Kings kill Oilers playoff hopes

Zack Stortini and L.A's Raitis Ivanans #41 grab on to each other during a fight at Rexall Place on April 7, 2009. The Kings won the game 2-1. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

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GAME CENTRE

Twitter Updates   Pre-Game Info Preview Game Notes Head-to-Head Stats Comparison Video interviews Audio Interviews In-Game Media Watch Fernando Pisani's 2nd period goal. 2nd Intermission - Tom Gilbert Photo Gallery Click here for the photo gallery Post-Game Video Watch the highlights Post-game comments from Sam Gagner, Tom Gilbert, Denis Grebeshkov & Craig MacTavish The Other Side: Post-game comments from Wayne Simmonds, Brian Boyle, & Matt Greene Post-Game Podcast   Sam Gagner   Tom Gilbert   Denis Grebeshkov   Craig MacTavish Three Stars Jonathan Quick, LAK - 38 saves Sam Gagner, EDM - Three shots Theo Peckham, EDM - One fight + one shot Update With the loss, Edmonton maintains 11th spot in the Western Conference with 83 points, three points shy of eighth place St. Louis. What's Next Edmonton plays their final home game of the regular season Friday, April 10 vs. Calgary. Game time is 7:00pm MDT.

by Jen Sharpe | edmontonoilers.com

A slow start, bad bounces, red-hot Jonathan Quick and a win by St. Louis over Phoenix combined for a 2-1 loss and elimination from the playoff race for the Oilers Tuesday night. Fernando Pisani scored the lone goal for the Oil, while Dwayne Roloson stopped 27 shots in the loss.

FIRST PERIOD

The Kings commanded Rexall Place early on. Only 55 seconds in, winger Alexander Frolov slapped the puck past Dwayne Roloson, followed three minutes later by Wayne Simmonds' rebound redirection. The goals gave L.A. a 2-0 lead and 7-3 advantage on the shot clock by the four-minute mark.

The Oilers benefited from two powerplays in the latter half of the period, but the club managed only one shot on Jonathan Quick in the first man-advantage and no scoring opportunities in the second.

With four minutes left on the clock, Theo Peckham attempted to jump-start his club and the crowd by duking it out with Boyle near the Oilers bench. The rookie blueliner landed a handful of punches, including a rock-solid left jab that dropped the King to the ice, ending the fight.

Dustin Penner and Jack Johnson participated in fisticuffs of their own two minutes later, but the aggression failed to translate on the scoreboard and the Oilers headed to the second period down two goals and eight shots.

SECOND PERIOD

A third consecutive powerplay helped the Oilers match the Kings on the shot clock by the midway point of the middle frame, but Quick continued to turn away each attempt to maintain his club's two-goal lead.

Shortly after the Oilers attained a 22-17 shot lead -- highlighted by Steve Staios' slapshot that bumbled past Quick and narrowly missed the net -- Zack Stortini and Raitis Ivanans initiated the third fight of the game.

With both players serving their fighting majors in the penalty boxes, the Oilers hit 24 shots and lit the lamp. While jostling for position above Quick's crease, Fernando Pisani deflected Ethan Moreau's shot into the net to get his club on the scoreboard and back within one.

The Kings went on the attack in the final minute, but Roloson's right post and quick glove kept the visitors from tallying a second-period goal. At the buzzer, the Oilers trailed 2-1 but led the shot-clock 25-21.

630 CHED's Dan Tencer talks with Tom Gilbert after 40 minutes

THIRD PERIOD

The Oilers hit 30 shots five minutes into the third and added five more in the minutes that followed. The steady pressure resulted in a pair of near-goals, but misfires, deflections, and posts kept the equalizer off the board.

Roloson spent most of the final 90 seconds out of his net, but the six Oilers skaters couldn't get the puck past Quick a second time. As a result, the Kings held on for a 2-1 win.