Adrian Kempe joins an elite core of Kings legends dating back to the 90s, and he’s doing it the hard way on LA’s road trip.
The Los Angeles Kings forward extended his road multi-streak to four games Thursday night in Dallas, recording eight points (4 goals and four assists) in that span. Doing all this, Kempe is the first King to achieve this feat since Wayne Gretzky and Luc Robitaille did so during the 1992-93 campaign, the same season Los Angeles made its first trip to the Stanley Cup final.
While the Kings have gotten off to a slow start this season and have been very inconsistent defensively and early in games, Kempe has been a spark that has lit up this team every day.
He’s been electric away from Crypto.com, producing highlight reels and timely plays that have kept Los Angeles competitive despite a lot of defensive lapses.
Bright Spot in Kings Incosistent Start
The current stretch that Kempe is on shows how far he’s come as a player, getting better every year, and has now evolved into one of the NHL’s most balanced forwards. His chemistry and connection with all of his teammates, especially Anze Kopitar, who continues to be his most reliable offensive connection, especially in transition.
What makes this streak from Kempe impressive is the players that he’s now part of. Both Gretzky and Robitaille put up their incredible multi-point road games in an era when the league was high-scoring in the early 90s, with offenses flowing freely.
Elite Company
The fact that Kempe has matched that pace in today's era, with defense structured the way it is and physical play, speaks volumes to his efficiency and consistency. In the last few years, Kempe has been one of the league's most underappreciated scorers, continuing to find ways to score against top defensive pairings.
Kempe’s next opportunity to extend his streak will come tomorrow night as the Kings continue their five-game road trip against the Predators. A fifth straight multi-point would push him further into team history and recognize him as the franchise's most dynamic player since the early 1990s.
For now, he stands alongside Gretzky and Robitaille, two of the most iconic names ever to wear the silver and black. Kempe will be remembered as a Kings legend if he continues stacking up these milestones and wins at least one Stanley Cup title.
Los Angeles will need more of the others to step up if they're looking to climb up into the Pacific Division standings. The Kings still have problems with penalties and defense, but since getting Corey Perry back, they’ve looked solid and should get better as they fully heal.
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