Kevin Fiala, Los Angeles Kings (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Fiala & Kuzmenko Propel Kings to Massive 6-1 Win Over Ducks

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Raz Devraj | Last updated Apr 11, 2025 1:49 AM ET

The Freeway Faceoff has been pretty one-sided for the last few years, with the Los Angeles Kings conquering the battle of Southern California. The Kings capped off another season in which they dominated the Anaheim Ducks, defeating them 6-1 on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena. The Kings won three out of the four games against the Ducks this season and are 15-3-2 in the last 20 games against them.

The Kings picked up their 30th home win of the season and tied their point total from the last three seasons with 99. Special teams played a significant role as the Kings and Ducks combined for 12 penalties. The Kings dominated both sides, going 3/6 on the power play and 4/4 on the penalty kill.

Kevin Fiala scored twice, Andrei Kuzmenko collected three assists, and Darcy Kuemper stopped 24 of 25 shots as the Kings continue to gain separation and increase their lead for second place in the Pacific Division.

Game Recap

It didn’t take long for the penalties to start rolling in as Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas took a tripping penalty just over a minute into the game. A new-look PP1 unit for the Kings that consisted of five forwards wasted no time cashing in as Kuzmenko found Byfield in the slot for the one-timer.

Cutter Gauthier scored his fifth goal in three games, 1:46 into the second period, to tie the game for the Ducks at one. That would be the only shot to get past Kuemper as the Kings took over from there and didn’t look back, scoring five in a row.

The Kings had an instant response to Gauthier’s goal. Anze Kopitar deflected Mikey Anderson’s shot from the point to regain the lead. The Kings’ power play cashed in for the second time minutes later as Fiala’s one-timer at the top of the right circle found its way in through traffic. The Kings weren’t done just yet in the second as Alex Laferriere showed off some hand-eye, knocking a puck out of the air before swatting a second effort chance past Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal to give the Kings a 4-1 lead.

Fast starts continued in the third, and Fiala potted his second power-play goal of the game 1:08 in. Another one-timer from that right side found the back of the net to extend the Kings’ lead to four goals.

The entire third period was pure domination from the Kings, who controlled the entirety of the period, essentially toying with the Ducks in the offensive zone. Jordan Spence unloaded one from the blue line to make it 6-1 with just over 10 minutes left to play.

What’s Next for the Kings & Ducks

The Kings remain at home and wait to play the Nathan MacKinnon-less Colorado Avalanche in a matinee matchup on Saturday (April 12), while the Ducks have an extra day off as they wait to play the Avalanche right after on Sunday.