Kings Get Late Goal; Bruins Get Last One : Hockey: Robitaille’s third-period score forces overtime, but Boston’s Don Sweeney wins the game, 5-4.

Boston Bruin defenseman Don Sweeney didn’t exactly make a graceful entrance when he jumped onto the ice for a line change, falling flat on his face.

But Sweeney quickly made up for his pratfall by scoring the winning goal 49 seconds into overtime as the Bruins defeated the Kings, 5-4, Saturday night before a sellout crowd of 16,005 at the Forum.

Bruin Coach Mike Milbury was stunned by Sweeney’s goal.

“He fell on the ice on the line change and got up to score the winning goal; what more can you say?� Milbury said after the Bruins (36-18-8) extended their winning streak to four games.

“I was kind of surprised when I looked up and saw that Donny had scored the winning goal.�

Sweeney said: “It was a huge game for us to come away with. More so because we are going to Phoenix (for a short vacation before next Thursday’s game at Chicago), and this means we’ll probably have an extra day off.�

The Kings overcame one-goal deficits twice in the final period to tie, 4-4, and force overtime.

But the Bruins won it when Sweeney tipped a backhand shot past goalie Daniel Berthiaume.

“It’s hard to take,� Berthiaume said. “We came back, but we had tough luck in overtime. It happens.�

The loss frustrated the Kings (32-20-7), who had a shot at beating the team with the best record in the NHL.

“It was a tough one not to win because we worked extremely hard,� Wayne Gretzky said.

But the Bruins, who reached the Stanley Cup final last season, losing to Edmonton, don’t think they have seen the last of the Kings.

“With any team that’s got Wayne Gretzky on it, anything’s possible,� Boston defenseman Ray Bourque said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if we saw them again. They’ve got to be a very good team to be in first place in this division.�

Trailing 4-3, Luc Robitaille scored his 33rd goal off a pass from Dave Taylor with 55 seconds left in regulation to force the overtime. Taylor, who had a goal and two assists, reached a milestone on Robitaille’s goal, getting the 600th assist of his NHL career.

“I thought we played very well tonight,� Taylor said. “We certainly deserved more than a loss. It’s disappointing. I can remember a lot of games where we played the Bruins in Boston where we were up by a goal and ended up losing.

“It’s like the way we used to play the Flyers a few years ago. They always used to find a way to beat us.�

Down by a goal entering the third period, the Kings tied it, 3-3, when Taylor scored his 17th goal off a pass from Robitaille at 2:33.

But the Bruins retook the lead when Bourque scored his 14th goal with 5:02 remaining, lifting the puck over Berthiaume’s outstretched glove.

The Bruins took a 1-0 lead with 1:01 remaining in the first period when center Craig Janney, who had a goal and two assists, scored his 22nd goal of the season off a pass from left wing Jeff Lazaro.

King defenseman Larry Robinson set up the goal when he gave away the puck in the Kings’ zone while trying to pass to Steve Duchesne. But Lazaro intercepted the pass and fed Janney.

The Kings tied the score, 1-1, at 2:17 of the second period when defenseman Brian Benning got his sixth goal of the season on a shot from the top of the left circle. Benning took a pass from Taylor off the boards and beat goalie Reggie Lemelin to the short side with a knuckleball shot that fluttered into the net.

The Kings took a 2-1 lead when Todd Elik scored a power-play goal at 9:45 of the second period, redirecting Benning’s shot from the top of the left circle.

Then the Kings gave up two consecutive goals.

The Bruins tied at 2-2 just 20 seconds later when Jarmo Kekalainen beat Berthiaume on a rebound. Berthiaume made a nice save with his right leg on a shot defenseman Glen Wesley’s slap shot from center ice, but Kekalainen lifted the puck over Berthiaume for his second goal of the season.

Ken Hodge gave Boston the lead when he scored his 18th goal of the season, putting a backhander between Berthiaume’s legs at 15:41.