LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kevin Fiala notched his 30th goal of the campaign, Darcy Kuemper recorded 27 stops for his fifth blanking this season, and the Los Angeles Kings defeated the Edmonton Oilers with a score of 3-0 on Saturday. Following their victory, they secured a spot in the playoffs after Las Vegas won against Calgary later that night.
Andrei Kuzmenko and Trevor Lewis also found their names on the scoresheet.
Los Angeles stayed three points shy of the Pacific Division leader, Vegas, which won in overtime against Calgary in their final match of the evening. They also maintain a lead of four points over third-place Edmonton.
Calvin Pickard made 26 saves for the Oilers, who were riding a three-game winning streak.
It was Edmonton's first game since their center Leon Draisaitl had a lower-body injury. Against San Jose on Thursday, which will sideline the 50-goal scorer in the near future. Draisaitl is anticipated to come back before the playoffs start on April 19.
Following a scoreless opening frame, Fiala gave the Kings an unassailable lead halfway through the middle period by capitalizing on the rebound from Alex Laferriere’s attempt.
Takeaways
The Oilers saw Trent Frederic make his first appearance with the team in Edmonton. He was brought over from Boston as part of a three-way trade on March 4 but had missed time due to an injured ankle.
The trio consisting of Anze Kopitar, Adrian Kempe, and Kuzmenko has amassed 17 goals and 22 assists in the 16 games following Kuzmenko’s arrival, which was secured through a trade involving a 2027 third-round draft pick.
Key moment
Early in the second period, what appeared to be Jeff Malott's maiden AHL goal was disallowed following an Edmonton coach's challenge. Nevertheless, this dynamic offensive move ignited the Kings, allowing them to seize control of the match.
Key stat
Fiala and Kempe have become the first duo for the Kings to both notch 30 goals in a season since Kopitar and Dustin Brown achieved this feat back in the 2007-08 campaign.
Up next
On Monday night, both teams take the ice. The Oilers travel to face Anaheim, while the Kings welcome Seattle to their home arena.
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