Spence scores first goal in win against Kraken

Kings defenseman gets on board with point shot as L.A. moves to 7-3-2 in last 12 games.

Jordan Spence scored his first NHL goal and captain Anze Kopitar had a goal and an assist in the Kings’ 4-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena.

Gabriel Vilardi scored his first goal in five months and Sean Durzi ended a 29-game goal drought for the Kings in their second win over the expansion Kraken this season.

Cal Petersen made 23 saves as Los Angeles solidified its hold on second place in the Pacific Division by earning at least a point for the ninth time in 12 games (73-2).

Daniel Sprong scored in his second straight game since joining Seattle, which made its debut in L.A.

With defenseman Drew Doughty missing his ninth straight game with an upper-body injury, Spence and Durzi stepped up to provide unexpected offense from the blue line.

Spence scored late in the second period of his ninth

NHL game when his long shot from the point snaked through a crowd and got past Grubauer without hitting anybody. The crowd gave a standing ovation to Spence, a 21-year-old, Australia-born, Japan-raised Canadian defenseman drafted in the fourth round three years ago.

Vilardi opened the scoring in the first with a sharp def lection of a puck from Olli Maatta for his second goal of the season. The 2017 firstround pick had been injured or in the minors since shortly before Halloween, but he returned to Los Angeles seven games ago.

Kopitar finished a rush early in the second period, beating Philipp Grubauer after Adrian Kempe started the break with a long pass to Alex Iafallo. The goal was Kopitar’s second in 15 games, but he has six points in L.A.’s last five games.