LOS ANGELES (AP) — Quinton Byfield had a goal for the fifth consecutive game, Darcy Kuemper made 21 saves, and the Los Angeles Kings beat the Washington Capitals 3-0 on Thursday night.
Kevin Fiala had a goal and an assist, Warren Foegele scored, and the Kings won their fourth in a row following a season-high five-game losing streak.
Charlie Lindgren made 24 saves for the Capitals, who had won five straight. Alex Ovechkin did not have a shot on goal despite playing nearly 19 minutes with 8:41 of it on the power play.
Ovechkin remains nine goals from passing Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career mark of 894.
That limited imprint on offense came in large part because of a second straight excellent showing from Los Angeles’ penalty kill, which did not allow a goal in five tries after denying the New York Islanders on eight power plays on Tuesday.
The Kings broke the game open with goals from Fiala and Byfield 47 seconds apart early in the third period. Fiala scored his 25th goal for the third time in four seasons by burying a one-timer on the power play before finding Byfield off the rush.
Takeaways
Capitals: Pierre-Luc Dubois was booed nearly every time he touched the puck in his return to Los Angeles after one disastrous season.
Kings: The line of Foegele, Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore generated a goal for the third straight game, providing some extra offensive punch Los Angeles lacked during its skid.
Key moment
Ovechkin was flanking Matt Roy on a dangerous two-on-one midway through the second period, but Mikey Anderson forced the defenseman to shoot. Roy’s effort hit the crossbar, and the Kings held onto the 1-0 lead.
Key stat
Ovechkin failed to put a shot on net for just the second time in 50 games this season. The other came in the season opener against New Jersey.
Up Next
The Capitals visit San Jose on Saturday, and the Kings host Nashville on Saturday.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Dan Greenspan, The Associated Press
