With Stevens, Kings Get Even

The seemingly ever-present dark cloud cleared out long enough Monday afternoon for the Kings and former Boston left wing Kevin Stevens to play some inspired hockey the final 10 minutes of regulation, and it resulted in an inspired third-period comeback as the Kings tied the Bruins, 3-3, at the Forum.

Stevens, playing his old teammates for the first time since being traded to the Kings for Rick Tocchet on Jan. 25, started the rally with his 11th goal of the season and first since Jan. 6. The goal, which came on the power play at 13:48 in the third off a pinpoint pass across the crease from Wayne Gretzky, was his first in eight games as a King.

Jari Kurri, taking a pass down low from John Druce, then tied it with his 14th of the season with 3:40 remaining and the point--the 1,326th of his career--put him in a 12th-place tie on the NHL’s all-time scoring list with Gilbert Perreault. Kurri controlled the pass with his skate and quickly got the shot off over sprawling Bruin goaltender Bill Ranford.

For the Kings, it was a welcome reprieve after Saturday’s overtime loss to the Mighty Ducks. The point moved the Kings (18-28-14) into an eighth-place tie with Winnipeg in the Western Conference.

King Coach Larry Robinson did not think the dark cloud has been banished for good, however.

“I think it just went up a little bit, it’s still hanging there,” he said. “We’re not going tell it what time we’re leaving [on the road], so it won’t know.”

Certainly Stevens and Gretzky couldn’t catch a break in overtime. The crowd of 13,714, and plenty of Bruin fans, thought Stevens won it in overtime, but his backhander glanced off the post with 1:20 left.

“I shot and Ranford made the save,” Stevens said. “It came back to me and I shot and it kind of fluttered and hit the post. Then it went to Wayne and it hopped over his stick.

“I would have given anything in the world for that last one, but that’s the way it’s been going. I really wanted that goal, that’s something that’s really going to bug me. I would have kept that puck.”

That’s a measure of how badly Stevens wanted to beat the Bruins. He said the only puck he kept was when he scored his 50th goal in Pittsburgh. When Stevens was sent here, he said he felt betrayed.

Robinson gave him a boost by putting him on his off wing, moving him from the left side to a line with Gretzky and left wing Dimitri Khristich in the third period. Until then, the Kings had been somewhat aimless as Boston took a 3-1 lead after two periods on goals by Steve Leach, 38-year-old Joe Mullen and Ted Donato. The lone King goal through two periods was from Gary Shuchuk.

“[Stevens] has been pressing so hard that he wants to score goals; once he gets more into a groove you’ll see a much more rounded type player,” Robinson said. “He’s trying to find himself: ‘Do I give it to Gretz? Or do I take it myself?’ ”

The Bruins had their own chance in overtime as King goaltender Kelly Hrudey faced two shots with less than a minute to go, the first by right wing Sandy Moger. Hrudey, making his fourth consecutive start, is 1-2-3 in his last six games. The Kings, who are 2-12-5 in their last 19 games, have 22 games left.

“We need to be positive about this,” said Gretzky, who played his first game since Wednesday after sitting out two because of an injured right hip. “We need to be a little bit on a roll. We have to put some wins together.”

King Notes

There was a positive development off the ice Monday as Tony Granato was released from UCLA Medical Center. Granato, who had four hours of brain surgery Wednesday, has been talking on the telephone to his teammates and Coach Larry Robinson. “He sounded upbeat and wished us the best,” Robinson said. “We wish him the best. We hope he gets better, that’s what really matters.” . . . Barry Melrose, former King coach and television commentator, said on ESPN Sunday night that the team told goaltender Kelly Hrudey that he was going to be traded to Dallas for goaltender Andy Moog in the Darryl Sydor deal. Hrudey laughed and said: “Not true.” Said King President Rogie Vachon: “He’s sour, what can I say? He’s got the power of the press and he’s taking cheap shots, [but] if he’s going to take cheap shots at us, he better get his stories straight.”