Kings Like the Results From Unlikely Trio : Hockey: Miller, McSorley and Buskas make key plays in a 4-2 victory over the Oilers.

Their names are usually found under penalties, not points.

Their contributions are usually made in the corners, not the crease.

Rod Buskas, Marty McSorley and Jay Miller are role players for the Kings, and their role is usually to stop the other guy.

But with their own club uncharacteristically struggling on offense, this unlikely trio figured in three of the Kings’ four goals Thursday night to enable their team to beat the Edmonton Oilers, 4-2, before a sellout Northlands Coliseum crowd of 17,503.

Excellent defense and clutch goaltending by Kelly Hrudey shut down the Oiler offense, handing Edmonton its fifth loss in six games and dropping the Oilers (28-27-3) 12 points behind the Smythe Division-leading Kings (32-19-7).

“The season is whittling away,” Coach Tom Webster said. “Any time you win now, it’s big.”

Tony Granato opened the scoring with his 20th goal off a pass from Wayne Gretzky.

Miller then made his contribution. Coming in from the left side, he made a perfect pass to John McIntyre at the right post. McIntyre put the puck through the pads of Edmonton goalie Bill Ranford for his sixth goal and a 2-0 first-period lead.

It was questionable whether Ranford, bothered by back spasms, would even play. But he was still in there in the second period, and in a tie game thanks to Mark Messier’s 10th goal and Joe Murphy’s 21st.

Murphy’s game-tying shot was a short-handed goal 10:32 into the period. He took a long lead pass from Esa Tikkanen and scored on a breakaway, going over Hrudey’s stick for his 100th career point.

The Kings struggled on the power play, scoring only once in six tries. Through their first four power plays Thursday, they were outshot by Edmonton, 4-1.

But with all their difficulties, the Kings got the winner on a power play.

McSorley took aim from just inside the blue line. Between him and Ranford were three players, a King and two Oilers, all lined up.

Ranford didn’t appreciate the choreography, because it left him without a clue as to the location of the puck, rapidly heading his way. The puck bounced off his right pad at 14:29 for McSorley’s third goal of the season and the Kings had a 3-2 lead.

No time to celebrate, however, because ahead lay the third period.

It has been a disastrous period of late for the Kings. In going 0-1-2 over their past three games, they had been outshot by a combined total of 35-10 in the final period.

They didn’t exactly burst open Thursday. They were outshot, 16-8, in the final period, 27-13 over the last two periods and 33-22 for game.

But their defense tightened, Hrudey closed the net and Buskas emerged with an insurance goal 4:21 into the final period.

He shot from the slot, about 40 feet out. And when Ranford moved to block it, his skates went out from under him, leaving a clear path to the net.

“I’ll take any goal I can get,” Buskas said of his second of the season and first in 33 games. “I just shot it hard, Ranford slipped and the puck went in.

“We didn’t want to lay back. That’s been our problem. We wanted to keep attacking.”

When it was over, Granato greeted reporters with a smile.

“Are you guys happy?” he asked, referring to recent stories about the ineptness of the King offense in the final period. “I was shooting from the blue line just for you.”

Gretzky was held without a goal for the sixth game in a row and both Luc Robitaille and Tomas Sandstrom, the team’s other 30-goal scorers, were also blanked.

No problem.

Not with McSorley, Buskas and Miller around.

King Notes

Defenseman Rob Blake and forward Brad Jones remained home, Blake with a bruised knee, Jones with a shoulder injury. Neither is believed to be serious. . . . Edmonton was blanked on four power plays and has converted on only one of 19 over its past five games.