Dubois, Roy end long goal droughts to propel Kings to 3-1 victory over Ducks

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Pierre-Luc Dubois and Matt Roy ended long goal droughts and the Los Angeles Kings beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-1 on Saturday night to remain in third place in the Pacific Division.

Kevin Fiala also scored for the Kings, who have won five of their last six, and David Rittich stopped 28 shots. They have a three-point lead over Vegas with two games remaining in the regular season. The Golden Knights hold the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Los Angeles and Vegas have clinched playoff spots, but seeding is still up for grabs in the final days of the regular season.

“We want to play well," Kings interim coach Jim Hiller said. "You can play well and not win in this league, that happens a lot of different nights. So we want to play well, and we’ll take the wins."

The Kings extended their home winning streak to eight games, their longest run since 2010-11. They are 13-2-1 on home ice since Hiller took over from Todd McLellan on Feb. 2. That is the second-best mark in the league since the all-star break.

“I’m not sure, to be honest. I wish I had the answer to that one. To be good at home, especially at the end, it brings confidence in us," said Dubois, who found the net for the first time in 14 games.

Trevor Zegras scored for Anaheim, which has dropped four of its last five. Lukas Dostal made 25 saves.

“They’re a good team. Obviously a playoff team. I think what’s good about our group is we get excited when we play these guys. It’s a little bit extra motivation, regardless of where we’re at," said Zegras, who has two goals and seven points in 10 games since coming back from ankle surgery. "I thought we competed and played hard but didn’t get the result.”

Dubois opened the scoring 2:45 into the second period while the Kings were on the power play with his first goal since March 15. The center was able to get the rebound near the net and went top shelf.

Roy extended the lead to 2-0 and ended a 10-game drought eight minutes later with a wrist shot from near the blue line while Dostal was being screened.

Zegras got the Ducks within a goal with 8:42 remaining in the third period on a snipe from the left faceoff circle.

Fiala gave the Kings an insurance score with 2:18 left on a wraparound. It was Fiala's fifth goal and ninth point in eight games.

“That TV timeout, believe it or not, at the five-minute mark I think it gave them a pause," Ducks coach Greg Cronin said. "We were all over them. We got that first goal and you could see it energized us. And, that timeout, I think they’re a veteran team and they rebooted. They put it right back into our zone, got a couple shifts in our zone, took kind of the steam out of us. And then give Fiala credit, he counter-hit (Radko) Gudas, and he was able to pick up the loose puck and stuff it.”

Los Angeles captain Anze Kopitar did not play due to injury. Hiller said it was something nagging, but nothing major.

UP NEXT

Ducks: Conclude the season at Vegas on Thursday night.

Kings: Host Minnesota on Monday night.

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

Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal, left, deflects a shot by Los Angeles Kings center Akil Thomas, right, as right wing Alex Laferriere watches during the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Anaheim Ducks right wing Frank Vatrano, left, and Los Angeles Kings defenseman Matt Roy collide during the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Anaheim Ducks center Trevor Zegras, right, celebrates his goal with defenseman Olen Zellweger during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal, upper right, stops a shot by Los Angeles Kings right wing Quinton Byfield, left, as defenseman William Lagesson defends during the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Kings center Blake Lizotte, left, and Anaheim Ducks right wing Frank Vatrano vie for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Kings center Trevor Lewis, second from right, celebrates a goal by defenseman Matt Roy as Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe second from left, and goaltender Lukas Dostal, right, react during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal makes a glove save during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Kings goaltender David Rittich, left, stops a shot by Anaheim Ducks right wing Frank Vatrano during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Artists from Universal Music Group, which include Taylor Swift, Drake, Adele, Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish, will be returning to TikTok as the two parties have struck a new licensing agreement following an approximately three-month long dispute.

The two sides said Thursday that they are “now working expeditiously to return music by artists represented by Universal Music Group and songwriters represented by Universal Music Publishing Group to TikTok in due course.”

UMG said in January that it had not agreed to terms of a new deal with TikTok, and planned to stop licensing content from the artists it represents on the social media platform that is owned by ByteDance, as well as TikTok Music services.

At the time, UMG had been pressing TikTok on three issues: “appropriate compensation for our artists and songwriters, protecting human artists from the harmful effects of AI, and online safety for TikTok’s users.”

TikTok pushed back against the claims by UMG, saying that it had reached ‘artist-first’ agreements with every other label and publisher.

On Thursday the two sides announced that their new agreement would give significant benefits to UMG’s global stable of artists, songwriters and labels and would return their music to TikTok.

“Music is an integral part of the TikTok ecosystem and we are pleased to have found a path forward with Universal Music Group," TikTok CEO Shou Chew said in a statement. "We are committed to working together to drive value, discovery and promotion for all of UMG’s amazing artists and songwriters, and deepen their ability to grow, connect and engage with the TikTok community.”

Part of the new deal includes UMG and TikTok working together to find new monetization opportunities. They will also will work together on campaigns supporting UMG’s artists across genres and territories globally.

In addition, the companies will put their combined efforts toward ensuring that AI development across the music industry will protect human artistry and payments for artists and songwriters. TikTok will also work with UMG to remove unauthorized AI-generated music from the platform, as well as on tools to improve artist and songwriter attribution.

TikTok plans to continue investing in building artist-centric tools that will help UMG artists realize their potential on the platform. Some tools include “Add to Music App”, enhanced data and analytics, and integrated ticketing capabilities.

“We’re gratified to renew our relationship with TikTok predicated on significant advancements in commercial and marketing opportunities as well as protections provided to our industry-leading roster on their platform,” Michael Nash, chief digital officer and executive vice president, Universal Music Group, said in a statement.

While TikTok has settled its dispute with UMG, the future of the platform remains uncertain. Last month President Joe Biden signed legislation requiring TikTok parent ByteDance to sell to a U.S. owner within a year or to shut down. It’s not clear whether that law will survive an expected legal challenge or that ByteDance would agree to sell.

FILE - Taylor Swift performs at the Monumental stadium during her Eras Tour concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov. 9, 2023. Artists from Universal Music Group, which include Taylor Swift, Drake, Adele, Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish, will be returning to TikTok as the two parties have struck a new licensing agreement following an approximately three-month long dispute. The two sides said Thursday, May 2, 2024, that they are "now working expeditiously to return music by artists represented by Universal Music Group and songwriters represented by Universal Music Publishing Group to TikTok in due course." (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)