Adrian Kempe recorded a hat trick and an assist in his return from injury as the Los Angeles Kings routed the San Jose Sharks 7-2 on Wednesday night.
Kempe Reaches Franchise Milestone
Kempe returned to the Los Angeles lineup after missing Saturday’s 3-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres due to an undisclosed injury. He opened the scoring 1:23 into the game and added a second goal later in the first period, powering the Kings to a 3-0 lead by the first intermission.
He completed the hat trick by scoring on a power play with 4:09 remaining in the second period. The performance marked the 37th multi-goal game of Kempe’s career with Los Angeles, passing Dustin Brown for sole possession of ninth place in franchise history.
Offensive Surge Secures Victory
Quinton Byfield scored two goals for the Kings, while Erik Haula and Joel Armia added one goal each. Artemi Panarin tallied four assists, and goaltender Darcy Kuemper made 30 saves. Los Angeles finished 3 for 5 on the power play, the Associated Press reported.
San Jose got power-play goals from Macklin Celebrini and Ivar Stenberg, with Erik Gustafsson assisting on both scores. Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov turned away 20 shots as San Jose dropped its third consecutive game. The contest also featured the NHL debut of San Jose defenseman Eric Pohlkamp, who was recalled from the AHL before the game.
The Sharks travel to face the Minnesota Wild on Friday night, while the Kings host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night.
