Joel Edmundson scores twice to lead Kings past Utah 3-2

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Joel Edmundson scored twice and Brandt Clarke had a goal and an assist, helping the Los Angeles Kings beat Utah 3-2 on Saturday.

Signed in free agency to provide more physicality on the blue line, Edmundson showed good offensive skill in his first career multigoal game. He got to the front of the crease to put Anze Kopitar’s pass into an open goal to make it 2-0 in the second period. He sent a shot from the blue line through traffic for a 3-1 lead early in the third.

Darcy Kuemper stopped 23 shots for the win. It was his first start in nearly two weeks after missing time because of a lower-body injury.

Clayton Keller and Logan Cooley scored for Utah in its third straight loss.

Utah: Nick Bjugstad made his Utah debut after missing the first eight games of the season with a back injury. Bjugstad had 22 goals and 23 assists last season for Arizona, so the middle-six center should be an important contributor going forward.

Kings: Kevin Fiala was benched for the final 4:05 of the second period and the entire third after taking his second penalty of the game, which led to Keller’s fifth goal. Coach Jim Hiller had warned playing time would be impacted for any King who continued to make unnecessary visits to the box.

Kopitar’s helper marked his 1,220th point. He moved ahead of Jean Béliveau (1,219) into 45th on the NHL career scoring list.

The Kings have 24 points from defensemen through nine games, despite missing top blue liner Drew Doughty because of a broken ankle. Clarke has a goal and six assists.

Utah hosts the San Jose Sharks on Monday, and the Kings visit the Sharks on Tuesday.

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

San Jose Sharks center Nico Sturm (7) and Los Angeles Kings defenseman Jordan Spence (21) vie for the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/William Liang)

Los Angeles Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper (35) blocks a shot during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Utah Hockey Club, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

Utah Hockey Club defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok (52) checks Los Angeles Kings left wing Tanner Jeannot (10) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

Utah Hockey Club center Clayton Keller (9) shoots for a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Joel Edmundson (6) scores a goal past Utah Hockey Club left wing Matias Maccelli (63) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

DENVER (AP) — A Frontier Airlines plane hit and killed a pedestrian on the runway of the Denver International Airport during takeoff, airport authorities said, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate.

The plane, on route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday," the airport's official X account wrote.

A spokesperson for the airport said the pedestrian, who jumped a perimeter fence, has died. They said the unidentified person was hit two minutes after entering the airport. The person is not believed to be an airport employee.

“We're stopping on the runway,” the pilot tells the control tower according to the site ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”

The pilot tells the air traffic controller they have “231 souls” on board and that an “individual was walking across the runway.”

The air traffic controller responds that they are “rolling the trucks now" before the pilot tells the tower they “have smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”

Frontier Airlines said in a statement flight 4345 was the one involved in the collision and that “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff.” It was not clear whether the smoke was linked to the crash with the pedestrian.

“The Airbus A321 was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members,” the airline said. “We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.”

Passengers were then evacuated via slides and the emergency crew bused them to the terminal. The airport spokesperson said 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and five were taken to local hospitals.

Denver Airport said the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified and that runway 17L, where the incident took place, will remain closed while an investigation is conducted. It is expected to open later today.

The pedestrian death came a day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed while on the job at the Orlando International Airport. In a statement, the airline said the employee was killed Thursday night without providing details of the incident nor the name of the employee.

“We are focused on extending our full support to family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time,” the airline said. "We are working with local authorities as a full investigation gets underway to determine what occurred.”

FILE - A Frontier Airlines jetliner taxis down a runway for take off from Denver International airport on Nov. 25, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)