Andrei Kuzmenko picked up his first objective and first help as a King in a three-goal first interval Saturday, sparking a 7-2 rout of the Carolina Hurricanes at Crypto.com Enviornment.
The win was the seventh in eight video games for the Kings, matching their finest streak of the season, whereas the margin of victory was essentially the most one-sided. The victory additionally pulled the Kings again right into a tie with Edmonton for second within the Pacific Division, forward of the Oilers’ recreation in opposition to Seattle late Saturday.
Kuzmenko joined the group on the commerce deadline and although the Kings have misplaced simply as soon as since his arrival, his title hadn’t appeared on the scoresheet till Saturday.
“Sometimes you make plays and the puck goes in the net and you get an assist,” coach Jim Hiller mentioned earlier than the sport. “Sometimes you make plays, and for whatever reason the puck doesn’t go on the net and you don’t get any assists. He can’t lose his confidence.”
Talking of confidence, Carolina got here in using a league-best eight-game profitable streak, however the Kings, who scored on half of their first-period photographs, wanted simply three minutes to go in entrance.
Adrian Kempe, coming off the bench on a line change, took the puck from Samuel Helenius on the crimson line, skated into the Hurricanes’ finish, then beat Pyotr Kochetkov from the highest of the proper circle. The objective was his team-leading twenty ninth of the season, topping his complete from 2023-24.
Anze Kopitar doubled the lead late within the interval when his centering go for Kempe deflected in off the skate of Carolina’s Jordan Martinook eight seconds into an influence play. The help went to Kuzmenko, who made it 3-0 together with his first objective as a King 5 seconds earlier than the primary intermission.
However the Kings didn’t let up, with Trevor Moore, Tanner Jeannot and Quinton Byfield doubling the result in 6-0 with objectives lower than three minutes aside early within the second interval. The seven objectives allowed was a season worst for Carolina, which lastly acquired on the board on Dmitry Orlov’s objective with 5:43 left within the center interval. The Kings argued for goalie interference on the play however their attraction was denied.
The Kings’ Kevin Fiala and Carolina’s Mark Jankowski exchanged objectives within the final two minutes to account for the ultimate rating.
The Kings face Boston within the second recreation of a back-to-back Sunday.
