LOS ANGELES –– The Kings won their season series against the Pacific Division’s top team and leapfrogged two other clubs in the playoff race on Saturday as they toppled the Vancouver Canucks, 6-3 at Crypto.com Arena.
The Kings moved to 3-0-1 against division-leading Vancouver, the one Western Conference playoff team against which they’ve had consistent success this season. They also vaulted over the Nashville Predators and Vegas Golden Knights, presently occupying the third position in the Pacific, which would set up a third consecutive first-round series against the Edmonton Oilers as things stood Saturday.
Adrian Kempe paced the Kings with two goals and an assist. Kevin Fiala and Drew Doughty each produced a goal and an assist. Alex Laferriere and Trevor Moore both notched a goal while captain Anze Kopitar contributed two assists. Cam Talbot made 39 saves in an understated by effective outing.
Brock Boeser, Dakota Joshua and Teddy Blueger all tallied for Vancouver. Casey DeSmith came up with just 23 saves.
Though the Kings had not quite been analytical darlings through 40 minutes, they carried a lead into the third period, a situation that has now seen them earn points 35 of 35 times, including 32 wins.
They slathered on a final goal shorthanded with 2:40 remaining in the match when Kempe darted the other way on a counterattack, finishing his breakaway with a low shot for his second goal of the night and 27th of his third straight 25-plus-goal output.
They previously regained a three-goal edge with some signature work on the forecheck by Moore, Viktor Arvidsson and Phillip Danault, who returned to action after missing four games with an upper-body injury. Moore initiated the sequence before Arvidsson won the puck and sent it back to Moore, keying a give-and-go play in tight that saw Moore score his 30th goal of the year inside the near post with 9:25 to play.
Vancouver scored on a pair of sticktoitive forays on each side of that Kings goal, at 7:23 and 12:35. First, J.T. Miller gained the zone amid three Kings defenders, weaving his way into a backhand shot that created a rebound to be mopped up by Joshua. Blueger would later add a shorthanded goal to draw the Canucks within two goals.
After absorbing much of the play as the first period progressed, the Kings provided a response territorially and, more importantly, on the scoreboard in the second period.
They took a commanding 4-1 lead 8:49 into the frame when a long lob by Kopitar from near the end line to the red line wobbled ahead as Fiala smoked defenseman Carson Soucy badly enough to reach the puck, backhand it into DeSmith’s pad and then score on a second forehand attempt for his 27th goal of 2023-24. Fiala has 13 points in his past 11 games.
The Kings had taken just 2:09 to gain a bit of separation when Fiala set up a one-time blast from Jordan Spence from above the area between the faceoff circles. His shot was tipped upward and just under the by Laferriere, with his 12th goal of the campaign giving DeSmith little opportunity at a save.
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Boeser continued to excel against the Kings scoring his 17th goal in 20 career games against the Kings to halve Vancouver’s deficit with 9:12 to play in the first period. Defenseman Ian Cole activated to create a sound entry for Boeser and Elias Pettersson, who found Boeser at the left side of the net with a lane to stickhandle into traffic and score to the far side.
The Kings had staked themselves to a two-goal advantage off two early power-play goals, at the 2:48 and 5:45 marks, scoring on two of their first four shots.
Doughty moved the puck from the right point to the right circle and then reappeared atop the left circle to pop a rising redirection over DeSmith and into the net for goal No. 15, putting him one why of his career high set in 2009-10.
Opening the scoring was Kempe, skating down Kopitar’s pass into space near the right point before he zoomed to the dot and fired a hard wrist shot inside the far post for his 26th goal of the season. Kempe has compiled 19 points in his last 14 games.
