Byfield has career-high 4 assists, Kings rally past Golden Knights

LOS ANGELES -- Quinton Byfield had an NHL career-high four assists, and the Los Angeles Kings scored four goals in the third period of a 5-2 win against the Vegas Golden Knights at Crypto.com Arena on Monday.

“The first period, it was pretty even. The second period, they're all over us. And, you know, we just felt like that wasn't our best hockey," Byfield said. "They were just beating us in every puck battle. We just wanted to simplify things and, you know, get back to our hockey."

Trevor Moore scored twice, Warren Foegele had a goal and an assist, and Adrian Kempe had two assists for the Kings (31-17-7), who are 5-0-1 in their past six games. Darcy Kuemper made 21 saves for his eighth straight home win, tying Kelly Hrudey (1990-91, 1991-92) for the longest streak in Los Angeles history.

“I mean, Vegas has been a team that's been doing it well for a lot of years now,” Moore said. “They're a top team. They've got some great players over there. You know, it's a potential first-round matchup. So, you know, it's an important win for us.”

Brayden McNabb and Mark Stone scored for the Golden Knights (34-18-6), who had won three straight. Ilya Samsonov made 14 saves.

“I mean, we shot ourselves in the foot,” McNabb said. “Soft plays, not getting pucks out, all of the above. We gave them those goals, so it’s on us. It’s a bad loss by us, bad period, and it needs to stop. Hasn’t been the best stretch the last month or whatever it is, so we definitely need to look in the mirror and be better and make sure we’re better moving forward.”

Moore tied it 2-2 just 42 seconds into the third period. Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo couldn't hold the puck in the offensive zone, and Moore skated in on a 2-on-1 rush the other way before roofing a shot short side from the left circle.

“Well, it changed with the game-tying goal, that’s for sure,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We mismanage a puck, needed a save there, and then we played losing hockey from then on. You play losing hockey, you usually lose. That’s what happened.”

Foegele put Los Angeles back in front 3-2 at 8:31. Byfield sent a backhand, backdoor pass to Foegele, who cut across the crease and lifted a shot over a sprawling Samsonov, who had lost his footing while sliding to protect the left post.

“If you look at all the goals, I feel like they’re mostly just given to them,” Stone said. “I don’t think we made them earn their chances tonight. Some costly turnovers on the goals, and that’s what I think changed from the second period to the third.”

Joel Edmundson made it 4-2 at 15:28 with a one-timer from the left point off a pass from Kempe, who then fed Kevin Fiala for a backhand from the edge of the left circle at 17:41 for the 5-2 final.

“I thought our team had to kind of look within a little bit to decide what that third period was going to look like,” Los Angeles coach Jim Hiller said. “Nobody expected to come out and score four goals.”

Moore gave the Kings a 1-0 lead at 10:30 of the first period with his first power-play goal of the season. He was in front of Samsonov and redirected Byfield’s shot from the left circle under the goalie's blocker.

McNabb tied it 1-1 at 10:26 of the second period. Tomas Hertl found McNabb with a cross-slot pass, and the defenseman scored with a wrist shot through traffic from above the right circle.

Stone put Vegas ahead 2-1 at 16:41 with a redirection of Noah Hanifin’s slap shot from the point.

“You’re never going to be perfect the whole game, but it’s a really inexcusable third period,” Cassidy said. “If a team expects to be playing deep into the playoffs, these are the types of games you’re going to have, so you got to be able to handle it. It’s that simple.”

NOTES: Byfield is the fifth player in Kings history to have a four-assist game before his 23rd birthday, joining Drew Doughty (Jan. 4, 2010), Anze Kopitar (Dec. 6, 2007), Luc Robitaille (March 30, 1988) and Butch Goring (Feb. 5, 1972). ... Kuemper had the secondary assist on Moore’s tying goal in the third. It was Kuemper’s sixth assist in 420 NHL games. ... The Golden Knights are 1-2-0 against the Kings this season. They are 14-1-1 against the rest of the Pacific Division.