NHL: Alexander Kerfoot, Logan Cooley score twice as Mammoth rout Kings

Alexander Kerfoot and Logan Cooley each scored twice as the visiting Utah Mammoth thumped the Los Angeles Kings 6-2 on Saturday night.

With the win, Utah (38-30-6, 82 points), in the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference, holds a five-point lead over the Nashville Predators, owners of the second wild-card position.

Los Angeles (29-26-18, 76 points) remains on the outside looking in, a point back of Nashville in the wild-card race.

Nick Schmaltz and Jack McBain also scored for Utah, while Mikhail Sergachev had four assists and Clayton Keller chipped in a pair of helpers for the Mammoth, who won for just the second time in five games (2-3-0).

Karel Vejmelka made 29 saves for Utah.

Adrian Kempe had a goal and an assist, and Anze Kopitar also scored for the Kings, who have dropped five of six (1-2-3).

Darcy Kuemper stopped 11 shots through two periods and was replaced by Anton Forsberg to start the third. Forsberg made 11 saves.

The Mammoth outshot the Kings 12-9 in the first period and led 3-1 after 20 minutes.

Utah opened the scoring 2:31 into the period as Kerfoot redirected a John Marino cross-ice feed past Kuemper.

Cooley doubled the Mammoth lead at 16:33, beating out the icing call and snapping a shot five-hole past Kuemper.

Los Angeles cut the lead in half 1:18 later as Kopitar tipped a Kempe shot from the point past Vejmelka.

Utah restored the two-goal lead on the power play at 19:51 as Cooley dangled around Mikey Anderson and snapped a shot high blocker-side past Kuemper.

The Mammoth took a 4-1 lead at 12:37 of the middle frame as Kerfoot showed patience, outwaited Kuemper, and put a shot over the shoulder of the Kings goaltender. Kerfoot has points in four straight games (three goals, two assists).

Schmaltz made it 5-1 at 16:17 of the second on a power play, taking a Keller pass, skate-to-stick and snapping a shot past Kuemper.

Kempe pulled the Kings to 5-2, putting a shot past a screened Vejmelka at 4:34 of the third.

McBain added an empty-netter at 13:53.

-Field Level Media/Reuters