Adrian Kempe propelled the Los Angeles Kings to a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night, scoring both of his team's goals in the second period. Goaltender Anton Forsberg played a crucial role, stopping 31 shots to help the Kings end a four-game losing streak.
The Kings, playing the second game of a back-to-back, demonstrated resilience after falling behind. Their road record improved to 11-4-5 following the win. The Lightning, meanwhile, have now lost three straight games and seven of their last nine.
Tampa Bay took the lead in the first period with a power-play goal by Oliver Bjorkstrand at 12:54. Bjorkstrand converted a rebound after Forsberg stopped his initial shot, marking his 399th career point. The Kings had taken a penalty when Kempe was called for cross-checking. Forsberg made a critical save in the final seconds of the first, denying Dominic James to keep the score at 1-0.
Kempe's heroics began in the second period. At 5:21, he received a pass from Anze Kopitar in the neutral zone and fired a shot past Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, tying the game. Kempe then stole the puck from Pontus Holmberg and scored on a breakaway at 15:58, giving the Kings a 2-1 lead. It was his team-leading 13th goal of the season.
Forsberg continued his stellar performance in the third period, making a spectacular save early in the frame to prevent the Lightning from tying the game. Vasilevskiy, who returned after a seven-game absence, also made a key save on Trevor Moore during a breakaway. The Lightning outshot the Kings 13-3 in the third period but were unable to solve Forsberg. Late in the third, Corey Perry of the Kings received a minor penalty for holding and a misconduct, giving the Lightning a six-on-four advantage that they couldn't convert.
The Lightning were without Nikita Kucherov and Brandon Hagel. Ryan McDonagh returned to the lineup.
With the victory, the Kings snapped their four-game losing streak and now hold a two-point lead in the first wild card spot in the Western Conference. The Lightning dropped below the playoff line in the Eastern Conference with the loss.
The Kings will begin a three-game homestand against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Lightning will host the Carolina Hurricanes.
