National Hockey League
Los Angeles 5, San Jose 1
When: 10:00 PM ET, Wednesday, December 27, 2023
Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
Referees: Trevor Hanson, Dan O'Rourke
Linesmen: Mitch Hunt, Bevan Mills
Attendance: 18145

Adrian Kempe scored twice as the host Los Angeles Kings scored five unanswered goals en route to a 5-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night.

It was the 23rd multiple-goal game of Kempe's career and his first of the season. Kevin Fiala, Trevor Lewis and Pierre-Luc Dubois also scored goals for Los Angeles, which earned its second straight victory and won for the fourth time in five games.

David Rittich finished with 24 saves for the Kings.

Fabian Zetterlund scored for San Jose, which lost its sixth straight game. Kaapo Kahkonen made 38 saves as the Sharks fell to 3-15-1 on the road.

San Jose took a 1-0 lead at the 11:02 mark of the first period on a breakaway goal by Zetterlund. He stole a Fiala pass at the offensive blue line and then broke in and fired a wrist shot past Rittich's blocker side for his 10th goal of the season.

Fiala, who didn't play the final 8:58 of the first period after his miscue, made up for gaffe early in the second period. He stole the puck and scored on a breakaway to tie it 1-1 at 2:57 with his first goal in 13 games.

The Kings took a 2-1 lead just 13 seconds later. Lewis stole the puck by the right side of the net and slid a backhand shot past Kahkonen and inside the far post for his fifth goal.

Los Angeles made it 3-1 at the 12:26 mark of the middle period. Dubois shoveled in a sharp-angle rebound of a Arthur Kaliyev shot from the bottom of the left circle for his seventh goal of the season.

Kempe extended the lead to 4-1 early in the third period, redirecting Matt Roy's shot from the right point over Kahkonen's glove. Kempe then sealed the win with his 11th goal of the season with 4:18 to go, firing a wrist shot from the left circle five-hole.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
San Jose   Los Angeles
Fabian Zetterlund 1 Points Adrian Kempe 2
Fabian Zetterlund 1 Goals Adrian Kempe 2
Fabian Zetterlund 0 Assists Mikey Anderson 1
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Kaapo Kahkonen .884 Save Percentage David Rittich .960
Kaapo Kahkonen 38 Saves David Rittich 24
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
San Jose 25 1 0-3 3-3 11 22
Los Angeles 43 5 0-3 3-3 11 32
Upcoming Games
  • Los Angeles will play their next game on the road against Vegas. The Kings have a W/L % of .684 after a win and .583 after a loss.
  • San Jose will play their next game at home against Edmonton. The Sharks have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .231 after a loss.