Roar Told Webster of Victory : Game 2: Sitting out final game of suspension, he couldn’t stand suspense of overtime and only the crowd’s cheers told him it was over.

Tom Webster couldn’t even bear to watch.

As the Kings and Vancouver Canucks battled in overtime Saturday night in Game 2 of their best-of-seven, opening-round playoff series at the Forum, Webster, serving the final game of his four-game suspension for fighting, paced in the hall outside owner Bruce McNall’s Forum office.

The Kings’ coach took an occasional nervous glance at a nearby television.

Only the roar of the sellout crowd of 16,005 let him know there was a final verdict. Only the screams of his wife, Carole, watching on a nearby set, enabled him to find out the details.

“It was nerve-racking,” Webster said.

On the ice, it was pandemonium.

Wayne Gretzky leaped so high into the air in celebration, he crash-landed on the ice after scoring the winning goal to give the Kings a 3-2 victory and even the series, 1-1.

Vancouver goalie Troy Gamble felt so low, he simply sat on his knees in the crease, staring at the ice.

The winning goal came after Tomas Sandstrom’s shot from the right side was blocked by Gamble.

It bounced into the air, allowing Tony Granato to take a shot. Gamble blocked that one with his arm.

But with the puck lying in the crease, Gretzky didn’t miss.

He charged in and flipped the puck over Gamble, who was sprawled out on the ice, the puck going to the top of the net 11:08 into the overtime. “It barely went in under the crossbar,” Gretzky said. “It wasn’t the prettiest shot, but I’ll take it.

Defense kept the Kings in it. Particularly effective was the line of Steve Kasper, Bob Kudelski and Mike Donnelly. They tightly checked the Canucks’ hot line of Trevor Linden, Cliff Ronning and Geoff Courtnall.

Then, when the Linden-Ronning-Courtnall triumvirate was worn down, King assistant coaches Cap Raeder and Rick Wilson would bring in the fresh legs of Gretzky-Sandstrom-Granato.

It was on just such a switch that Gretzky scored the winner.

The Kings outshot the Canucks, 40-34, including 7-6 in overtime of a game that featured brilliant goaltending on both sides.

But King goalie Kelly Hrudey made his biggest save early in the second period.

Vancouver led, 2-0, on goals by Tim Kurvers and Ronning.

On a King power play, Steve Bozek gained control of the puck and rushed Hrudey on a breakaway. The Kings’ goalie made the block and teammate Rob Blake scored at the other end 27 seconds later.

“It was a critical time,” Hrudey said. “If they score then, who knows what could have happened.”

Luc Robitaille’s goal tied the game at 3:13 of the third period.

The scene shifts to Vancouver for Game 3 tonight and Game 4 Wednesday night.

“They figure they got the split,” Gretzky said, “and now they’re going home to Vancouver. By losing (Game 1), we’ve given them the opening.”

* PAT QUINN: Former King coach is happy for L.A. fans, but he is trying for an upset with Canucks. C4