SAN JOSE, Calif.—Anze Kopitar had a goal and an assist as the Los Angeles Kings beat the San Jose Sharks 4–1 on Tuesday night, Dec. 19.
The Kings improved to 13–1–1 on the road, the best mark in the NHL. Trevor Moore got his team-leading 15th goal, Alex Laferriere also scored and Trevor Lewis added an empty-netter for Los Angeles. 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 placed on long-term injured reserve Sunday.
Los Angeles 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 Jordan Spence.
Kaapo Kahkonen made 35 saves for the Sharks, who dropped their third straight. San Jose had won six of its past eight home games.
Jacob MacDonald scored for the Sharks with just more than a minute left.
Kopitar got his 13th of the season on the 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.
