EDMONTON, Alberta -- Defenseman Eric Gryba isn't known for scoring goals, but his first goal of the season stood as the winner as the Edmonton Oilers beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-1.

The third-period winner was just Gryba's sixth career goal. The 28-year-old is in his fifth NHL season.

Gryba became the unlikely hero at 6:58 of the third period. With the score tied 1-1, he flew in off the point to bat a rebound out of the air and into the goal after Jordan Eberle had a couple of whacks at it. The hand-eye coordination needed to bunt the puck into the net -- and the instincts to race in off the blue line to finish the chance -- isn't what would be expected out of a third-pairing, defense-first defenseman.

"What can you say?" said Kings goalie Peter Budaj. "We tied the game and then Gryba hit it out of the air. It doesn't happen that often, it was just a lucky bounce. But you can't really blame everything on lucky bounces.

"I think Eberle tried to bank it off me or bank it off our player. I don't know, I'm sure he's going to know more about what he tried to do. I just tried to, reflexes, put (my leg) up. And I put it in the air and he hit out of the air. It's a tough play and a tough bounce."

And, judging by the reaction from his teammates, Gryba's goal could be the kind of team-bonding moment that keeps the Oilers on the road from also-ran to playoff contender.

"I could have had four tonight," said Gryba. "I missed the net a couple of times. I'll be working on hitting the net from now on. I don't get in those situations very often. You hear it from the guys, but I just tell them I'll fight them."

Gryba missed an open net late in the third, sending a shot over the crossbar.

"I don't know if the cameras captured how excited the team was obviously to get a goal, but for Grybs because he does a lot of dirty work for this team," said Oilers coach Todd McLellan. "He's had a tough go of it right from training camp and everybody was happy for him. We would have loved to see him score the other three or four that he probably should have had tonight."

Goalie Cam Talbot, another star on the night, didn't think Gryba should have been that hard on himself.

"When a guy like him can pot a big goal like that, and it ends up being a game-winner against a good team like L.A,, a big win for us tonight, it makes it that much sweeter," said Talbot.

The Oilers netminder made 28 saves against the Kings, who got just one goal against Vancouver on Wednesday and could only equal that total at Rogers Place. The Kings have scored a paltry 88 goals in 36 games, and have just one player -- Jeff Carter -- in double digits in goal-scoring.

Talbot made a last-gasp pad save on Devon Setoguchi to preserve the win. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored the empty-net insurance goal right after Talbot made the game-saving stop.

The Kings has just one shot in the first eight minutes of the game, but it was an excellent scoring opportunity. Oilers defenseman Brandon Davidson made a drop pass in front of his own goal that was intercepted by Tanner Pearson. The Kings left winger was in on goal with just Talbot to beat, but the Oilers goalie made the save.

The Oilers opened the scoring at 2:32 of the second period. With Kings defenseman Jake Muzzin in the penalty box, Patrick Maroon came from behind the net and wrapped the puck around Budaj's pad.

It was Maroon's 11th goal of the season.

Kyle Clifford had a great chance to tie the game with just under four minutes left in the second, but Talbot stopped the shot that came from the slot. The save made up for the only error the Oilers goalie had made up to that point, as he gave away the puck near his own goal to set up the chance for the visitors.

Budaj slid across his crease to rob Maroon of a goal with 1:45 left in the second.

The Kings tied the game at 3:05 of the third. After Oilers defenseman Oscar Klefbom and center Mark Letestu failed on their attempts to clear the puck out of their own zone, Nick Shore pounced on the opportunity and wristed a shot into the top corner.

"We got beat on the scoreboard but we can't complain about much else," said Kings coach Darryl Sutter. "We played a hell of a hockey team in a tough building. You should give the Oilers a little bit of credit."

NOTES: The Kings have two former Oilers on their roster, D Matt Greene and D Tom Gilbert. Both were scratched Thursday, along with C Andy Andreoff. ... Oilers LW Milan Lucic played 81 games for the Kings in the 2015-16 season before signing with Edmonton as a free agent. ... The Kings' roster has 14 players on it who were with the team when it captured the Stanley Cup in 2014. ... The Kings beat the Oilers in their only previous meeting of the season, 4-2 at the Staples Center on Nov. 17. ... Oilers D Andrej Sekera missed Thursday's game due to illness, with D Matthew Benning taking his spot. ... The Oilers scratched LW Taylor Beck.