlosky was charged with second-degree attempted grand larceny. . . . Last week was a bad one for Phil Bourque and Ray Bourque, who are not related. First, the Rangers traded Phil to the lowly Ottawa Senators, the best argument against further expansion. Then Ray, the Bruins’ four-time Norris Trophy winner, sprained his right knee. He’s not expected back until the playoffs.

The latest relocation-expansion rumor: Ted Turner of Atlanta Braves and WTBS fame reportedly will buy the Hartford Whalers and move them to Atlanta, a market the NHL would love to re-enter. . . . Blackhawk goalie Ed Belfour missed a game because of an injury last Thursday for the first time in his career. Belfour has a muscle strain in his left leg, but it’s not serious.