Kings defeat Canucks, move into 3rd in Pacific

LOS ANGELES -- Adrian Kempe had two goals and an assist for the Los Angeles Kings in a 6-3 win against the Vancouver Canucks at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday.

Drew Doughty and Kevin Fiala each had a goal and an assist, and Anze Kopitar had two assists for the Kings (41-25-11), who have won three in a row and moved one point ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights for third in the Pacific Division.

Phillip Danault had an assist in his return after missing four games because of an upper-body injury, and Cam Talbot made 39 saves.

“Good mood, good vibes,” Fiala said. “We had another win tonight against a good team, you know, maybe against a potential playoff matchup. It was just great to show up tonight to win this game. This was one game, and we just have five more games to try to win.”

Brock Boeser scored his 39th goal of the season, and Casey DeSmith allowed six goals on 29 shots for the Canucks (47-22-8), who have lost four of their past six (2-4-0).

Vancouver leads the Edmonton Oilers, who defeated the Calgary Flames 4-2 on Saturday, by three points for first in the Pacific Division. Edmonton has one game in hand.

“You can look at the six goals and think it’s bad, but I actually liked the effort,” Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said. “Guys were trying hard. Just too many egregious mistakes, and then it’s in your net. But, yeah, we had a lot of chances and just didn’t convert. They did.”

Kempe put the Kings up 1-0 at 2:48 of the first period. He scored on a wrist shot from the right face-off circle on a power play.

Doughty made it 2-0 with another power-play goal at 5:45, scoring with a one-timer from the edge of the left circle.

“The two power-play goals early were a little undisciplined, and then you’re chasing the game,” Tocchet said.

Boeser cut it to 2-1 at 10:48. Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson tried to lift Boeser’s stick as he cut in on goal, causing the puck to deflect off Boeser’s shin and into the net.

Alex Laferriere pushed it to 3-1 at 2:09 of the second period with a redirection of Jordan Spence’s one-timer from the blue line.

Fiala made it 4-1 at 8:49, following up his own rebound on a partial breakaway after receiving a stretch pass off the glass from Kopitar.

“When things are tough and it’s gut check time and all the pressure is on you, that's when the top guys step up,” Doughty said. “That's why they're top guys and why they've been top guys basically their whole careers. Because in the big moments they step up, and we're going to need to continue that to go far this season and in the playoffs.”

Dakota Joshua pulled the Canucks to within 4-2 at 7:23 of the third period, charging the crease and putting in the rebound J.T. Miller’s shot.

Trevor Moore scored his 30th goal of the season to extend the lead to 5-2 at 10:35. He intercepted a pass from Conor Garland down low before finishing a return feed from Danault from a sharp angle.

“You know, I don't think when we made that trade (with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2020) we expected 30 goals out of him, no offense,” Doughty said. “That's amazing, and for a hometown boy who obviously loved the L.A. Kings growing up, it's pretty special for him and his family, but it's special for all of us, too.”

Teddy Blueger scored short-handed at 12:35 to make it 5-3. He put in a rebound at the left post after Nikita Zadorov's pass on a 2-on-1 rush deflected on net off the stick of Doughty.

Kempe scored his own short-handed goal on a breakaway at 17:16 for the 6-3 final. He has eight points (five goals, three assists) during a five-game point streak.

“We seemed to crack more than they did, and they won the special teams game,” Miller said. “I know each team got shorties, but they capitalized on the power play and we didn’t.”

NOTES: Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko missed his 11th straight game because of a lower-body injury. Tocchet did not have an exact date on his return but said "it’s fairly soon.” ... The Kings finished the season series against the Canucks 3-0-1. ... Miller extended his point streak to seven games (two goals, six assists).