Kings Finally Savor a Victory : Hockey: Shaken by trade rumors, they defeat Maple Leafs, 5-2, in Toronto, as Kurri plays 1,000th NHL game.

Suffice to say, Jari Kurri’s 1,000th NHL game was slightly more more enjoyable than No. 999.

The 5-2 victory over Toronto on Saturday night was, in part, as much a milestone for Kurri as it was a victory for the collective King psyche.

The game, before 15,746 at Maple Leaf Gardens, featured, among other things:

The Kings’ first road victory of the season.

Their first 2-0 first-period lead in any game.

Their ability to actually hold on to a two-goal lead.

Simple things for most teams, but not the Kings, who came here dispirited, disgruntled and disgraced after squandering a two-goal lead in the final 61 seconds of regulation in Tuesday’s 5-5 tie with St. Louis.

Three days of practice, one trade and a tired Maple Leaf team made something of a difference. That and the fact a handful of King players have been hearing additional trade rumors involving several teams, most notably Buffalo.

A scared King may be better than a complacent one, especially after Friday’s deal that sent left wing Warren Rychel to Washington and then to Toronto for Capital left wing Randy Burridge.

A shake-up?

“Trades always do that,” said King goaltender Kelly Hrudey, who made 41 saves. “Messages are always sent. When your record is 3-5-2, things can happen. And that was proof. Not that it was Warren Rychel’s fault. We’re all part of it. It could happen to anybody.”

For whatever reason, Hrudey noticed a difference when he glanced at his teammates’ faces.

“I really thought we had that real determined look on our faces,” he said. “Not a look of ‘Oh no, what’s going to happen now?’ ”

And the Kings actually got goals from two of their centers--Kevin Todd and Robert Lang, who both scored their first of the season. Rick Tocchet scored his eighth of the season, defenseman Michel Petit had his second and Tony Granato scored an empty-netter with 31 seconds remaining for his third of the season.

Kurri, the second European player to hit the 1,000-game plateau in the NHL, spotted some rare third-period poise on Saturday with the Kings holding a 3-1 lead after two periods.

“Tonight, we were smart, we didn’t panic at the end,” said Kurri, who had one assist. “Those things happen when you’re a desperate team. We were missing that winning feeling. We had that head-down feeling on the bench.”

The first European player to reach 1,000 NHL games was Borje Salming, who played 17 seasons, starting his career in Toronto and finishing in Detroit in 1989-90. This is Kurri’s 14th season.

“It’s nice to get up there, to be able to play at this level for some many games,” Kurri said. “It’s a challenge as a player. You always say, ‘No way can I do that.’ Time flies so quickly. Being with a good team, a winning team, makes it easy.”

Whether the Kings turn into a winning team remains to be seen. “Believe it or not, our record isn’t really indicative of our play,” said Wayne Gretzky, who had one assist. “We’ve played better and harder than our record shows. . . . We’ve got to be worried about it but not panic. The worst thing you can do is panic. We’ve held together strong. There really wasn’t any finger-pointing. We’re still 3-5-2, but we’ve played better than that.”

King Notes

Left wing Mike Donnelly was scratched for the first time this season. Randy Burridge, wearing No. 44, made his debut and played on a line with Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri. . . . King General Manager Sam McMaster, on making any future deals: “I took a bit of a chance on Randy (Burridge). He comes to play. He gives us more offense. I’m not going to make a deal with anybody who wants to steal from us. I look at my job as a five-year job, not five months. I want to win, but I’m not going to do something that disrupts the future.”