EDMONTON - Wayne Simmonds had a goal and an assist as the Los Angeles Kings halted a two-game losing streak with a 3-1 win over the slumping Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.
Matt Greene scored the winner and Alexander Frolov added an empty-netter for the Kings (14-9-2).
The game was tied 1-1 after the second period when Greene, a former Oiler acquired by the Kings in the trade for defenceman Lubomir Visnovsky, scored with less than five minutes remaining. Greene beat Oilers starter Jeff Deslauriers with a point shot high to the stick side for his first of the season.
Ryan Potulny responded for the Oilers (10-12-3), who have won just four of their last 16 games.
Edmonton nearly opened the scoring with seven minutes to play in the first period. Oilers forwards Ethan Moreau and Shawn Horcoff crashed the net, and although the puck crossed the line, Kings goalie Jonathan Quick was ruled to have been pushed into the net with it.
Edmonton struck first five minutes later, as Sheldon Souray's point-blast was tipped home by Potulny.
Los Angeles outshot Edmonton 12-8 in the first but Deslauriers stood his ground in his fourth consecutive start in place of Nikolai Khabibulin (back spasms).
The Kings tied the game 6 1/2 minutes into the second on a suspect goal, as Simmonds took a shot from the top of the face-off circle that seemed to freeze Deslauriers.
Edmonton suffered a blow shortly after, as star forward Ales Hemsky was drilled into the boards by Michal Handzus. Hemsky suffered an upper-body injury on the hit and did not return.
The Kings held a 25-15 shot advantage after 40 minutes.
Los Angeles plays in Vancouver on Thursday while the Oilers finish off their season-high five-game homestand against San Jose on Friday.
Notes: It was the first meeting between the two teams this year. Last season they split four one-goal games. The Kings won both games in Edmonton. ... The Oilers, who lead the league in man-games lost to injury, may be close to getting some players back. Ryan Stone (knee), Marc Pouliot (sports hernia) and Robert Nilsson (concussion) have all begun skating with the team. Taylor Chorney (ankle), Denis Grebeshkov (knee), Mike Comrie (mononucleosis), Fernando Pisani (colitis) and goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin (back) are still out indefinitely. ... Out for the Kings were a former Oilers Ryan Smyth and Jarret Stoll. Smyth could be out until Christmas with an upper-body injury while Stoll has a lower-body injury. The Kings are also missing defenceman Rob Scuderi (foot). ... Anze Kopitar, who owns a share of the league lead in scoring, has gone seven straight games without a goal.
