Kings pull away from Utah for 3rd straight win

SALT LAKE CITY -- Kevin Fiala and Trevor Moore scored 44 seconds apart in the third period to help the Los Angeles Kings pull away from the Utah Hockey Club for a 4-2 win at Delta Center on Thursday.

Moore and Adrian Kempe each extended his goal streak to three games, Drew Doughty had a goal and an assist, and Darcy Kuemper made 28 saves for the Kings (43-23-9), who have won three in a row and seven of their past nine.

The Kings are three points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for first in the Pacific Division.

“Obviously, we've been on a roll here,” Fiala said. “We just take it game by game, and that's what's been awesome so far. … Right now, we are at the highest level that we have been, and that's the best part of it.”

Lawson Crouse and Jack McBain scored, and Karel Vejmelka made 15 saves for Utah (34-30-12), which has lost four of its past six games.

Utah is nine points behind the Minnesota Wild for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference with six games remaining.

“There's a few broken plays that made the difference in the game, but I think the guys were ready and we were really structured,” Utah coach Andre Tourigny said. “We didn't give up much. Unfortunately, a few breakdowns made the difference.”

Fiala put Los Angeles ahead 2-1 at 4:06 of the third when he intercepted a cross-ice pass from John Marino in front of the net and lifted a quick shot over Vejmelka’s glove.

Moore then pushed it to 3-1 on a breakaway at 4:50.

"[Phillip Danault] just made a really good play, knocking it out of the air,” Moore said of his goal, where he picked up a deflected puck in Utah’s zone and beat Vejmelka. “Those fluky things happen from time to time. We'll take them.”

Doughty scored an empty-net goal to make it 4-1 at 18:10.

McBain drove to the net and scored with his backhand on the power play for the 4-2 final at 19:40.

The Kings were outshot 16-3 in the first period, but Kuemper made all 16 saves to keep the game scoreless.

“He just made good saves and he's done that for us all year,” Kings head coach Jim Hiller said. “We knew he was a good goalie and he was going to play well for us, but he's been our backbone all year. In wins like this, you just need your goaltender to let you get your legs underneath it, and he gave us every opportunity. Otherwise, it should have been over early, and we would not have been able to come back. Give him full marks.”

Dylan Guenther appeared to give Utah the lead at 1:25 of the first period, but the goal was disallowed after video review determined that the play was offside.

Kempe then gave the Kings a 1-0 lead at 6:56 of the second period, deflecting a shot by Andrei Kuzmenko past Vejmelka as he slid into the goaltender after a hit by Logan Cooley.

Crouse tied it 1-1 at 12:21, firing a shot from a tight angle at the bottom of the left circle over Kuemper’s shoulder.

The Kings head back to Los Angeles for a matchup Saturday with the Edmonton Oilers, who sit two points behind them in the Pacific. Edmonton has defeated Los Angeles in the first round of the playoffs each of the past three seasons.

“We've played them a lot over the last few years,” Moore said. “They're probably a first-round opponent. So, we're going to be giving it our all, and like we always do against those guys, it's a tough game.”

NOTES: Doughty recorded his 132nd career multipoint game and tied Charlie Simmer for the ninth most in Kings history.