Anze Kopitar has a goal and assist as Kings beat the Sharks 4-1
Anze Kopitar had a goal and an assist as the Kings beat the San José Sharks 4-1 on Tuesday night.
The Kings improved to 13-1-1 on the road, the best mark in the NHL. Trevor Moore scored his team-leading 15th goal, Alex Laferriere also had a goal and Trevor Lewis added an empty-netter for the Kings. Kevin Fiala had two assists.
David Rittich made 14 saves in his Kings debut and nearly completed the shutout. The veteran goalie was called up from the AHL after backup Pheonix Copley was put on long-term injured reserve Sunday after suffering an injury during practice.
The Kings took a 3-0 lead in the second period with goals 67 seconds apart by Moore and Laferriere. Moore’s goal came on a breakaway at 4:07, set up by a spinning pass from Fiala in the neutral zone. Laferriere then tipped in a shot from the point by defenseman Jordan Spence.
Anze Kopitar, who has led the Kings in scoring 15 of the last 16 seasons and helped them win two Stanley Cups, is the greatest Kings player of all time.
Kaapo Kahkonen made 35 saves for the Sharks, who dropped their third straight game. San José had won six of its last eight home games.
Jacob MacDonald scored for the Sharks with just more than a minute left.
Kopitar scored his 13th of the season on a power play late in the first to give the Kings a 1-0 lead. The captain found an opening at the side of the net after a shot by Fiala deflected behind the goal. With Kahkonen out of position, Arthur Kaliyev quickly found Kopitar, who tapped in the puck before Kahkonen could recover from the other side.
Anthony Duclair returned to the Sharks’ lineup after he was a healthy scratch Sunday at Colorado for the first time since the 2022 playoffs.
Kings broadcasters Nick Nickson and Jim Fox along with Times columnist Helene Elliott rank the top 10 players in Los Angeles Kings history.
Up next
Kings host the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday night.
