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

LOS ANGELES — Quinton Byfield achieved a career-high four assists, helping the Los Angeles Kings secure a 5-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights at Crypto.com Arena on Monday. The Kings scored four times in the third period to clinch the win.

“The first period was pretty balanced, but in the second period, they dominated us,” Byfield remarked. “We felt it wasn’t our best performance. They were winning every puck battle, so we aimed to simplify our game and return to our style.”

Trevor Moore scored two goals, while Warren Foegele contributed a goal and an assist, and Adrian Kempe added two assists for the Kings (31-17-7), who are 5-0-1 in their last six games. Goalie Darcy Kuemper made 21 saves, achieving his eighth consecutive home win, which ties the record for the longest streak in Kings history set by Kelly Hrudey in the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons.

“Vegas has been a strong team for many years,” Moore stated. “They’re a top contender with excellent players. This win is crucial for us, especially since it could be a potential first-round matchup.”

Brayden McNabb and Mark Stone each scored for the Vegas Golden Knights (34-18-6), who had been on a three-game winning streak. Goaltender Ilya Samsonov made 14 saves during the match.

“We shot ourselves in the foot,” McNabb stated. “We made soft plays and failed to clear the puck. We gave them those goals, so it’s on us. This is a disappointing loss, especially after a poor period. We need to address this. The last month hasn’t been our best stretch, so we must look in the mirror and improve moving forward.”

Trevor Moore tied the game at 2-2 just 42 seconds into the third period. Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo couldn’t maintain possession in the offensive zone, leading to a 2-on-1 rush for Moore, who scored with a shot from the left circle.

“The game changed with the tying goal, that’s for sure,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy commented. “We mismanaged the puck and needed a save. After that, we played losing hockey. When you play like that, you typically lose, and that’s what happened.”

Warren Foegele restored Los Angeles’s lead at 3-2 at 8:31, receiving a backhand pass from Byfield before scoring from in front of the net as Samsonov lost his balance while trying to cover the left post.

“If you look at all the goals, they were mostly given to them,” Stone said. “We didn’t make them earn their chances tonight. Costly turnovers on those goals shifted momentum from the second period to the third.”

Joel Edmundson extended the lead to 4-2 at 15:28 with a one-timer from the left point, assisted by Kempe. Kevin Fiala then scored from the edge of the left circle at 17:41, sealing the game at 5-2.

“I thought our team needed to reflect on what the third period was going to look like,” Los Angeles coach Jim Hiller remarked. “Nobody expected to come out and score four goals.”