After putting in what head coach Terry Murray called their worst effort of the season on Wednesday night in a 6-2 blowout loss at Calgary, the Los Angeles Kings responded with a strong effort on Thursday night as they handed the Edmonton Oilers a 2-1 loss in front of 16,839 fans at Rexall Place in Edmonton.
Anze Kopitar broke out with his best performance of the season with a goal and an assist. Left wing Patrick O’Sullivan also tallied a goal and an assist.
Kopitar’s goal came at 13:51 of the third period when he took a feed from O’Sullivan, who was below the left circle. Kopitar was in front of the Edmonton net and with the puck still in mid-air, he batted it into the net.
Jason LaBarbera, who came on in relief of goaltender Erik Ersberg during the third period at Calgary, got his first start since November 1 and stopped 22 shots to earn his first win since October 24, a 4-0 shutout at St. Louis.
Dwayne Roloson was the best player on the ice for the Oilers, stopping 27 shots, single-handedly keeping his team in the game.
The Kings return to Staples Center on Saturday when they will host the Chicago Blackhawks.
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