(Sports Network) - The Edmonton Oilers will continue what has so far been a successful homestand this evening against the visiting Los Angeles Kings at Rexall Place.
The Oilers had lost four straight and 10 of 12 games before their current five-game residency that has produced a 2-1-0 mark thus far. They are coming off their first shutout of the season, a 4-0 blanking of the Coyotes on Monday.
Edmonton won the game while displaying a quick attack that hasn't been seen since the days of Wayne Gretzky. Sheldon Souray and Ales Hemsky scored a club- record seven seconds apart in the first period, breaking the previous eight- second mark set by Gretzky and Glenn Anderson in 1982.
Souray also had an assist and Hemsky's goal was the 100th of his career.
Making his third straight start in place of Nikolai Khabibulin (back spasms), Jeff Deslauriers made 36 saves to record his first career shutout.
"Maybe not technically the best game, but I just went in there and I just thought about stopping the puck no matter how I could," said Deslauriers. "Less thinking and more stopping."
Should Deslauriers start again tonight, it would mark his first career appearance versus the Kings.
Los Angeles has dropped two straight and five of its last eight, including Saturday's 5-2 setback to Calgary. Jonathan Quick allowed all five goals on 32 shots, including a hat trick by the Flames' Jarome Iginla.
"We took too many penalties," said Kings head coach Terry Murray. "Two five- on-threes, and then four-on-fives, too much of giving them opportunities to get back into the game."
Drew Doughty and Alexander Frolov each tallied once for the Kings, who have lost both games since Ryan Smyth suffered an upper-body injury that caused him to go on injured reserve on Monday.
In addition to skating without Smyth, Rob Scuderi missed his third straight game due to a lower-body injury while Jarret Stoll is questionable for this game with a lower-body injury.
Anze Kopitar, who leads the NHL with 33 points, has gone six straight games without a goal but does have five assists in that span. He has five goals and 13 points in 11 games versus the Oilers, while Quick is 1-0-1 with a 1.46 goals-against average versus them.
The Kings went 2-0-2 versus the Oilers last year, winning both games at Edmonton, where it has won four of its last six.