Kevin Fiala scored two power-play goals for the Los Angeles Kings in a 6-1 win against the visiting Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.
Anze Kopitar and Quinton Byfield each had a goal and an assist, Andrei Kuzmenko and Adrian Kempe had three assists apiece, and Darcy Kuemper made 24 saves for the Kings (45-24-9, 99 points). Los Angeles has won five of six to maintain a four-point lead over the Edmonton Oilers for second place in the Pacific Division.
The Kings and Oilers each have four games left, including a head-to-head matchup on Monday in Edmonton.
Cutter Gauthier scored his fifth goal in the last three games and Lukas Dostal made 23 saves for the Ducks (35-36-8, 78 points), who had won two in a row.
The Kings seized control of the game with three straight goals in the second period to take a 4-1 lead.
Kopitar scored his 20th of the season on a redirection to give Los Angeles a 2-1 edge at 2:17.
Fiala tallied on a one-timer from just above the right circle while on a power play to extend the lead to 3-1 at 5:30.
Alex Laferriere knocked down a puck, gained control in the slot, swung and missed at his first attempt, but then swiped the puck into the net with a backhand as he fell to the ice to make it 4-1 at 16:34.
Fiala scored his second power-play goal and the Kings’ third of the game to extend the advantage to 5-1 at 1:08 of the third period.
Fiala has 32 goals on the season, one shy of his career high set in 2021-22 with the Minnesota Wild.
Los Angeles’ Jordan Spence found the net on a one-timer from the right point to make it 6-1 at 10:47.
The Kings scored on their first shot of the game while on a power play.
Kuzmenko worked his way toward the net from the corner and fed Byfield in the slot from just below the goal line. Byfield swept a one-timer into the net for a 1-0 lead at 1:24 of the first period.
Los Angeles went 3-for-6 on the power play overall.
Gauthier tied it 1-1 at 1:46 of the second period with a one-timer from the top of the right circle off the rush, giving him 20 goals in his rookie season.
–Field Level Media
