Playoff-hopeful Kings crush Oilers

Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Marian Gaborik tallied two goals and an assist as the Los Angeles Kings continued their playoff hunt with an 8-2 thrashing of the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday.

Jeff Carter scored twice, Drew Doughty had a goal and an assist and Dustin Brown, Robyn Regehr and Jordan Nolan each lit the lamp for the Kings, who ended a two-game skid. Jonathan Quick made 28 saves.

"We started off very well. The first period was key," Gaborik said. "There is always confidence in our room."

Los Angeles tied idle Winnipeg for the Western Conference's final wild card spot with 90 points and moved within one point of Calgary for third in the Pacific Division.

Teddy Purcell and Jordan Eberle each scored for the Oilers, who have dropped their last two games. Ben Scrivens gave up five goals on 21 shots, while Tyler Bunz allowed three goals on 12 shots during the third period in his NHL debut.

"We have some work to do if we want to compete," Oilers forward Taylor Hall said.

Brown started the scoring just 2:23 into the game after he emerged from the left-wing boards and beat Scrivens with a wrister. Gaborik took a cross- ice pass from Anze Kopitar and sent the puck into the top left corner of the net for a 2-0 lead just two minutes later.

Doughty took advantage of a Justin Williams screen in front and fired a shot on net from the top of the right circle for a three-goal lead prior to the midway point of the initial frame.

Following Kyle Clifford's goaltender interference penalty, Purcell made it a 3-1 game by shooting a rebound under Quick's pads 7:55 into the second.

Nolan restored Los Angeles' three-goal advantage skating down low, emerging from behind the net and slipping the puck into the net with 7:46 left in the middle stanza.

The Kings made it 5-1 with 1:22 left before the second intermission. Carter took Gaborik's pass from below the goal line and wristed a shot into the top of the net.

Bunz took over in the third period and didn't fare much better as Regehr's slap shot bounced off an Oiler in front at 2:53, Gaborik struck 22 seconds later with a wrister from the left circle and Carter followed up his own shot and batted the fluttering puck into the net midway through the frame.

Eberle beat Quick with a right-circle wrister to cap the scoring with 1:30 to play.

Game Notes

Kopitar and Williams each supplied two assists ... The Kings improved to 12-0-3 over their last 15 games against the Oilers, who last won during regulation in the series on Nov. 3, 2011 ... Los Angeles last scored eight goals on April 1, 2010 in an 8-3 win over Vancouver ... The two teams will meet again on April 7 in Edmonton.