Kings Clip the Hawks in Chicago

 

By Tim Haddock

03/21/2025 at 1:30 PM

 

The Los Angeles Kings defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1 on the road, powered by first-period goals from Trevor Moore and Alex Turcotte. Goalie Darcy Kuemper continued his hot streak as the Kings earned their sixth win in seven games and stayed strong in the Pacific Division playoff race.

 

 

LOS ANGELES - The Kings scored two goals in the first period and beat the Chicago Blackhawks, 3-1, on the road Thursday.
It was the sixth win in seven games for the Kings who avenged a 5-1 loss to the Blackhawks in Chicago on March 3.

Trevor Moore scored the first goal for the Kings in the first period for a 1-0 lead. Alex Turcotte scored less than a minute later to increase the lead 2-0.

Turcotte scored his first goal since Jan. 16 against the Canucks in Vancouver, ending a 24-game scoring drought. It was his eighth goal of the season.

Moore’s goal was unassisted and his 14th of the season.
The Blackhawks cut the lead in half with a goal by Connor Bedard in the second period.

Joel Edmunson scored an empty-netter in the third period, his sixth goal of the season.

“First period was good,” Kings coach Jim Hiller said. “It was nice to see a couple go in. I think that was really important. It was just good to see the puck go in.”

Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper made 17 saves. He started five games in a row, won four of them, with two shutouts and has allowed only five goals in that stretch.

“These can be challenging games,” Kuemper said. “Obviously, they’ve given us some trouble this year. They got a lot of skill and they kind of wait for you to make mistakes. You gotta stay patient offensively. I thought it was a mature win.”

The Kings are 6-1 in their past seven games, the only loss coming against the Minnesota Wild on Monday. 

The Kings put together a five-game winning streak and Quentin Byfield scored a goal in six games in a row before heading on the road to play the Minnesota Wild.

The Kings capped their winning streak with a 1-0 overtime shutout against the Nashville Predators at Crypto-dot-com Arena.

“That’s how we play. They’re close games,” Hiller said. “They take a lot of energy, mental stress, mental concentration. That’s what it’s going to be like in the playoffs.”

Byfield scored the game-winning goal in overtime. He scored a goal in six games in a row, including all three games of the homestand.

The Kings shut out the visiting Washington Capitals, 3-0, and also beat the New York Islanders 4-1.

Byfield scored a goal in each of those games too.
Kuemper made 24 saves against the Predators and notched his second shutout in a row. He also shut out the Capitals and has four shutouts this season.

But the Kings winning streak and Byfield’s goal streak came to an end against the Wild in Minnesota. The Kings lost, 3-1.

 

Adrian Kempe scored the lone goal of the game for the Kings in the first period. It was his team-leading 28th goal of the season and gave the Kings a 1-0 lead in the first period.

Byfield has 17 goals and 40 points this season.
The Kings return home to LA for a three-game homestand starting against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Kings also play the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers.

After 67 games, the Kings are 37-21 with nine overtime losses. They are in third place in the Pacific Division with 83 points. The Vegas Golden Knights are in first place with 88 points and the Edmonton Oilers are in second with 85 points.