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EDMONTON -- The Los Angeles Kings needed to shed some rust heading into the playoffs and the Edmonton Oilers proved to be a perfect solution. Marian Gaborik had two goals and an assist and Martin Jones made just 17 saves to record his fourth shutout of the season as the Kings snapped a three-game losing skid with a 3-0 victory over the lowly Oilers on Thursday. "After coming off a bad start (Wednesday) night we talked about having to be ready to play from the start and we did," Gaborik said. "We got up 1-0 quickly and that for sure helped us. I thought we controlled the game all 60 minutes." Anze Kopitar also scored for the Kings (46-28-7), who had won just one of their previous five games. "We wanted to have a good start and obviously scoring in the first minute helps," Kopitar said of his goal just 27 seconds in. "After that, we were pressing pretty hard and had some pretty good offensive zone time and brought the game home pretty well with no stress in the end and thats what you want. "Right now we just want to sharpen our game for pretty much a week from now so were ready to go in the playoffs." Los Angeles has already clinched third in the Pacific Division and will play the second-place San Jose Sharks in the first round of the playoffs. The Oilers (28-44-9) have lost two in a row and have now been shut out 10 times this season, seven of those coming on home ice. "Tonight was a really disappointing effort on all fronts except for goaltending," said Oilers forward Taylor Hall. "By no means is a good effort in our last game going to make up for the 82 games that we have played, but it would certainly be better than going out on a bad note. If we had to leave the season after a game like tonights, that would leave a bit of a sting." The loss dropped Edmonton back into 29th place in the NHL, a point back of the Florida Panthers, who defeated Toronto 4-2 on the night. "It is a bit of a wakeup call," said Oilers forward David Perron of the shutout loss. "Everyone was happy with the way we had been playing over the last few games and it is a reminder that there is a lot of work to be done and that we had all put a lot of work in over the summer to get ready individually." It didnt take the Kings long to start the scoring, going up 1-0 on the games first shot 27 seconds into the first period. Justin Williams threw a pass in front of the Oilers net and it hit the stick of an Oilers defender before ending up in front for Kopitar, who sent his 200th career NHL goal past Edmonton goalie Viktor Fasth. "You cant give a Stanley Cup contender a lead that early," said Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins. "Our top line was on the ice and it was a really easy assignment there and it was in our net. That cant happen." The Kings went up by a pair nine minutes into the first period. Willie Mitchell flubbed a shot from the point but it ended up right on the stick of Gaborik, who beat Fasth for his 10th goal of the season in his 40th game. Los Angeles almost padded its lead with three minutes left in the first, but a Jarret Stoll power-play shot clanged off the post. The Kings had 11 first-period shots, while Edmonton only managed four on Jones. Edmonton had its first real scoring chance of the game minutes into the second period when Perron circled the net and had Jones going the wrong way, but the Kings goalie recovered in time to make a huge diving save on Hall. Los Angeles got a gift goal with six minutes to play in the second period as Gaborik took a wrist shot just across the blue-line that Fasth only got a piece of before it caromed into the net. It appeared that Gaborik had his hat trick on a power play with six minutes to play in the third, however, the goal was called back due to goaltender interference by Williams. The Kings outshot Edmonton 48-17 in the game and 23-3 in the third period. Both teams close out the regular season on Saturday as the Oilers play host to the Vancouver Canucks in the final game for both clubs, while the Kings return home for their final pre-playoff tune-up against the Anaheim Ducks. Notes: It was the final of four meetings between the Oilers and Kings this season. Los Angeles won the first three games with a combined scored of 9-3 while out-shooting Edmonton 136-69. ... The Kings came into the game having won five straight over Edmonton and 11 of their last 14 meetings. The Kings were 11-0-2 in their last 11 games at Rexall Place in Edmonton. ... Kings forward Marian Gaborik now has at least a point in eight of his last nine games. ... The Kings sat out a pair of defencemen in Robyn Regehr (undisclosed) and Drew Doughty (upper body) for the game. Both are listed as day-to-day. ... Edmonton has a number of players who are done for the season in defenceman Andrew Ference (pectoral tear) and forwards Boyd Gordon (shoulder), Nail Yakupov (broken ankle), Jesse Joensuu (high ankle sprain), Ryan Jones (torn PCL) and Luke Gazdic (shoulder). ... Oiler forward Sam Gagner left the game favouring his ankle after an awkward collision into the boards midway through the second period and did not return. . -- Jerome Williams glanced at Philadelphias schedule and realized he would be facing the Oakland Athletics yet again, with another new team. .C. - Phoenix Suns coach Jeff Hornacek says guard Goran Dragic will return to the starting lineup against the Charlotte Hornets after missing the last two games with a strained back. http://www.mlbraysstore.com/authentic-s ... ys-jersey/. Next up is another showdown with Michigan. Payne scored 18 points, Branden Dawson had 14 and No. 22 Michigan State beat No. 12 Wisconsin 83-75 on Saturday to reach the Big Ten tournament championship. . James Erskine said Tuesday that Thorpe was "quite sick" in a Sydney hospital but dismissed media reports the swimmer might lose the use of his left arm. "Hes not in the intensive care," Erskine said. .com) - Tony Parker scored 17 points to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a comfortable 99-85 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.SAN FRANCISCO - Miami Marlins manager Mike Redmond has no explanation for why his club has played so well at home and struggled so much on the road this season. Wins like Friday night will help erase those questions. Casey McGehee singled home the winning run with one out in the ninth inning to atone for a costly error and help the Marlins earn a rare road win, 7-5 over the San Francisco Giants. "I think were still trying to figure it out," Redmond said. "If I had an answer to why were so much better at home to on the road, wed fix it, right? But these guys keep battling. They keep fighting. You saw that tonight. We dont quit. We keep grinding. We might make a few mistakes, but we keep going." The Marlins made plenty of mistakes. They also made some big plays, too. Derek Dietrich and Christian Yelich homered, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia snapped an 0-for-26 skid by tying his career high with four singles to stop Miamis slide. The Marlins entered the game losers of six of their past seven games and a majors-worst 4-16 record away from home. They also are a league-best 17-5 at home. "Weve seen those games go the other way sometimes, especially on the road right now. It was huge for us to be able to stick in there and get that one," McGehee said. Santiago Casilla (1-1) got out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth, but couldnt escape trouble in the ninth. The right-hander allowed two baserunners before McGehees tiebreaking grounder to right field. "It just had eyes and got through the infield," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Thats the way the game goes." Garrett Jones added an RBI single off lefty Javier Lopez and made a leaping catch in the netting of the photographers pit in foul territory in the bottom of the ninth. Mike Dunn (4-3) pitched a scoreless eighth, and Steve Cishek converted his eighth save for Miami. Neither starter pitched well but did just enough to give his team a chance in the final innings. Henderson Alvarez allowed five runs — four earned — and 10 hits in six innings for the Marlins. He struck out four and walked none. Giantts right-hander Yusmeiro Petit, filling in while Tim Hudson rested his nagging hip, gave up five runs — four earned — on seven hits in five innings.dddddddddddd He struck out five and walked none. "I lost a little bit of my command in the first inning. I tried to stay close in the game," Petit said. After wasting a 4-1 lead in a loss Thursday night to San Francisco, Miami moved ahead 4-1 again but rallied back late this time. The Giants had three RBI hits with two outs, including pinch-hitter Gregor Blancos bloop single in the sixth that tied it at 5-all. Blancos hit came after McGehee couldnt corral a grounder at third. "I still feel terrible. Alvarez battled through and it wouldve been nice to get him the win," McGehee said. Defence — or a lack thereof — proved pivotal in the late innings. Redmond successfully challenged a transfer rule call in the fifth. After a replay review, umpires ruled Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton caught Hunter Pences fly in the web of his glove and dropped the ball trying to transfer it to his hand for a throw. Buster Poseys flyout to right later scored Angel Pagan, who had advanced to third on Stantons botched transfer. Stanton made up for the play with an outstretched catch of Michael Morses fly near the wall in the eighth. Pagan also made a spectacular over-the-head catch on Dietrichs deep fly for the first out of the seventh and held on after running into the padded wall in left-centre. And Casilla got pinch-hitter Ed Lucas to ground into a double play with the bases loaded to end the eighth. NOTES: It was the fifth time Saltalamacchia had four hits in a game. ... Stantons career-high 17-game hitting streak ended after going 0 for 5. ... San Francisco hosted "Metallica Night," which included members of the heavy metal band playing the national anthem, drummer Lars Ulrich throwing out the ceremonial first pitch and singer James Hetfield announcing San Franciscos starting lineup. ... RHP Tim Lincecum (3-2 4.78 ERA) starts for the Giants opposite Miamis RHP Tom Koehler (3-3, 2.57) on Saturday. ' ' '