Kings snap out of scoring funk and cap trip with victory over Hurricanes
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RALEIGH, N.C. — Kevin Fiala scored twice, Phillip Danault had a goal and an assist, and the Kings beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Saturday night to end a four-game skid and two-game scoreless streak.
Trevor Moore also scored. Quinton Byfield had two assists, and Darcy Kuemper stopped 26 shots as the Kings got their first win since Jan. 22. L.A. entered the game without a goal in its previous eight periods after shutout losses to Florida and Tampa Bay.
Danault tied it with 2:03 left in the opening period as he intercepted a clearing attempt by Hurricanes defenseman Dmitry Orlov and beat goalie Frederik Andersen.
Moore put the Kings ahead 1:03 into the second, and Fiala made it 3-1 with 2:03 left in the middle period.
Fiala got his second of the night with 8:20 left to seal the win.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Eric Robinson scored for the Hurricanes, and Andersen finished with 22 saves. Carolina lost in regulation for the first time since Jan. 15 against Buffalo, going 6-0-1 since.
Carolina took a 1-0 lead with 4:38 left in the first period when Kotkaniemi scored by redirecting a shot by former Kings defenseman Sean Walker.
The Kings fail to score for the second straight game and lose for the eighth time in 10 games in a 3-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Hurricanes closed to 3-2 when Robinson got a long pass from Brent Burns, skated up and fired a shot past Kuemper at 5:44 of the third. Burns got his 900th career point, becoming the first defenseman to reach the mark since Nicklas Lidstrom in 2007-08
Since returning from a lower body injury Dec. 7, Kuemper has shined with an 11-4-3 record and the second-best save percentage in the NHL.
Injuries and illness caught up to Carolina. Sebastian Aho and Taylor Hall both returned from illness but were scoreless, and fourth-leading scorer Andrei Svechnikov (upper body) missed his first game of the season.
Carolina forward Seth Jarvis was held scoreless after tallying nine points in the previous seven games.
Kings host Montreal on Wednesday to begin a three-game homestand.
