Los Angeles 5, Colorado 4
When: 4:00 PM ET, Saturday, April 12, 2025
Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
Referees:
Justin Kea, Kyle Rehman
Linesmen:
Ryan Gibbons, Mitch Hunt
Attendance:
17355
By Field Level Media
Kevin Fiala scored twice, Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferriere had a goal and two assists each, and the host Los Angeles Kings strengthened their hold on second place in the Pacific Division with a 5-4 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.
Anze Kopitar also scored, Andrei Kuzmenko added two assists and Darcy Kuemper turned away 22 shots for Los Angeles (46-24-9, 101 points).
The Kings stretched their lead over idle Edmonton to four points. Both have three games remaining before their likely matchup in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Kings and Oilers also meet Monday night in Edmonton -- and a Los Angeles win could clinch home-ice advantage in the first round.
Brock Nelson posted two goals, including the 300th of his career, to lead the Avalanche (48-29-4, 100 points). Valeri Nichushkin had a goal and an assist and Sam Malinski scored for Colorado, which rested six top players including leading scorers Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.
Mackenzie Blackwood finished with 27 saves for Colorado, which has dropped two straight while resting players for the postseason.
Los Angeles scored on its first two shots against Blackwood. Byfield got the first tally at 4:03 of the first period and Fiala made it 2-0 just 3:11 later.
The Avalanche cut the deficit in half when Nelson scored on a 5-on-3 power play at 10:39 of the first -- his 300th goal in his 919th career game -- and Nichushkin tied it at 2:13 of the second.
Laferriere and Kopitar gave the Kings a 4-2 lead with goals later in the second, Malinski scored midway through the third period and Fiala's second of the game made it 5-3.
Blackwood went off for an extra skater and Nelson scored at 17:20. Colorado pulled Blackwood again in the final two minutes and pressed for the equalizer. Kuemper had to make a couple of saves, including one with 10 seconds left, to prevent the game from going into overtime.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
Colorado |
|
Los Angeles |
Brock Nelson 2 |
Points |
Quinton Byfield 3 |
Brock Nelson 2 |
Goals |
Kevin Fiala 2 |
Valeri Nichushkin 1 |
Assists |
Quinton Byfield 2 |
Brock Nelson 1 |
Power Play Goals |
Kevin Fiala 1 |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Mackenzie Blackwood .844 |
Save Percentage |
Darcy Kuemper .846 |
Mackenzie Blackwood 27 |
Saves |
Darcy Kuemper 22 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Colorado
|
26 |
4 |
1-3 |
3-4 |
8 |
25 |
Los Angeles
|
32 |
5 |
1-4 |
2-3 |
6 |
32 |
Upcoming Games
-
Los Angeles will play their next game on the road against Edmonton. The Kings have a W/L % of .578 after a win and .588 after a loss.
-
Colorado will play their next game on the road against Anaheim. The Avalanche have a W/L % of .562 after a win and .636 after a loss.