Moore, Turcotte and Edmundson power Kings past Blackhawks 3-1 for their 6th win in 7 games

CHICAGO (AP) —

Trevor Moore and Alex Turcotte scored in the first period, and the Los Angeles Kings held on to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1 on Thursday night for their sixth win in seven games.

Joel Edmundson fired from deep in the Kings' zone and scored into an empty net with 19 seconds left to seal the win.

Darcy Kuemper made 17 saves in his fifth straight start to help Los Angeles tighten its grip on a playoff spot. Kuemper has allowed just four goals and has two shutouts in his five-game run.

Connor Bedard scored for the second straight game, netting his 19th goal, as the Blackhawks lost their season-high sixth straight (0-5-1). Chicago has been outscored 25-9 during its slide. Spencer Knight stopped 30 shots.

Los Angeles outshot Chicago 19-7 in a dominant first period and took a 2-0 lead on goals by Moore and Turcotte 59 seconds apart.

Moore fired a screened shot from the slot that clanked in off the left post 8:45 in. Turcotte made it 2-0 at 9:44, with a deflection of Vladislav Gavrikov’s shot.

Bedard cut it to 2-1 with a power-play goal on a shot from the left circle at 10:50 of the second.

Kings: Continued their pursuit of second place Edmonton in the Pacific Division and home ice advantage in a possible first-round playoff matchup with the Oilers. Los Angeles and Edmonton have met three straight seasons in the postseason

Blackhawks: Following a pair of 6-2 losses, Chicago started skating in this one after a shaky start.

Kuemper made a point-blank pad save on Lukas Reichel's one-timer 2:45 into the third to keep the Kings ahead.

Turcotte snapped a 24-game drought with his eighth goal. He hadn’t had a goal since scoring twice on Jan. 16 at Vancouver.

Both teams play Saturday. The Kings host Carolina and the Blackhawks are at St. Louis.

Chicago Blackhawks center Colton Dach (28), left, and Los Angeles Kings left wing Kevin Fiala (22) fight for control of the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Los Angeles Kings center Phillip Danault warms up before an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks, Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight (30) and defenseman Alec Martinez (25) block a shot from Los Angeles Kings left wing Warren Foegele (37) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Los Angeles Kings center Alex Turcotte (15), right, scores on Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight (30) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Los Angeles Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper (35) makes a save on the Chicago Blackhawks during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Los Angeles Kings center Alex Turcotte celebrates after scoring against the Chicago Blackhawks during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela will once again accept repatriation flights from the United States carrying its deported nationals after reaching an agreement with the U.S., a Venezuelan official said on social media Saturday.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro suspended flights on March 8, after the U.S. Treasury Department announced the withdrawal of Chevron’s license to export Venezuelan oil.

“We have agreed with the U.S. government to resume the repatriation of Venezuelan migrants with an initial flight tomorrow, Sunday,” said Jorge Rodríguez, president of Venezuela's Assembly and Maduro’s chief negotiator with the U.S.

Venezuela accepted the deal to guarantee the “the return of our compatriots to their nation with the safeguard of their Human Rights,” Rodríguez said.

In his statement, Rodríguez referred to the deportation by Donald Trump’s government of some 250 Venezuelans to a high-security prison in El Salvador.

“Migrating is not a crime and we will not rest until we achieve the return of all those who require it and until we rescue our brothers kidnapped in El Salvador,” Rodríguez said.

Maduro ratified the measure during a public event later in the day. “We are resuming flights to rescue and release migrants from U.S. prisons,” Maduro said.

The Venezuelan leader also said that he held the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, responsible for the well-being of the Venezuelans deported to that country.

“You guarantee their health and, sooner rather than later, you have to hand them over and release them, because they are kidnapped,” Maduro said.

Trump alleged the deportees were members of the Tren de Aragua gang. He labeled the Tren de Aragua an invading force on March 15 when he invoked the Alien Enemies Act, a little-used authority from 1798 that allows the president to deport any non-citizen during wartime. A federal judge issued an order temporarily barring the deportations, but flights were in the air when the ruling came down.

Tren de Aragua, which the U.S. Department of State designated a foreign terrorist organization, originated in a prison in the South American country. Members accompanied an exodus of millions of Venezuelans, the overwhelming majority of whom were seeking better living conditions after their nation’s economy came undone last decade.

Trump’s administration has not provided evidence that the deportees are members of Tren de Aragua or that they committed any crime in the U.S.

Maduro’s government has mostly refused the entry of immigrants deported from the U.S. Those deportations have sharply picked up since Trump took office on Jan. 20.

In recent weeks, some 350 people were deported to Venezuela, including some 180 who spent up to 16 days at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The Trump administration said that the Venezuelans sent to Guantanamo are members of Tren de Aragua, but offered little evidence to back this up.

FILE - Venezuelan migrants deported from the United States deplane at the Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela, Feb. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez, File)