If the Oilers started games anymore slowly, they'd be going backward.

Actually, they are going backward in the standings because of their slow starts.

They've lost four of their last five games, and in five of those six games the other team scored first. The Oilers have led after the first period only five times in 23 games this season.

It seems every night they spot the other team a goal or two and spend the rest of the night trying to come back.

It works occasionally, such as Saturday when they scored four straight to turn an early 2-0 deficit into a 4-2 win at St. Louis, but it's a recipe for failure over the long haul.

After allowing two goals on the first six shots, Edmonton goalie Dwayne Roloson knew it was time to bear down and give his teammates a chance to get back into the game. Roloson made key saves after allowing two first-period goals, and the Oilers responded with four unanswered goals in a 4-2 victory over the St.

The Los Angeles Kings rebounded from a tough loss in Calgary at the expense of the Edmonton Oilers. Jason LaBarbera made 22 saves, and Anze Kopitar and Patrick O'Sullivan each had a goal and an assist in the Kings' 2-1 victory over the Oilers on Wednesday night. The Kings lost 5-2 on Tuesday night in Calgary.

The Detroit Red Wings pushed aside the Edmonton Oilers with another dominant power-play performance. Jiri Hudler scored two goals, the second on a power play, and Chris Osgood made 30 saves in Detroit's 4-3 victory over Edmonton on Thursday night. Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Kopecky added power-play goals for Detroit, 6-0-1 in its last seven and 13-2-3 overall.

The Edmonton Oilers got high marks for shooting efficiency in their highest-scoring game of the season. Shawn Horcoff had a goal and two assists to lead seven multiple-point scorers, and the Oilers snapped a three-game losing streak with a 7-2 rout of the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night despite being outshot 39-19.