LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kevin Fiala scored two goals for the second straight game, and Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferriere had a goal and two assists apiece in the Los Angeles Kings' 5-4 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.

Captain Anze Kopitar also scored for the Kings, who have won 10 of 13. Los Angeles is four points behind Pacific Division-leading Vegas and four points ahead of third-place Edmonton with three games to go, likely sending the Kings into a fourth consecutive first-round meeting with the Oilers.

Los Angeles' Darcy Kuemper made 22 saves against the team with which he won the Stanley Cup in 2022, but his streak of allowing two goals or fewer ended at 15 consecutive starts — one short of matching Miikka Kiprusoff's 2003-04 expansion-era record.

Brock Nelson scored two goals for the Avalanche to secure his fourth straight 25-goal season, and second-place Colorado nearly won despite resting NHL scoring co-leader Nathan MacKinnon and several other regulars with its playoff seeding already decided.

Valeri Nichushkin and Sam Malinski also scored, and Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 28 shots.

Colorado was locked into the No. 3 seed in the Central Division earlier this week, allowing the Avs to sit MacKinnon, Cole Makar, Devon Toews, Jonathan Drouin and others during their final weekend of the regular season in Southern California.

Takeaways

Avalanche: An impressive offensive outing with so much firepower missing.

Kings: Kuemper had a rare dud, but his frequently low-scoring team has 11 goals in the past two games and 31 in the last seven.

Key moment

Laferriere reclaimed the lead for LA with a one-timer set up by Brandt Clarke midway through the second.

Key stat

Fiala extended his own career high to 34 goals this season.

Up next

The Avalanche finish their regular season in Anaheim on Sunday. The Kings still have three more games, starting Monday in Edmonton.

Landeskog will play in 2nd straight game with AHL's Eagles as he bids to suit up for Avs in playoffs

Gabriel Landeskog and his surgically repaired knee — the one that's caused him to miss nearly three years — take another big step forward by playing in a second straight game for the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League on Saturday night.

The longtime Colorado Avalanche captain Landeskog is on loan to the Eagles as part of a conditioning assignment. He's trying to get up to speed in his bid to possibly join the Avalanche for a playoff run.

The organization announced Landeskog would be in the lineup once again Saturday when the Eagles play the Henderson Silver Knights at Blue Arena in Loveland, Colorado. Landeskog logged nearly 15 minutes, took two shots and spent time in the penalty box during the Eagles' 2-0 win Friday in front of a crowd cheering for No. 92.

Before Friday, Landeskog hadn't played in a professional game since he helped the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022 because of a knee injury and subsequent surgeries.

"Physically, I feel great,” Landeskog said Friday of his return. “It’s the first game in a long time so I've got plenty of things to work on and get better at but, yeah, it was a lot of fun.”

Landeskog’s injury stems from the 2020 “bubble” season when he was sliced above the knee by the skate of Cale Makar in a playoff game against Dallas. Landeskog eventually underwent a cartilage transplant procedure on May 10, 2023, and has been on long-term injured reserve.

The procedure was similar to the one performed on Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball in March 2023. Ball returned to the court for a preseason game in October, which hinted at a possible timeline for Landeskog’s return.

Landeskog’s comeback has been the subject of a documentary series called “A Clean Sheet: Gabe Landeskog” that’s airing on TNT and TruTV.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a long time and envisioning this, and envisioning being in a competitive hockey game again,” Landeskog said. “Obviously, there were times where I didn’t know if that was ever going to happen. So it felt great being in the battle again — on the bench, in the room, on the ice, all the nuances of a hockey game. Really fun being back.”

Should all go smooth with his conditioning assignment, the 32-year-old forward from Sweden might very well be activated for Colorado’s first-round playoff series. The Avalanche enter the postseason as the Central Division’s No. 3 seed and will open on the road.

Tatis, Heyward homer as the Padres shut out the Rockies again, 2-0

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a 424-foot leadoff home run and made a nice game-ending catch, Jason Heyward also went deep and Kyle Hart and three relievers combined on a four-hitter for the NL West-leading San Diego Padres, who shut out the Colorado Rockies for the second straight game, 2-0 on Saturday night.

Hart (2-0) went six innings, allowing just a double by Kyle Farmer in the fourth inning while striking out four and walking none. Jeremiah Estrada pitched a hitless seventh, Jason Adam allowed a single in the eighth and Robert Suarez allowed two singles in the ninth while earning his big league-leading seventh save in as many chances.

With runners on first and second and two outs in the ninth, Tatis ran down Kris Byrant's liner in the right field corner and jumped to make the catch.

On Friday night, Nick Pivetta and two relievers combined on a three-hitter in an 8-0 win.

The Padres have five shutouts in 15 games.

Tatis drove a full-count, 97.6-mph fastball from rookie Chase Dollander into the Padres' dugout beyond the fence in center, where Logan Gillaspie hopped off the bench, caught it and threw it to a fan. It was the fourth this season for Tatis, who also homered into the bullpen Friday.

Tatis extended his franchise record with his 13th career leadoff shot. He's hit safely in 11 of his 14 games and reached base in all 14. He was moved into the leadoff spot this season.

Heyward hit a 410-foot shot to right with one out in the fifth, his first with the Padres.

Dollander (1-1) allowed two runs and three hits in 5 2/3 innings, struck out seven and walked two.

Key moment

Tatis' home run put a charge into the sellout crowd of 44,066.

Key stat

Tatis is tied with Adrian Gonzalez for the second-most homers at Petco Park at 65. Manny Machado has 91.

Up next

Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (0-2, 3.79) and Padres RHP Michael King (2-0, 4.05) are scheduled to start Sunday's series finale.