Kings center Samuel Helenius, left, and Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit, second from left, scuffle as right wing Alex Laferriere, second from right, and center Bo Groulx also scuffle during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe, left, and Kings center Samuel Helenius scuffle during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Kings left wing Artemi Panarin, left, celebrates after scoring on Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Kings right wing Alex Laferriere tries to pass the puck after falling during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Toronto Maple Leafs center Steven Lorentz, left, scores on Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Kings center Samuel Helenius, left, and Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit, second from left, scuffle as right wing Alex Laferriere, second from right, and center Bo Groulx also scuffle during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
LOS ANGELES — The Kings trailed 2-0 and 4-3, respectively, at the intermissions, but came away with a 7-6 overtime victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday afternoon to keep their playoff push moving forward.
It was just their third win in 28 games in which they’ve trailed through two periods, and it got them two points clear of Nashville and San Jose, who were squaring off later on Saturday in their bids for the final playoff spot out West.
Saturday also marked the Kings’ NHL record 31st overtime game this season and their 12th home win.
Adrian Kempe racked up two goals and two assists. Linemate Artemi Panarin notched a goal and three assists, with both he and Kempe setting up the game-winner by Quinton Byfield, his second goal on Saturday. Samuel Helenius and Alex Laferriere also lit the lamp. Trevor Moore had two assists. Darcy Kuemper made 14 of 20 saves.
Matthew Knies poured in two goals and an assist. John Tavares contributed a goal and two assists. Arcadia native Nicholas Robertson, Easton Cowan and Steven Lorentz also tallied. Joseph Woll stopped 33 of 40 shots.
In overtime, leading scorer William Nylander had a breakaway but flubbed it, sending the Kings the other way for an odd-man rush that allowed Kempe, Panarin and Byfield to connect on a tic-tac-toe play to secure a gigantic second point. Byfield has three straight 20-goal seasons now.
Robertson brought the Leafs to within a goal just before the midway mark of the final frame and Knies made it a new game with 6:31 remaining in regulation. Brian Dumoulin’s clearing attempt was devoured by Dakota Joshua, who slipped the puck to an open Robertson before Knies punished Kuemper for his own failed clearing attempt with a bullet from the right dot.
The Kings had scored three times in less than two minutes — 5:46, 6:14 and 7:22 into the third period — to assume control of a match they’d chased for two-thirds of the action.
Laferriere made it 6-4 after Byfield disrupted Morgan Rielly’s pass out of the corner, forcing the puck to Moore. He hit Laferriere on the left dot for his 19th goal of the season.
Helenius glided into a pass and scored from high in the left circle to give the Kings the first lead of their night with 13:46 to play. It was goal No. 5 for Helenius, this one off some sound forechecking.
Kempe had already scored from the high slot, turning a smooth backhand feed from Panarin into his 32nd goal, the most of any King.
The Kings went into the break down 4-3, with five of the seven goals in the contest coming off turnovers and the other two being Toronto power-play tallies.
The Leafs twice broke a tie in the second period with the extra man, including with 12.5 seconds left in the stanza.
A Knies pass became a between-the-legs, behind-the-skate tip pass by Tavares, which created Cowan’s tap-in tally.
The Kings had equalized with Panarin’s 27th goal of 2025-26. Kempe got the puck off Brandon Carlo in the corner and later got it back and moved it to Brandt Clarke. Panarin had gotten lost behind the net, reappearing to deflect Clarke’s pass home with 5:07 remaining.
At 9:18, Knies zipped the puck to Nylander, whose sharp-angle bid created a rebound that Tavares could have blown into the net for a man-advantage marker. Tavares has now recorded 30 or more goals in eight different seasons and became the third Maple Leaf 35 or older to notch 30 goals.
The Leafs also had two go-ahead goals disallowed, an own-goal off Joel Edmundson that was nullified for an offside entry and a marker from Robertson because Toronto had too many men on the ice.
Before that, a colossal puckhandling gaffe by Woll got the Kings on the board. As a Toronto power play expired, he played a long clearing attempt and swept it far into the neutral zone. Mikey Anderson picked off the pass easily and slid the puck to an open Kempe at 3:55.
Just 71 seconds into the period, the Kings scored seconds after their power play expired. A confused sort-out at the blue line saw Knies neglect his mark and create a three-on-two rush for the Kings. Trevor Moore and Jared Wright each made precise passes to set up a redirection goal by Byfield, his 19th of the campaign.
Despite taking four penalties in the first period, Toronto scored its only two goals, striking four-on-four at 4:19 and then shorthanded at 13:42.
Lorentz picked Anže Kopitar’s pocket at the defensive blue line, jumping to daylight and beating Kuemper with a snap shot to the glove side.
Knies opened the scoring after Edmundson hand-delivered the puck to Max Domi, who zoomed ahead and chucked a saucer pass to Knies for a snipe from between the circles.