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Kopitar leads Kings past Oilers

Mar 31, 2012 - 5:01 AM Edmonton, AB (Sports Network) - Anze Kopitar posted a goal and an assist as the Los Angeles Kings became the current team to occupy the top spot in the Pacific Division with a 4-1 win over Edmonton.

The Kings now have 90 points on the season and sit one ahead of Dallas and Phoenix for first place in the division with San Jose a point further back. Dallas lost to Vancouver on Friday while the other two teams had off. Each squad has four games to play.

"Two points is what we want every game from here till the end," said Los Angeles head coach Darryl Sutter. "Every game is important and I thought everyone did a real good job tonight."

Drew Doughty, Mike Richards and Alec Martinez each scored for the Kings, who have won their past two. Jonathan Quick needed to stop just 13 shots for the win.

Jordan Eberle scored his 33rd goal of the season for the Oilers, who have dropped their past two. Nikolai Khabibulin gave up all four goals on 32 shots in the loss.

"There's not much you can say right now," said Oilers head coach Tom Renney. "They were heavier, stronger and more determined than we were. They did all the things that we need to incorporate into our game."

The Kings struck just 52 seconds in when Dwight King threw a shot on net from the right circle that Kopitar tipped in for his 25th of the season.

Edmonton tied the game just 42 seconds later when Jeff Petry sent a pass from the high slot to the left circle where Eberle wristed it home.

Los Angeles, though, took a lead it never gave back with 9:12 to play in the first when a pass back to the point got past the Edmonton player and Richards caught up to it. He skated down the left wing and cut to the front before lifting a backhand in for his fourth shorthanded goal of the season.

At the 6:44 mark of the second, the Kings made it a 3-1 game when Doughty blasted a shot from the high slot on the power play that found its way through for his 10th of the season.

It was a 4-1 game 7:45 into the third after Martinez put in a rebound from the left circle off a Matt Green right point shot.

Game Notes

The Kings have nine shorthanded goals on the season, tops in the Western Conference...Los Angeles wraps up its four-game road trip in Minnesota on Saturday...Edmonton plays in Anaheim on Sunday...Edmonton had won the prior two this season. These teams will meet again on Monday in Los Angeles.