3 most impressive Pittsburgh Penguins players from 5-1 win over Los Angeles Kings feat. Kevin Hayes 

The Pittsburgh Penguins could be in the final stages of any legitimate chance at a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, let alone another Stanley Cup victory.

But until then, it's clear that they're going to attempt to milk every bit of the careers of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang they have left. They improved their record to 20-21-8 with a 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena on Monday night; the Kings, one of the better teams in the West, fell to 25-14-5.

The scoring was started by the Penguins, as Kevin Hayes was credited for a goal after he drove to the net and had the puck swatted away by Joel Edmundson inadvertently into the net.

Penguins superstar captain Sidney Crosby, still playing at as high a level as ever, doubled the lead with his 13th goal of the season; the Penguins took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.

Not wanting to get left out of the fun, longtime Crosby teammate and fellow three-time Stanley Cup champion Evgeni Malkin increased their lead to 3-0 with his ninth goal. Later in the period, Adrian Kempe scored on the power play to bring the Kings back to within a pair of goals, only to have Pittsburgh respond with 60 seconds remaining in the frame thanks to Cody Glass.

Just before the midway point of the third period, the lead was extended to 5-1 when Anthony Beauvillier scored his 11th of the season.

3 most impressive Pittsburgh Penguins players from 5-1 victory over Los Angeles Kings

#1. Kevin Hayes

A first-year Penguins player, Hayes could very well be dangled as trade bait at the upcoming NHL Trade Deadline. But until then, he's doing his part to try and keep Pittsburgh afloat in the Eastern Conference postseason race.

Not only did he score thanks to a strong drive to the net in the first period, but he also set up Glass' goal in the second period by making his way through several Kings players.

#2. Anthony Beauvillier

Another first-year player on the Penguins, Beauvillier has represented a good portion of Pittsburgh's scoring depth.

Whether or not his long-term future is in Pittsburgh remains unclear, but he added his 11th goal of the season on the night.

#3. Alex Nedeljkovic

Having taken the starter's role from the recently waived Tristan Jarry, Nedeljkovic continues his career resurgence with the Penguins.

Coming off his first-career NHL goal last week against the Buffalo Sabres, Nedeljkovic returned to what he does best - preventing other players from scoring. He held off the Kings with 25 saves, picking up his ninth win.

The Penguins will look to keep their winning momentum going when. they face the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on Thursday.