Kempe is going to play Wednesday night with Michael Cammalleri and Justin Auger. If that’s not a message to Kempe to be the speedy playmaker LA needs him to be, nothing is.
47 minutes into the Los Angeles Kings’ matchup with the Montreal Canadiens on October 18, 2017, Kempe showed how well that message had come across. By that point, the Kings were tied 1-1, Lewis had swapped up in place of Auger, Jeff Carter was injured (and will remain so), and LA needed a spark. Here’s what they got:
Kempe scored three goals (and an assist) in 10 minutes and 50 seconds, combining with Michael Cammalleri on all four tallies to turn a 1-1 struggle into a 5-1 laugher.