Gryba the unlikely hero as Oilers top Kings
EDMONTON, Alberta -- Defenseman Eric Gryba isn't known for scoring goals, but his first goal of the season stood as the winner as the Edmonton Oilers beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-1.
The third-period winner was just Gryba's sixth career goal. The 28-year-old is in his fifth NHL season.
Gryba became the unlikely hero at 6:58 of the third period. With the score tied 1-1, he flew in off the point to bat a rebound out of the air and into the goal after Jordan Eberle had a couple of whacks at it. The hand-eye coordination needed to bunt the puck into the net -- and the instincts to race in off the blue line to finish the chance -- isn't what would be expected out of a third-pairing, defense-first defenseman.
Cam Talbot made 28 saves against the Kings, who got just one goal against Vancouver on Wednesday and could only equal that total at Rogers Place. The Kings have scored a paltry 88 goals in 36 games, and have just one player -- Jeff Carter -- in double digits in goal-scoring.
Talbot made a last-gasp pad save on Devon Setoguchi to preserve the win. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored the empty-net insurance goal right after Talbot made the game-saving stop.
The Kings has just one shot in the first eight minutes of the game, but it was an excellent scoring opportunity. Oilers defenseman Brandon Davidson made a drop pass in front of his own goal that was intercepted by Tanner Pearson. The Kings left winger was in on goal with just Talbot to beat, but the Oilers goalie made the save.
The Oilers opened the scoring at 2:32 of the second period. With Kings defenseman Jake Muzzin in the penalty box, Patrick Maroon came from behind the net and wrapped the puck around the pad of Los Angeles netminder Peter Budaj.
It was Maroon's 11th goal of the season.
Kyle Clifford had a great chance to tie the game with just under four minutes left in the second, but Talbot stopped the shot that came from the slot. The save made up for the only error the Oilers goalie had made up to that point, as he gave away the puck near his own goal to set up the chance for the visitors.
Budaj slid across his crease to rob Maroon of a goal with 1:45 left in the second.
The Kings tied the game at 3:05 of the third. After Oilers defenseman Oscar Klefbom and center Mark Letestu failed on their attempts to clear the puck out of their own zone, Nick Shore pounced on the opportunity and wristed a shot into the top corner.
NOTES: The Kings have two former Oilers on their roster, D Matt Greene and D Tom Gilbert. Both were scratched Thursday, along with C Andy Andreoff. ... Oilers LW Milan Lucic played 81 games for the Kings in the 2015-16 season before signing with Edmonton as a free agent. ... The Kings' roster has 14 players on it who were with the team when it captured the Stanley Cup in 2014. ... The Kings beat the Oilers in their only previous meeting of the season, 4-2 at the Staples Center on Nov. 17. ... Oilers D Andrej Sekera missed Thursday's game due to illness, with D Matthew Benning taking his spot. ... The Oilers scratched LW Taylor Beck.