Kings Let the Blues Come Back to Tie, 3-3 : Hockey: Hull gets 50th goal in 50 games for second season in row. L.A. wastes 3-0 advantage.

Brett Hull took one small step Tuesday night.

And made one giant leap into the NHL record book.

It came at the 18:22 mark of the second period Tuesday night at the Forum in a game in which the Kings would eventually finish in a 3-3 tie with the St. Louis Blues.

Hull had 49 goals in 49 games, but still didn’t have a shot in his 50th. Then, Paul Cavallini made a fancy move around Jari Kurri in the Kings’ zone before passing the puck to Brendan Shanahan on the left side of the slot.

With Hull charging in from the left circle, Shanahan tipped the pass his way, depositing the puck at Hull’s feet.

That left Hull one easy step to the bottom of the circle, a flick of his powerful wrists and the puck flew past the pads of King goalie Kelly Hrudey.

Fifty goals in 50 games.

That’s hallowed ground in the NHL. Only five have ever done it. Only one, Wayne Gretzky, has done it more than once. Gretzky accomplished the feat three times, including back-to-back seasons in the mid-’80s, a milestone equaled by Hull Tuesday night. The St. Louis wing had 50 in 49 games last year en route to an 86-goal season.

But the Kings could have handled Hull’s heroics a lot easier had they not blown a 3-0 lead. And they still had a two-goal lead going into the third period.

The Kings were able to increase their unbeaten streak to six games (2-0-4,) but saw their two-game winning streak end. They remain at .500 at 19-19-11, moving into a tie for third in the Smythe Division with the idle Calgary Flames.

St. Louis is 21-20-9.

While Gretzky is far removed from 50 goals in 50 games, he could at least take some satisfaction in his own second-period goal Tuesday, his 19th of the season and first after a seven-game drought, since it turned out to be crucial for the tie.

The Kings’ Corey Millen scored his 10th goal in the first period, his fifth in the last four games. Recent arrival Kyosti Karjalainen got his first NHL goal in the second period of his fourth game.

The Blues outshot the Kings, 13-5, in the first period and still had a 23-16 edge heading into the final period.

It was in the third period that the shot advantage finally paid off for St. Louis. Outshooting the Kings, 13-4, the Blues got their second goal at 11:28, Dave Christian scoring his 13th, and the tying goal shorthanded at 15:35, Cavallini getting his sixth.

While the crowd of 16,005 was watching Hull Tuesday night, a lot of reporters were zeroing in on the management of both clubs as the rumors of an imminent trade of unhappy St. Louis center Adam Oates were peaking.

One report out of Vancouver had the Kings and Blues making a deal within 24 hours. King General Manager Rogie Vachon has acknowledged talks took place, but said earlier in the week that the Kings backed out because “the price was too steep.”

When Oates was pulled from Hull’s line for several shifts Tuesday, the speculation was further fueled.

Oates was not out there for Hull’s landmark goal.

But years from now, few if any will remember that. Or the final score.

All they’ll remember is Hull’s dramatic skate into history.

King Notes

As an Edmonton Oiler, Wayne Gretzky set the all-time standard with 50 goals in 39 games in the 1981-82 season. He also scored 50 in 42 games in 1983-84 and 50 in 49 games the next season. . . . The first to accomplish the feat was Maurice Richard of the Montreal Canadiens who got 50 in 50 games in the 1944-45 season. Next came Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders who also scored 50 in 50 games in 1980-81. The only other player to reach 50 in 50 was Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1988-89 season.

King wing Dave Taylor was honored before the opening faceoff for appearing in his 1,000th game, a club record. . . . That places Taylor 15th on the all-time list, a list headed by Gordie Howe, who appeared in 1,767 games over 26 seasons. . . . In his 15th season, Taylor is believed to be third in longevity with one club in Los Angeles sports history, trailing only shortstop Bill Russell of the Dodgers (18 seasons) and lineman Jackie Slater of the Rams (16 seasons). . . . Defenseman Jeff Chychrun sat out his second game because of a rash and a sore throat.