Kuemper makes 27 saves, Kings shut out Oilers

LOS ANGELES -- Darcy Kuemper made 27 saves for his fifth shutout of the season, and the Los Angeles Kings moved four points ahead of the Edmonton Oilers for second place in the Pacific Division by defeating them 3-0 at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday.

Kuemper has allowed two goals or fewer in 13 straight starts. He is the fifth goaltender with such a streak since the NHL expanded in 1967-68, joining Miikka Kiprusoff (16 in 2003-04), Dwayne Roloson (14 in 2003-04), Martin Brodeur (14 in 1997-98) and Dominik Hasek (13 in 1993-94).

“He’s been stellar for us all year,” Los Angeles captain Anze Kopitar said. “Shutout or not, he gives us a chance every night. And, obviously, that’s everything you can ask of your goalie.”

Kevin Fiala, Andrei Kuzmenko and Trevor Lewis scored for the Kings (44-23-9), who won their fourth straight game and are 8-2-0 in their past 10. With Calgary's 3-2 overtime loss against the Vegas Golden Knights, Los Angeles clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“We’ve been playing pretty well,” Kopitar said. “Some nights, you know, not necessarily the greatest hockey, but still gets it done. So that’s something we want to continue building and make sure we’re ready when playoffs roll around.”

Calvin Pickard made 26 saves for the Oilers (44-27-5), who had won three in a row.

“It’s one of those games where we were there,” Edmonton forward Corey Perry said. “We just didn’t create a whole lot. And they play hard in the D-zone, and they take those second opportunities away from you. When you get that one chance, you got to make it count.”

The Oilers did not have centers Leon Draisaitl, who sustained a lower-body injury in a 3-2 win against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, and Connor McDavid, who missed his seventh straight game because of a lower-body injury.

“You take two of the best players in the world, you take ‘em out of our lineup, I mean, it is what it is,” Perry said. “They’re the best players in the world for a reason. We had some chances. We couldn’t sustain pressure.”

Fiala reached the 30-goal mark for the second time in his NHL career when he put Los Angeles ahead 1-0 at 9:20 of the second period. He charged the top of the crease, was able to knock down the rebound of Alex Laferriere’s shot, and backhanded the puck into the open net.

“I think that just shows kind of the growth in his game as well,” Laferriere said. “I think when he came here, he just kind of liked to dangle guys, and now I think he’s put such another element to his game. Grinds down low and makes hard plays, backchecks hard, and I think that’s just such a testament to him, and he’s really rounded out his game.”

Fiala had 33 goals in 82 games for the Minnesota Wild in 2021-22. He is the third Switzerland-born player with multiple 30-goal seasons; Timo Meier has done it three times, and Nico Hischier of the New Jersey Devils reached the mark for the second time in his career this season.

The Kings have two 30-goal scorers in the same season in Adrian Kempe (33) and Fiala for the first time since Kopitar and Dustin Brown in 2007-08.

“I think that just shows how dynamic he is,” Laferriere said of Fiala. “I think his skill is unbelievable. He’s one of the most skilled players in this League, and I think you see it on a nightly basis.”

Kuzmenko made it 2-0 at 16:08 on a wrist shot from the right circle. He has seven points (three goals, four assists) during a four-game point streak.

Lewis scored an empty-net goal at 17:03 of the third period for the 3-0 final.

“Listen, they’re a good hockey team,” Perry said. “They’re well-rehearsed, and they play with structure, and they play it to the best of their abilities.”

NOTES: Kempe got his 200th NHL assist. … Trent Frederic had two shots on goal and a minus-2 rating in 7:10 of ice time in his Oilers debut; the forward was acquired from the Boston Bruins on March 4 as part of a three-team trade also involving the Devils but had yet to play for his new team because of an ankle injury. Frederic did not play for more than 10 minutes in the first period after starting the game for what Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said was a “reevaluation” before returning. … Jeff Malott looked to have put Los Angeles ahead 2:20 into the second with a sprawling reach to score from the slot, but the Oilers successfully challenged that Samuel Helenius was offside in the buildup to have the goal overturned.