Kings rout Sharks 7-2 behind Kempe hat trick and Byfield pair
Adrian Kempe recorded three goals and an assist while Quinton Byfield scored twice in Wednesday night's win.
By James Foster ·
The Los Angeles Kings defeated the San Jose Sharks 7-2 on Wednesday night, powered by a hat trick from Adrian Kempe and a pair of goals from Quinton Byfield.
Kempe opened the scoring with 1:23 remaining in the first period and added a second goal before the end of the opening frame. He completed his hat trick with a power play goal with 4:09 left in the second period. The Kings also received assists from Artemi Panarin, who tallied four, while Erik Haula and Joel Armia found the back of the net for Los Angeles.
Darcy Kuemper stopped 30 shots for the Kings, who converted three of five power play opportunities. This performance marked the 37th multi-goal game for Kempe in franchise history, a figure that places him in sole ninth position ahead of Dustin Brown.
The Sharks, who have lost three consecutive games, managed two power play goals through Macklin Celebrini and Ivar Stenberg. Erik Gustafsson provided assists for both San Jose scorers, and goalkeeper Yaroslav Askarov made 20 saves.
Eric Pohlkamp made his National Hockey League debut for San Jose after being called up from the American Hockey League prior to the game. Kempe returned to the lineup for this contest after missing Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres due to an undisclosed injury.
The Sharks will travel to face the Minnesota Wild on Friday night, while the Kings host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night.
