Fiala scores 2, Danault has goal and assist as Kings beat Hurricanes 4-2
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Fiala scored twice, Phillip Danault had a goal and an assist, and the Los Angeles Kings beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Saturday night to snap a four-game skid.
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.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Eric Robinson scored for the Hurricanes, and Frederik 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 Sean Walker.
Danault tied it with 2:03 left in the opening period as he intercept a clearing attempt by Hurricanes defenseman Dmitry Orlov and beat 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.
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
Fiala got his second of the night with 8:20 left to seal the win.
Takeaways
Kings: 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.
Hurricanes: 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.
Key moment
Trailing 2-1 in the second period, the Hurricanes missed a golden opportunity on a power play when Aho hit the crossbar at 12:19. The Kings added their third goal late in the period.
Key stat
Carolina forward Seth Jarvis was held scoreless after tallying nine points in the previous seven games.
Up Next
Kings host Montreal on Wednesday to begin a three-game homestand, and Hurricanes visit Winnipeg on Tuesday to start a two-game trip.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
By NATE RYAN
Associated Press
