Kings rout Sharks 8-1 to set franchise record for home wins in a season with 27

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Adrian Kempe and Warren Foegele scored twice, Andrei Kuzmeko had a goal and two assists, and the Los Angeles Kings set a team record for home victories in a season, beating the San Jose Sharks 8-1 on Sunday night.

Phillip Danault, Trevor Moore and Trevor Lewis also scored, and the Kings picked up their 27th home victory. They previously had 26 victories on home ice four times, with the most recent instance coming in 2022-23. David Rittich made 22 saves.

The Kings moved two points ahead of Edmonton for second place in the Pacific Division as they jockey for home-ice advantage ahead of a probable fourth straight meeting in the first round of the playoffs.

Cam Lund scored for the second straight game and the Sharks were held to one goal for the fourth time in their past six games. Georgi Romanov made 28 saves.

Staring down a three-game losing skid for the first time since a poor Midwest trip at the end of February and start of March, the Kings responded emphatically with goals in the first period from Danault and Kempe and never let up from there.

Sharks: San Jose has given up at least five goals 20 times this season, including 13 games where the opponent had six or more.

Kings: Foegele set a career high with 22 goals after notching 20 last season for Edmonton. Coincidentally, he broke the tie with his first special teams goal of the season.

Foegele and Kempe scored 33 seconds apart in the final minute of the second period to turn it into a laugher.

Kempe passed the 30-goal mark for the third time in nine NHL seasons. He is the 12th Kings player with three or more 30-goal seasons.

Both teams play Tuesday night. The Sharks are at Anaheim, and the Kings host NHL-leading Winnipeg.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl