Adrian Kempe wasted no time making his mark Saturday morning in Philadelphia, and Quinton Byfield made sure the Kings finished the job.
Kempe struck twice in the opening 7:30, and Byfield delivered the overtime dagger as the Los Angeles Kings edged the Flyers, 3-2, in a gritty road win at Xfinity Mobile Arena. With the victory, the Kings improved to 23-17-13 and continued their strong run on the road, collecting six points through the first four games of their five-game swing. They’ve now earned points in 13 of their last 14 visits to Philly - a stretch that speaks to their comfort level in the City of Brotherly Love.
Byfield’s game-winner was a much-needed breakthrough. The 23-year-old had gone five straight games without a point, but he picked a perfect moment to snap that drought.
It marked his 10th goal of the season and his second overtime winner of the campaign - the first came back in November against Toronto. He’s not always the headline, but when the Kings need a big play in crunch time, Byfield has shown he can rise to the moment.
The OT goal also came with a bit of history. Drew Doughty, who set up the winner, recorded his 11th assist of the season - and more importantly, his 700th career point.
That milestone makes him the first defenseman in Kings history to hit the 700-point mark, a testament to his longevity, consistency, and two-way excellence over 18 seasons in Los Angeles. Doughty’s been the heartbeat of the Kings’ blue line for nearly two decades, and now he’s etched another line into the franchise record books.
As for Kempe, he came out firing. The Swedish winger found the net twice in the first period, reclaiming the team lead in goals with his 19th and 20th of the season.
He passed Kevin Fiala in the process and extended his point streak to six games - the sixth such streak of his career. At 29, Kempe is playing with the confidence and swagger of a top-line scorer, and his 13 points in 15 career games against the Flyers show he’s got a knack for producing in this matchup.
His early burst gave L.A. a 2-0 cushion, but the Flyers clawed their way back. Trevor Zegras got Philly on the board less than a minute into the second period with a power play goal - the only one of the game for either side - and Travis Konecny kept the momentum going with a goal of his own in the opening 30 seconds of the third. It was Konecny’s team-leading 22nd goal, and it erased the Kings’ early lead.
But despite the shift in momentum, Darcy Kuemper stood tall in net. He turned away 18 shots and held firm through the final stretch, giving his team a chance to regroup and eventually seal the win in overtime. Kuemper improved to 14-10-9 on the season and has now won three of his last four starts - a promising sign for a Kings team that needs stability between the pipes during this critical stretch of the schedule.
The game also marked the return of captain Anze Kopitar, who had missed the previous 11 games with an upper-body injury. His presence alone is a boost for the Kings, both on the ice and in the locker room. Kopitar sits just one point shy of 1,300 for his career - a milestone only 38 other players in NHL history have reached.
Now, the Kings shift their focus to a tough back-to-back finish in Carolina. The Hurricanes, sitting atop the Metropolitan Division, edged the Kings in overtime back in October. With L.A. riding some momentum and getting key pieces back in the lineup, Sunday’s matchup has the makings of a measuring-stick game - and a chance for the Kings to close out their road trip with a statement.