The Los Angeles Kings were on the road to play the Utah Hockey Club in the third and final game of the season against them. The first two games were at Crypto.com Arena and the Kings would win both but they have struggled on the road so it wasn't a guarantee they were going to get the season sweep.
However, with three goals in the third period the Kings were able to pull away and get the season series sweep but also win their third straight game before a huge matchup with the Edmonton Oilers this weekend. Before we look ahead to that game, these are some takeaways from the LA Kings' 4-2 win over Utah.
Surprising to see Darcy Kuemper get the start
In the past few games the LA Kings have alternated starting goalies between Darcy Kuemper and David Rittich. This game on Thursday would have lined up for Rittich to get the start and in turn, have Kuemper ready for Saturday's game against the Oilers.
However, Kuemper would get the start and the Kings definitely needed him in net as he would face 30 shots, including 25 through the first two periods. Kuemper once again was making huge saves for the Kings and allowed only two goals with one of them in the final minute of the game when the outcome was pretty much already decided.
It will be interesting to see if the LA Kings go with Darcy Kuemper on Saturday as it will be his third game in five days in such a big game this late in the season.
Adrian Kempe has goal in three straight games but none weirder than against Utah
It was tough for the LA Kings to get many scoring chances early in the game and they wouldn't get their first goal until almost midway through the second period. The fact that Adrian Kempe was the one to open the scoring wasn't necessarily surprising but how it happened was certainly not a typical Kempe goal.
believe it or not, this is a goal highlight 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/0Rf0DGKskA
— LA Kings (@LAKings) April 4, 2025
Andrei Kuzmenko would bring the puck up the side and try to find Adrian Kempe who was skating through the middle of the ice. However, Kempe was essentially tackled as he was about to get the puck and slide into the goaltender but in the process got the puck across the line.
It would be reviewed by the league and determined to be a goal and the Kings would get the 1-0 lead.
Kings struggle through two periods but find a way to win
Outside of Darcy Kuemper, who was excellent in the first two periods, there wasn't much that went right for the Kings in the first 40 minutes. They were struggling to get into a rhythm and had only five shots on goal in the first two periods.
The third period was a different story and the Kings had a different look to them and how they were playing. They took control with Kevin Fiala scoring just over four minutes into the period and then Trevor Moore adding to the lead less than a minute later.
Once those goals happened, the Kings got back to playing their hockey and clearly looked like the better team. This was a great sign to see as the Kings this season have struggled on the road in these types of games.