EDMONTON — Trevor Moore owned the stat sheet on Wednesday night.
Moore recorded his first career hat trick as the Los Angeles Kings defeated the struggling Edmonton Oilers 3-1.
“It’s kind of funny because I didn’t feel I had my best tonight,” Moore said. “It was just one of those games where the puck finds you. It feels amazing, though. It is just funny because it felt like I was fighting the puck a little bit out there.”
Kings head coach Todd McLellan was thrilled to see the 27-year-old get rewarded with a three-goal night.
“We are happy for him,” he said of Moore. “He works his butt off night after night. He does the defensive things that are key to winning some nights and found a way to put the puck in the net. He has been there all year for us offensively, it just hasn’t gone in a lot for him. He was leading us in shots on goal, which means he is around the net a lot, finally they are crossing the goal line.”
Viktor Arvidsson assisted on all three goals for the Kings (11-7-1) while Cal Petersen stopped 22-of-23 shots he faced. Los Angeles has now won five of its last six contests.
“We went from shoddy in Calgary (a 6-5 loss on Monday) to committed,” McLellan said. “It looked different and felt different. We played way closer to our identity, likely the way we have to play to beat teams like this and a lot of teams in the league. I am proud of the group.”
With the three helpers, Arvidsson became the 20th active Swedish skater to reach 300 career NHL points.
Zach Hyman responded for the Oilers (9-8-0) who have lost five of their last seven games. Stuart Skinner made 29 saves for Edmonton.
“We know these guys well and that kind of game script fit right into their game — they score early and just kind of sit back and hold on,” said Oilers captain Connor McDavid. “That’s the game they want to play. We knew that. They didn’t come out and surprise us with anything.”
L.A. blocked a total of 29 shots in the victory.
“From the first minute it felt like they were getting in front of everything,” McDavid said. “Credit to them, they did a lot well defensively tonight.”
The Kings opened the scoring 4:23 into the first period as Moore unleashed a long-distance bullet of a shot that beat Skinner stick side.
Edmonton came close to countering midway through the opening frame when McDavid made a one-handed play to lift the puck over Petersen, but Arvidsson managed to bat the puck to safety at the last second.
The Kings outshot the Oilers 13-6 in the first period.
Edmonton evened things up 12:47 into the second period as Ryan Murray intercepted a clearing attempt and sent a pass to Hyman, who beat Petersen with a backhand shot for his eighth of the season.
Los Angeles regained its lead with just under three minutes to play in the middle period as Arvidsson sent it across to Moore who fired a shot that went off Skinner’s arm and in just as a penalty on McDavid expired.
Moore was able to complete the hat trick with an empty-net goal with 57 seconds to play. It was his fifth goal of the season.
Oilers forwards Leon Draisaitl and McDavid were held off the scoresheet, ending their point streaks at 11 and 10 games, respectively.
NOTES
It was the first meeting between the two teams since the first round of last season’s playoffs when the Oilers overcame a 3-2 series deficit to win in seven games. It was the first of four games between the Kings and Oilers this season … Oilers defenceman Tyson Barrie played in his 700th career NHL game … Edmonton debuted its new reverse retro jerseys, utilizing the gear logo designed by legendary comic book creator Todd McFarlane … Out with injuries for the Oilers were Kailer Yamamoto (undisclosed) and Evander Kane (wrist surgery), while the Kings were missing the services of Brendan Lemieux (lower body), Quinton Byfield (illness) and Alex Iafallo (lower body).
UP NEXT
The Kings play the third of a four-game road trip in Vancouver against the Canucks on Friday. Edmonton closes out a brief two-game homestand on Saturday against the Vegas Golden Knights.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 16, 2022.
Shane Jones, The Canadian Press
