Oilers Grease Kings’ Slide

Luc Robitaille keeps going and going, but his team might be going, going, gone.

Robitaille set an NHL record for career points by a left wing Monday night, but the Kings lost to the Edmonton Oilers, 2-1, before a dismayed sellout crowd of 18,118 at Staples Center that might have witnessed the Kings’ last stand at a playoff spot.

Edmonton opened the scoring with a freakish goal and closed it with Ryan Smyth’s effort at 13:38 of the third period to ensure the Kings’ fourth consecutive loss -- all at home -- and crystallize their fading playoff hopes with seven games left, all against playoff contenders, five on the road.

The Kings are now three points behind the Oilers for the West’s eighth and final playoff spot. They are two points behind the ninth-place St. Louis Blues.

Robitaille passed John Bucyk with his 1,370th point, an assist on Jozef Stumpel’s goal at 8:51 of the third period, but the game’s final numbers weren’t as monumental for the Kings.

“It’s certainly something I’ll cherish someday,” said Robitaille, in his 18th season. “It’s just hard now. We’re battling so hard for the playoffs. It’s just a hard loss.”

The Kings knew the importance of Monday’s game after Edmonton passed them in the standings with a 5-2 victory Sunday over the San Jose Sharks. There was no underestimating the importance of Smyth’s effort with the game, and its playoff consequences, hanging on every faceoff, every dump-in, every save.

Smyth became the difference-maker when he skated past the King blue line, dropped a pass off the left boards to Marc-Andre Bergeron and continued to the left circle in time to deflect Bergeron’s shot through the legs of Cristobal Huet.

With that, the Oilers took a 2-1 lead and increased their point-earning streak to 13 games (8-0-2-3), continuing one of the league’s more remarkable late turnarounds this season.

King Coach Andy Murray, for his part, had tried to infuse energy into his suddenly dormant team by restructuring three of the four lines. It didn’t produce any scoring until Robitaille fed Stumpel from the right boards for a one-timer that deflected past goaltender Ty Conklin on a power play.

Beyond that, the Kings can’t seem to find the net. Or much karma.

Fernando Pisani’s goal for Edmonton at 17:07 of the first period defined the Kings’ sagging fortunes in recent games.

The play started with a solid forecheck by Edmonton left wing Raffi Torres, who kept King defenseman Aaron Miller from getting to the puck behind the King net. King center Esa Pirnes picked up the puck but was tripped by Miller’s stick, leaving Pisani with an unexpected gift.

It got worse for the Kings when Pisani’s pass to the slot from the left dot deflected off the skate of King defenseman Nathan Dempsey and through Huet’s legs.

“The whole thing was kind of unfortunate and freakish,” Dempsey said. “Nine times out of 10, it’ll bounce off me and away from the crease.”

In another example of luck gone askew, the Kings had a chance to tie the score 4:10 into the second period, but Miller’s shot from the slot toward a vacated net was kicked aside by Edmonton left wing Ethan Moreau. Conklin had been drawn out of the net moments earlier by Stumpel’s deke on a 2-on-1, but Miller couldn’t convert.

“In other games, I think we got the goals when we needed to have them,” Murray said.

Although Robitaille set a record, a different one was left in suspension: Murray remained tied with Bob Pulford for the King record of 178 career coaching victories.

Then again, records are the last facts and figures on the minds of the Kings, who leave today for a four-game trip, not necessarily a bad thing after their recent performances on home ice.

“We’ve had some great wins on the road this year,” Robitaille said. “I still believe in this team. We’re going to have to start winning.”

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Race in the West

The race for the final three playoff spots in the NHL Western Conference. The top eight teams qualify (GH -- games remaining at home; GR -- games remaining on the road):

*--* Team Wins Pts GH GR 6. Calgary 38 86 2 4 7. Nashville 34 82 4 3 8. Edmonton 33 82 3 3 9. St. Louis 34 81 4 3 10. KINGS 28 79 2 5

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