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LOS ANGELES, CA - The Oilers gave up three goals in the opening period and couldn't recover, dropping a 4-0 decision to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night at the Staples Center.

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Three minutes in, Kyle Clifford got in behind the Oilers defence and drove to the net before firing the puck just under the glove of Koskinen to open the scoring.
The Kings doubled their lead when Toffoli created a turnover at the top of the Oilers zone and used his speed to get alone in front. He deked out Koskinen for the goal to make it 2-0.
L.A. scored again four minutes later. Jeff Carter's shot from the right circle beat Koskinen high on the blocker side. After that goal, Cam Talbot came in to replace Koskinen, who allowed three goals on eight shots.
After one, shots on goal were 9-3 for Los Angeles.
Oilers head coach Ken Hitchcock was not pleased after the game.
"We didn't compete. Their best players were their best players. We didn't compete. This was on everybody. Everybody. When you have one player who competes at a high level in a game like this, that can't be acceptable," Hitchcock fumed.
"There's been too much of this going on in the first 41 games. We win one and then we take our foot off the gas and that's exactly what we did."
Hitchcock added that the only player on the entire team who played well was Darnell Nurse.
"We had one player show up and play: Darnell Nurse. He was our best player by a mile. He was one of the most competitive players on the ice and that's all we had," Hitchcock continued. "When one guy's at that level and everybody else is struggling to compete for a puck, come on. It's what happens when you don't show up."
Just past the midway point of the final frame, Anze Kopitar wristed a shot from the left circle past Talbot to extend the Kings lead to 4-0.

Kopitar, Quick reach milestones in Kings' 4-0 win

With 1:08 to go in the game, Ilya Kovalchuk looked to have scored to make it 5-0 but Oilers challenged the play and it was ruled to be offside.
Hitchcock was asked after the game why the team didn't show up for such a crucial game, only four points out of a playoff spot with the team they're chasing -- Anaheim -- on tap tomorrow.
"I think you are what you are and right now what has to change for us is we're a situation motivated team. The situation motivates us. It has to come from in the locker room. We can bark and bitch and scream all we want but it has to come from inside the locker room," Hitchcock stated.
"The situation is motivating us. I've only been here 20 games but I see the situation motivates. We lose, we get embarrassed, we get motivated. And that isn't a playoff team. That isn't a playoff attitude. And we have to change.
"This can't be acceptable."