Tavares, Maple Leafs end Kings' home point streak with 3-1 victory

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — John Tavares scored twice and the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Los Angeles Kings 3-1 on Saturday.

Auston Matthews had a goal and an assist, Anthony Stolarz made 35 saves, and the Maple Leafs are 5-1-1 in their past seven games.

Alex Laferriere scored, Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves, and the Kings had their franchise-record 15-game home point streak snapped. It was their first regulation loss at home since falling 5-1 to Pittsburgh on Jan. 20.

Laferriere put the Kings ahead early in the second period, but Matthews tied it up 1-1 early in the third with his second career short-handed goal.

Tavares then put Toronto in front by putting in Matthews’ rebound during a 4-on-3 power play with less than eight minutes remaining. He picked up an empty-netter with 1:35 remaining.

The win put the Maples Leafs atop the three-team race for the Atlantic Division for now, moving them one point ahead of Florida and Tampa Bay. The Panthers do have a game in hand over the other two challengers.

Maple Leafs: Toronto, which came into the game with the third-best road power play in the NHL, went 1 for 4 to turn the game in their favor.

Kings: Laferriere ended a 17-game goal drought dating back to Feb. 22 when he opened the scoring.

Kuemper got a little too active with his stick, tripping Matthews during 4-on-4 hockey, and setting the stage for Tavares’ 12th power-play goal of the season.

Tavares has scored in five straight games and leads the NHL with 13 goals since the 4 Nations Face-off.

The Maple Leafs visit Anaheim on Sunday, and the Kings host San Jose on Sunday.

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