Kempe leads charge as Kings snap skid in victory over Lightning

Adrian Kempe scored two big goals for the Kings as they rallied to down the Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1, at the Benchmark International Arena on Thursday evening. The win snapped a four-game losing streak for Los Angeles, improving the squad to 15-10-9.

Leapfrogging Kevin Fiala for the team lead, Kempe found both of his goals in the second period to help the Kings erase a 1-0 deficit. Oliver Bjorkstrand had put the Lightning on the board in the first period on a power play goal before Kempe delivered the equalizer in the opening six minutes of the second.

Picking up the assists on the play were Anze Kopitar and Corey Perry. Kopitar, playing in his final regular-season visit to Tampa Bay, is the franchise's all-time leader in points and games played against the Lightning. It was the first point for the 38-year-old since a 3-2 OT loss to the Kraken on Dec. 10. 

The second time around, Kempe made it happen all on his own, taking a Tampa Bay turnover and cashing in on a breakaway score. He used a nice backhanded shot to put Los Angeles in front 2-1 with just over four minutes remaining in the second period.

Thursday marked the 29-year-old's first multi-score game of the season, coming on a day when the Kings desperately needed some offensive fireworks. Despite still posting two or fewer goals for the fifth consecutive game, the solid defensive performance from Anton Forsberg in front of the net helped Los Angeles hang on.

Appearing for the second consecutive contest, the 11-year veteran will likely see increased playing time after Darcy Kuemper was placed on the injured list. Kuemper suffered a hit to the head from Stars' forward Mikko Rantanen in a 4-1 loss on Monday. In a corresponding move, Los Angeles recalled goaltender Pheonix Copley to serve as Forsberg's temporary backup.

He made many impressive saves on Thursday, stopping 31 of 32 Tampa Bay shot attempts and keeping them off the board entirely in the third period. It was the first time the Lightning failed to score in the final 20 minutes of a game since Dec. 8.

Forsberg earned his first victory since Nov. 29, improving to 4-4-3 this season. 

The Kings will have the weekend off before returning to the ice at home on Monday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. It's been a very slow start to the season for Columbus, currently last in the Metropolitan Division at 14-14-6. Having found just one victory in their last six tries, the game presents Los Angeles with a promising opportunity to build upon a nice victory in Tampa Bay.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. PT.