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Smyth, Hemsky record four points as Oilers beat Kings

Jan 28, 2007 - 7:28 AM EDMONTON, Alberta (Ticker) -- Edmonton Oilers coach Craig MacTavish moved Ales Hemsky back on the line with Ryan Smyth and Shawn Horcoff. It turned out to be just the right move.

Smyth had two goals and two assists, including the go-ahead tally midway through the third period, and Hemsky recorded four points as the Edmonton Oilers posted a 4-3 triumph over the Los Angeles Kings.

Horcoff also scored for the Oilers, who had lost four of five, including a 3-1 decision Friday to Calgary.

"Ryan, Horc and Hemmer were a handful all night," MacTavish said. "We needed a line to step up and be the best line on the ice and tonight they were the best line out there.

"We had to find a way to give Hemmer the opportunity to be the best player, and it just wasn't working with Petr (Nedved) and Petr (Sykora) and we just needed to make a change, and this one seemed to make the most sense, and hopefully they can build on this momentum and keep it going."

With the victory, Edmonton improved to 3-19-0 when trailing after two periods and to 10-10 in one-goal games.

"Obviously it was important to rebound after last night," Smyth said. "I thought all three zones tonight were really critical and we played tough in those areas. Especially down in the D-zone areas."

After Los Angeles scored the final two goals in the second period to forge a 3-2 lead, Smyth assisted on Horcoff's ninth goal of the season 67 seconds into the final stanza.

Edmonton took the lead 7:58 into the third, when a shot from the point by Steve Staios was blocked by goaltender Sean Burke and bounced off Smyth's body into the net, completing his third four-point game of the season.

"Ryan played the way Ryan always plays with the puck bouncing in off him on the game-winner and really leading our line, and then Hemmer was just a magician out there," Horcoff said. "It's unbelievable the things he can do sometimes."

"That one line was very special for them," Kings coach Marc Crawford said. "It was the best line in the building. I know Hemsky and Smyth, I mean, they were great, but I'm not here to talk about them. Our disappointment is in order to win in this league we have to give much more effort than we gave tonight."

Seldom-used backup goaltender Jussi Markkanen, who finished with 32 saves, made the lead stand. He stopped all eight shots in the final stanza in winning for the first time since December 21 at Phoenix.

"It felt pretty good out there but I've been feeling good for a few weeks in most of the practices, so I've been feeling pretty confident," Markkanen said. "In the second I felt pretty tired because I was pretty busy out there but sometimes that happens, and then in the third they didn't have much, so I just tried to hang in there."

Michael Cammalleri, Patrick O'Sullivan and Brian Willsie each scored for the Kings, who snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 3-2 overtime win against Vancouver on Friday.

"We didn't have that same competitiveness in the third and I think they wanted it more in the third," defenseman Rob Blake said. "They played well and crashed the net in the third and we needed the same effort we had in the second for the entire game and we just didn't have it."

Sean Burke posted 27 saves for Los Angeles.