Kings and Oilers players fight for the puck during Thursday’s game.Perry Nelson
Eric Gryba scored the game winner and Jordan Eberle picked up a pair of assists as the Edmonton Oilers skated away with a rare 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.
Patrick Maroon and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored for the Oilers (19-12-6), who have gone 4-0-1 in their last five outings.
Nick Shore replied for the Kings (17-15-4), who have lost three in a row.
It was the second of five meetings between the two teams this season, with the Kings winning the first one 4-2 in Los Angeles. The Kings swept the five-game set last year, and came into the game with a 17-1-2 record against Edmonton in their last 20 meetings.
There was no scoring in the opening period, with Edmonton putting nine shots on Kings goalie Peter Budaj, and Los Angeles recording eight shots on Oiler Cam Talbot, who made his league-leading 33rd start.
Edmonton broke the deadlock 2:32 into the second period with a power-play marker, as Eberle fed it to Maroon at the side of the net and he completed a quick wrap-around to beat Budaj for his 11th of the season.
Maroon almost added another late in the second, but Budaj came across to make a point-blank stop.
Edmonton had a 22-18 lead on the shot clock through 40 minutes.
The Kings tied it up three minutes into the third as Oilers forward Mark Letestu coughed up the puck to Shore, who then picked the top corner on Talbot.
The Oilers made it 2-1 four minutes later. Budaj made a great foot save while sprawled on the ice, but Gryba swooped in to swat the rebound in out of the air for his first of the season.
Talbot made a huge save in the final minute on Devin Setoguchi to allow Nugent-Hopkins to score an empty-net goal to secure the victory.
Both teams will return to action on Saturday, as the Oilers play host to the Vancouver Canucks, while the Kings return home for their first game since Dec. 10, when they welcome the San Jose Sharks.