Kings Close Deal Off the Ice, Settle for a 7-7 Tie on It : Hockey: Gretzky has four points as L.A. rallies from 5-1 deficit against Canucks. Sale to Anschutz and Roski goes through.

Frustration was followed by elation, and, finally, exhaustion.

It was that way for the Kings on and off the ice on Thursday, actually. On it, they turned in a wild, wide-open performance with six unanswered goals, en route to a 7-7 tie against the Vancouver Canucks at the Forum before 13,486.

Vancouver had held a 5-1 lead early in the second period just after the Kings made a goaltender switch with rattled starter Jamie Storr being replaced by Byron Dafoe. The Kings scored three goals in the final 4:37 of the second period, including two goals in a 15-second span in the final 37 seconds.

They added three more in the third period. Leading the way was Wayne Gretzky with one goal and three assists for his first four-point game since March 15, 1994 against Ottawa. Right wing Rick Tocchet scored twice as did rookie forward Vitali Yachmenev, who added an assist. Left wing Dimitri Khristich had three assists.

It had appeared as though the Kings (2-0-1) were on the verge of defeating the Canucks (0-1-1) for the first time since Dec. 28, 1993. But right wing Roman Oksiuta pulled the Canucks within a goal with 3:20 remaining and right wing Russ Courtnall tied it, 7-7, and pushed the game into overtime with 2:35 left.

Courtnall’s goal, which was on the power play after Sean O’Donnell was sent off for holding, occurred when his shot glanced off King defenseman Darryl Sydor’s stick and into the net.

“It was a bad tie in that we fought back great and went up with a two-goal lead, and then there were two bad defensive plays on our part,” King Coach Larry Robinson said. “A few more games like this and I may not make it through the year.”

The Kings survived a shaky outing by the rookie Storr, who gave up four goals on 18 shots and was replaced by Dafoe at 1:51 of the second period after the Canucks made it 4-1.

“I was talking to Byron when the game started and I almost felt a bit too nervous,” Storr said. “I just tried to get out there and get off to a good start and relax. This happened to be one of those games where I didn’t get going.”

But it was a nightmare for all the goaltenders involved as the Kings had 49 shots and the Canucks 46. Well, at least no one can accuse the Kings and new Coach Larry Robinson of playing the neutral-zone trap.

Said Gretzky: “It was kind of a strange game.”

Off the ice, there was encouraging news as the $113.25-million sale of the cash-starved Kings to Denver billionaire Philip F. Anschutz and local developer Edward P. Roski Jr. officially closed on Thursday after prolonged and complicated negotiations.

The completion of the sale brings closure to what amounted to an interim caretakership by owners Jeffrey Sudikoff and Joseph Cohen, a controversial and unsuccessful 18-month tenure. Majestic/Anschutz Venture (MAV) lawyers worked Wednesday until midnight and returned early Thursday to their headquarters at the downtown law firm of Latham & Watkins to finish the transaction.

Anschutz Properties President Bob Sanderman had thought the deal closed late in the afternoon and announced the fact to reporters around 5:30.

Of course, there were a few more documents to be signed. And it wasn’t much of a surprise, considering little has been easy in the deal. “We signed the final documents at 6:30,” Sanderman said.

Did he ever think the deal was in danger of collapsing?

“Yes, I can’t count on my fingers and toes how many times,” he said. “And if anyone involved doesn’t say so, they should be called Pinocchio.”

Anschutz said in a statement: “Now that the sale is complete, we can begin to focus on doing what it takes to bring a Stanley Cup victory to Los Angeles. We have what it takes, a new coach, talented players and the support of loyal fans.”

Anschutz is planning to meet with the team soon, and Sanderman will hold a meeting with the King staff.

“If we’re down 3-1 [on the ice], we’re down 5-1 in the front office,” Sanderman said. “A lot of what kind of support they need is more financial.”