Whalers Gladly Accept Kings’ Charity, 5-4 : Ferraro Strips Duchesne of Puck at Center Ice and Scores the Winner

HARTFORD, Conn. — More ambitious pursuits having fallen by the wayside at this point in the season, the Hartford Whalers hope to avoid becoming the first National Hockey League team since the 1942-43 New York Rangers to move from first place in their division one season to last place the next.

They got some help Wednesday night from the Kings, who undoubtedly can’t imagine such a predicament, having spent most of their existence in or around various division basements.

In particular:

--Steve Duchesne, opting for the pretty over the practical, was stripped of the puck with 6:13 left by Ray Ferraro, who skated in alone from center ice and scored to give the Whalers a 5-4 victory before a crowd of 14,256 at the Hartford Civic Center.

--Bernie Nicholls, who scored his 30th goal just 1 minute 32 seconds into the game, was ejected with 8:23 left in the first period after he swung his stick at the head of Ulf Samuelsson, grazing the right ear of the Swede.

--Luc Robitaille, retaliating after being hit by Kevin Dineen, was called for roughing with 2:26 left, giving the Whalers a manpower advantage at the most critical point in the game.

--Glenn Healy, believing the puck was tucked safely under him, sat on the ice as Paul MacDermid sneaked behind him to score into the unprotected net, giving the Whalers a 2-1 lead that grew to 4-1 in the second period.

It was of some consolation to the Kings that they rallied on goals by Jimmy Carson, Robitaille and Paul Fenton, the last scored during a short-handed situation to pull the Kings even at 4-4 with 11:14 left.

On the other hand . . .

“It’s getting old to say, ‘We’re improving in this area,’ or, ‘We’re improving in that area,’ ” assistant coach Bryan Maxwell said. “The bottom line is, we’ve got to do whatever it takes to win.”

Actually, the bottom line is, there is no urgency for the Kings to win in a league that awards playoff spots to four teams in each division, regardless of their records.

The Kings have lost four of their last five to fall 15 games below .500, their low-water mark of the season, but they’re still six points ahead of the last-place Vancouver Canucks, who have lost eight straight.

“It might be a mental thing because we’ve got that little cushion,” Carson said. “We’re pretty lucky that Vancouver keeps losing.”

For the second time in the last seven games, Maxwell coached the Kings, instead of Robbie Ftorek, who arrived in Connecticut Sunday to spend a few days with his family while Maxwell orchestrated practices in Los Angeles.

The Kings were outshot, 41-21, including by 18-3 in the first period.

Their comeback notwithstanding, the Kings were reduced at the end to asking for a measurement of the stick of goaltender Richard Brodeur, which was found to be illegal, nullifying part of the penalty against Robitaille and giving the Kings a manpower advantage for the last 26 seconds.

“We needed an edge at that time because we needed a goal and we were short-handed,” said Ftorek, who switched jobs with Maxwell. “It’s not something we’re proud of, but it’s in the book, and we’re willing to take a chance. It’s something we feel we have to take the percentage on.”

The Kings needed an edge because earlier they had broken down defensively.

In their last five games, including a shutout of the Canucks, the Kings have allowed 25 goals.

“We’ve really gotten lackadaiscal,” Maxwell said. “We’ve loosened the grip on the commitment that we had made defensively. This isn’t the time to not be doing the job defensively.”

Said Healy, who faced only 13 shots while stopping the Canucks, 2-0, in his last start: “Quality chances by the other team certainly have been up in the last few games.”

Duchesne said he “messed up” on the game-wining play by Ferraro.

Dave Taylor passed to him.

“When I reached and got it,” Duchesne said, “I tried to go between (Ferraro’s) legs, but he blocked it. I should have played it safe and, I guess, dumped it, but I tried to deke (fake) him.”

Ferraro, in turn, deked Healy and scored on a backhanded shot.

The Kings had lost again.

King Notes

The Kings, who play at Boston tonight, are 25-40-5, including a 0-31-2 record in games in which they’ve trailed going into the third period. . . . The Whalers, who won the Adams Division last season with a 43-30-7 record, are 29-32-7. . . . Bernie Nicholls, ejected in the first period for swinging his stick at Ulf Samuelsson: “He hit me in the back of the head and I turned around and whacked him. I kind of hit him in the shoulder, but I didn’t hurt him. He fell like he was killed.” Samuelsson said Nicholls’s stick caught his ear “a little bit,” but said he was surprised that Nicholls was ejected.

Bryan Maxwell said the Kings made a big push to obtain goaltender Andy Moog, who was traded Monday from the Edmonton Oilers to the Boston Bruins. “We offered more people than Boston did,” Maxwell said, “but he (Oiler General Manager Glen Sather) didn’t want to trade him to our division. Or to us. And I don’t blame him.” . . . General Manager Rogie Vachon denied published reports that the Kings shopped Bob Carpenter around the league before Tuesday’s trading deadline. Vachon also denied a report in the Philadelphia Daily News that the Kings offered Jay Wells to the Flyers for Doug Crossman.