Kings Use Balanced Attack, 7-5 : Hockey: Seven players score in victory over Islanders. Gretzky sets up winner, then ices it with 1:44 to play.

The Kings distributed their offense judiciously as seven players accounted for their goals in a 7-5 victory over the New York Islanders on Tuesday night at the Forum before 14,035, but it was Wayne Gretzky who stepped forward and took charge.

Gretzky set up the game-winning goal and then snapped a seemingly harmless 40-foot wrist shot past Islander goaltender Ron Hextall with 1:44 to play, securing the Kings’ third consecutive victory after a season-opening loss. He has 11 points in the last three games after going pointless in the opener.

The game-winner came from Warren Rychel at 10:58 as he was positioned at the left crease, converting a rebound of a Rob Blake slap shot. Blake, taking a pass from Gretzky, moved in from the blue line and skated into the left circle. That gave the Kings a 6-5 lead and put them ahead for good.

“I had a pretty tough game,” Rychel said. “I wanted to redeem myself. Tomas (Sandstrom) and I didn’t do things that usually work. Fortunately, I was able to get in position.”

On the winning goal, Gretzky spotted Blake, which is indicative of his extraordinary on-ice vision.

“He amazes me,” Rychel said of Gretzky. “I’m starting to get used to it, getting to expect the unexpected from him. If something unusual happens, I’m not surprised. I’ve just got to be ready.”

The Kings had rallied from a 5-4 third-period deficit and had plenty of offense with 51 shots on goal.

King goaltender Kelly Hrudey, who won his third consecutive game, faced 43 shots and is now 7-3 against his former team.

It wasn’t easy against the Islanders, who did not look tired after being on a Western swing since Sept. 28.

In a wild second period, the teams each scored four goals and combined for 39 shots after a tight-checking, scoreless opening period. In the second, the Kings accounted for 26 shots, a club record, surpassing the previous mark of 25 against Edmonton on Nov. 6, 1985.

The lead changed hands twice in the second period and neither team took more than a one-goal lead. Scoring for the Kings were center Pat Conacher (fourth of the season), Blake (No. 1), defenseman Darryl Sydor (No. 2) and Tony Granato (No. 2) on the power play.

Conacher, a checking center by trade, has scored a goal in all four games. He scored nine goals last season.

“Don’t pinch me, I might wake up,” Conacher said.

Three of the Kings’ four goals came from long range as they managed to take advantage of a slightly shaky Hextall. Hrudey, on the other hand, had no chance on the Islanders’ first four goals. Three of the four were from the crease, and on the other, Benoit Hogue took a long pass from defenseman Dennis Vaske and then used King defenseman Dominic Lavoie as a screen and beat Hrudey with a 45-footer.

That came with the Islanders shorthanded and it gave them a brief 3-2 lead. The Islanders were potent on special teams in the second period, converting both of their power-play opportunities. Leading the Islanders’ offense was defenseman Vladimir Malakhov, who had four assists, and Ray Ferraro, who scored twice.

King Notes

The club officially announced the signing of forward Tony Granato, who had reached an agreement with them during the exhibition season. Granato signed a three-year deal--two years and one option year--believed to be worth $4.1 million. The contract escalates from $1.2 million to $1.4 million to $1.5 million in the final year. But a portion of each year’s salary is deferred. Granato had a career-high 82 points last season, including 37 goals.