Kempe Hat Trick Leads Kings Past Sharks 7-2 in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Kings beat the San Jose Sharks 7-2 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Wednesday, November 4, 2026. Adrian Kempe scored a hat trick and added an assist for four points, and the Kings scored three times in the first period and never let San Jose back into the game.

Kempe opened the scoring on a breakaway. San Jose Hockey Now, reporting from Los Angeles, described a defensive breakdown on the play, with Kempe getting in behind the Sharks after a pinch at the other end. His second goal of the period came after a San Jose turnover. San Jose Hockey Now said a pass from Michael Kesselring, as the Sharks tried to leave their zone, was picked off, the coverage fell apart, and Kempe found a soft spot in front of the defense.

Quinton Byfield scored the third Los Angeles goal of the first period, beating a San Jose penalty kill that San Jose Hockey Now said had done a good job of limiting high danger chances this season. By the end of the period, the Sharks had given up three goals, and the report from the arena said the margin could have been wider.

San Jose answers once, then the game runs away

San Jose got its first goal in the second period. Macklin Celebrini scored on the power play, and San Jose Hockey Now called the shot unstoppable. The goal snapped a six game goalless streak for Celebrini, and the report said San Jose had double shifted him on the power play to find a way back into the game.

Los Angeles answered in the same period. Erik Haula scored from the slot, on a play San Jose Hockey Now put down to soft coverage and a misread between two young Sharks forwards. Kempe then scored his third goal of the night in the second period to complete the hat trick. Artemi Panarin assisted on three of the Kings goals, MetricsArena reported.

The Sharks changed their forward lines for the second period, San Jose Hockey Now reported, moving players around Celebrini in search of a response. The changes produced his goal, but Los Angeles kept scoring at the other end.

Byfield closes the scoring in the third

Joel Armia scored for Los Angeles in the third period. San Jose Hockey Now said Armia established position on Dmitry Orlov before scoring. San Jose's second goal came from Ivar Stenberg. San Jose Hockey Now said his shot, taken with the second power play unit, went in off the foot of Joel Edmundson.

Byfield scored his second goal late in the game, a power play deflection in front of the net. San Jose Hockey Now said he was the only player in front on the play. That made the final count seven goals for Los Angeles from four scorers: Kempe with three, Byfield with two, and Haula and Armia with one each. Celebrini and Stenberg scored for San Jose.

San Jose Hockey Now's report from the arena was blunt about the Sharks' night. It described breakdown after breakdown in the first period and called the team fragile.

For the Kings, the night belonged to Kempe. Two goals in the first period set the tone, the third in the second period finished the hat trick, and his assist took him to four points in a 7-2 win.