Kings’ Leads Aren’t Worth a Nicholls : Stanley Cup playoffs: Former King scores two goals, including the winner in a 4-3 Edmonton victory. Oilers lead series, 2-1.

EDMONTON, Canada —  When he was traded from the Kings to the New York Rangers, center Bernie Nicholls labeled the move “a dumb deal.” The Kings would regret it, he swore.

It took two trades and more than two years, but Nicholls was finally right.

For at least one night.

That night was Wednesday, a dismal, disastrous evening in Edmonton for the Kings, who blew a two-goal lead and lost to the Oilers, 4-3, in the third game of their best-of-seven Smythe Division semifinal series before a sellout crowd of 17,503.

The Kings trail in the series, 2-1, with Game 4 in Edmonton Friday night.

It was Nicholls, traded from the Rangers before the season, who got the Oilers back in the game with a power-play goal in the first period after goals by Dave Taylor and Jay Miller had given the Kings the lead. And it was Nicholls who scored the winning goal in the final period.

The Kings not only lost the early lead, but wing Jari Kurri as well. Sent reeling into the boards in the second period by Edmonton defenseman Dave Manson, Kurri suffered an injury to his left knee. He was taken a hospital for X-rays, but there was no word on his condition.

The Kings’ condition suddenly looks perilous. The Oilers are playing without four key, injured players--wings Craig Simpson and Anatoli Semenov, and defensemen Kevin Lowe and Craig Muni. But they have still put themselves in position to take command of this series with the play of their special teams, their defense, goaltender Bill Ranford and the line of Nicholls, Joe Murphy and Vincent Damphousse. That line scored all four goals and a total of eight points Wednesday night.

“We’ve got to open up the ice when we get ahead,” King center Wayne Gretzky said. “When it was 2-0, I thought we’d be able to do it.”

One of the reasons the Kings couldn’t do it was Gretzky. Shadowed by Edmonton’s Kelly Buchberger all night, Gretzky managed only one shot. He had four assists in Game 2, but has had no points before or after.

It was the Kings’ fourth line--Taylor, Miller and John McIntyre--often unused or ignored during the regular season, that made the biggest contribution Wednesday. Not only did Taylor have a goal and an assist, but he also moved up to the first line briefly after Kurri was hurt.

Asked if he was pleased with the play of that fourth line, Webster responded: “It’s our first line, as far as I’m concerned.”

Still, for all their problems, the Kings were still in the game well into the third period.

After Damphousse tied it, 2-2, in the second period, the Kings’ offense disappeared. They went about nine minutes without a shot on goal. The Kings were outshot, 15-6, in the first period and 27-8 by the time 13 1/2 minutes of the second period had expired.

But the Kings broke their offensive drought when Ranford, attempting to sweep the puck out from behind his net, hit it instead into a pile of players.

Tony Granato emerged with the puck and backhanded it to Luc Robitaille, who was perched in the crease in front of Ranford. Robitaille shoved the puck between Ranford’s pads and the Kings were back in front, 3-2.

Murphy again tied the game early in the third period.

Then Nicholls, skating across the crease, drew King goalie Kelly Hrudey and defenseman Tim Watters to the right side with a fake, only to fire the puck into the vacated net at 12:37 of the final period.

It was his second power-play goal of the night and the Oilers’ third in six tries.

The Kings had a couple of opportunities at the end to again tie the game. Their best chance came when Norm Maciver was called for holding with 1:47 to play.

But Robitaille negated that advantage 28 seconds later when he was called for charging into Ranford.

That left the Oilers with the series lead--and Nicholls with the last laugh.

King Notes

The Oilers outshot the Kings, 40-26. . . . King defenseman Larry Robinson remains home because of an ankle he bruised in Game 2. But there is a chance he could join the team for Game 4. Brent Thompson took Robinson’s place Wednesday. . . . Oiler wings Craig Simpson and Anatoli Semenov, both out with bruised shoulders suffered in Game 1, won’t return at least until Game 6, should this series go that long. Although the game wound up a sellout, it didn’t appear that would be the case two days ago when 5,000 seats, nearly a third of the capacity at Northlands Coliseum, were still unsold. High ticket prices and a lingering resentment from the 10-day strike were blamed.

ALL BUSINESS: Nicholls thinking only about winning for the Oilers. C6