Andrei Kuzmenko gets 1st points for LA since trade, helps Kings pound streaking Hurricanes 7-2

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Andrei Kuzmenko had a goal and an assist for his first points for Los Angeles since being acquired in a trade, and the Kings pummeled the Carolina Hurricanes 7-2 on Saturday.

Anze Kopitar, Tanner Jeannot, Quinton Byfield and Kevin Fiala also had a goal and an assist, Adrian Kempe and Trevor Moore scored, and the Kings won their fifth straight on home ice. David Rittich made 34 saves.

Dmitry Orlov and Mark Jankowski scored and Pyotr Kochetkov made 18 saves for the Hurricanes, who had their eight-game winning streak emphatically snapped.

Kuzmenko, who came to Los Angeles at the deadline on March 7 after a brief stint with the Philadelphia Flyers, had an assist on Kopitar’s power-play goal to make it 2-0 before finding the back of the net in the closing seconds of the first period.

The Kings hoped the mercurial Kuzmenko would lift their struggling power play and give Kopitar and Kempe another option to boost the scoring output from their top line. In Kuzmenko's eight games with the team, Los Angeles has four goals with the man-advantage, while Kopitar and Kempe have six goals and seven assists.

Hurricanes: Center Jordan Staal (lower body) and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere (illness) did not play, leaving Carolina without its captain in Staal and top offensive catalyst from the blue line in Gostisbehere. The Hurricanes also lost forward Seth Jarvis to injury in the third period.

Kings: Los Angeles extended its home point streak to 13 games to tie the longest home run without a regulation defeat in franchise history.

Kochetkov gave up goals in nearly identical fashion to start and end the first period, with Kempe and Kuzmenko each striking on wrist shots from the right circle off the rush.

Kopitar got his 124th career power-play goal, passing Dave Taylor for third-most in Kings history.

The Hurricanes visit Anaheim on Sunday, and the Kings host Boston on Sunday.

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

Los Angeles Kings goaltender David Rittich (31) tracks the puck against Carolina Hurricanes left wing Taylor Hall (71) and right wing Jackson Blake (53) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Los Angeles, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Dmitry Orlov (7) gets together with teammates defenseman Jalen Chatfield (5), left wing Taylor Hall (71), and center Jack Roslovic (96) after Orlov scores against the Los Angeles Kings during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Los Angeles, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

Carolina Hurricanes center Jesperi Kotkaniemi (82) controls the puck against the Los Angeles Kings during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Los Angeles, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

Los Angeles Kings right wing Adrian Kempe (9) celebrates after scoring against the Carolina Hurricanes during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Los Angeles, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar (11) celebrates with right wing Adrian Kempe (9) and defenseman Drew Doughty (8) after scoring against the Carolina Hurricanes during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Los Angeles, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

Los Angeles Kings' Andrei Kuzmenko (96) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Carolina Hurricanes during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Los Angeles, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Two more Russian athletes were approved by the International Olympic Committee to compete at the Milan Cortina Winter Games next month with neutral status.

The total is now five athletes with Russian passports and one from Belarus confirmed by the IOC as eligible for the Olympics that open Feb. 6. They will not have their national identity of team colors, flag or anthem and cannot take part in the opening ceremony athlete parades.

Short-track speed skaters Ivan Posashkov and Alena Krylova joined the list updated by the IOC late Monday.

The 21-year-old Posashkov competes in the men’s 1,000-meter event and the 23-year-old Krylova in the women’s 500 meters.

Neutral status can be given to athletes in individual events judged to have not actively supported their countries' full military invasion of Ukraine, and who are not contracted to the military or state security agencies.

Vetting is done first by a winter sports governing body and then verified by a panel of three IOC members, which includes former NBA star Pau Gasol.

The IOC previously approved Russian figure skaters Adeliia Petrosian — who is a strong medal contender — and Petr Gumennik, plus Nikita Filippov in ski mountaineering. Belarusian figure skater Viktoriia Safonova also passed checks.

More Russian and Belarusian athletes, including in Alpine and cross-country skiing, are likely to be added this month.

Russian athletes have returned to international winter sports competitions in recent weeks for the first time since the war on Ukraine intensified in February 2022, four days after the last Winter Games closed in Beijing.

Russia is still excluded from team sports like ice hockey at the Olympics, as it was at the 2024 Paris Summer Games.

AP Winter Olympics at https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Ice Master Mark Messer poses in the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)