Paul LaDue netted the winning goal on a third-period power play, and Darcy Kuemper made 25 saves as the Los Angeles Kings beat the visiting Edmonton Oilers 5-2 on Wednesday night.
LaDue had Tanner Pearson setting the screen when he found the mark for his second career goal to break a 2-2 deadlock with 5:27 remaining in regulation at Staples Centre. The Kings have won 12 consecutive home meetings with the Oilers. This one was closer than the score indicated, even though it appeared to be headed to a runaway early in the second period.
Los Angeles’ Kyle Clifford opened the scoring 70 seconds into the clash on the game’s first shot. 
Trevor Lewis won an offensive-zone faceoff back to Clifford at the top of the right circle, and Clifford wristed a shot past goalie Cam Talbot for his second goal of the season.
Adrian Kempe tallied just 58 seconds into the middle frame to make it a two-goal edge. After a second turnover by Edmonton’s defenders, Drew Doughty fed Kempe, who ripped home a shot from the right dot for his 16th of the season. Doughty collected both his 400th NHL point and 300th career assist.
For the third time in four games, the Oilers erased a two-goal deficit, 
on goals from Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, although it was all for naught
Draisaitl’s power-play goal at 3:28 of the second period snapped Kuemper’s shutout string ended at 193 minutes, 58 seconds – the second longest in Kings history – and gave him two goals and five assists in a four-game point streak. 
McDavid, who scored at 10:20 of the middle period, has collected seven goals and 10 points in four games. 
After LaDue’s tiebreaker, Alex Iafallo and Anze Kopitar added empty-net goals in the final two minutes to make the score more onesided than the game actually was. 
The Kings have a 11-2-0 record against fellow Pacific Division teams. Talbot stopped 23 shots for Edmonton.

Leafs outlast Predators in shootout 
James van Riemsdyk’s goal in the seventh round of a shootout Wednesday night gave the Toronto Maple Leafs a 3-2 win over the visiting Nashville Predators.
Goalie Frederik Andersen earned the victory with 44 saves through regulation and overtime plus six more in the shootout. 
He stopped three shots that could have given Nashville the win, then denied Viktor Arvidsson in the seventh round to wrap it up. 
Pekka Rinne made 30 saves through regulation and overtime for the Predators, who were denied a chance to tie Winnipeg for first place in the Central Division. They sit at 72 points, one behind the idle Jets. 
Nashville forced overtime with Arvidsson’s team-high 18th goal at 25 seconds of the third period.

RESULTS
Bruins 6 Rangers 1
Kings 5 Oilers 2
Maple Leafs 3 Nashville Predators 2



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