Kempe scores 2 goals, Kings ease past Red Wings

LOS ANGELES -- Adrian Kempe scored two goals for the second straight game in the Los Angeles Kings’ 4-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday.

David Rittich made 17 saves, and the Kings (10-6-3) took their record on home ice to 5-1-1.

“We wanted this building to be a tough place to play in, and so far we’ve done a pretty good job of that,” center Trevor Lewis said.

Cam Talbot made 37 saves for the Red Wings (7-9-1), who were playing the second game of a back-to-back after losing 6-4 at the Anaheim Ducks on Friday.

“We knew this was going to be difficult,” Detroit head coach Derek Lalonde said. “Three (games) in four (nights), four in six, with East Coast to West Coast travel. Would like to be standing here in a little better situation, but we’re not.”

Mikey Anderson jumped into the play at the offensive blue line before scoring on a sharp-angle shot at 18:05 of the first to put Los Angeles up 1-0. It was Anderson’s third goal of the season and first at home.

“I think we knew they played last night, and sometimes it’s not easy to start after a back-to-back, and we just talked about focusing on getting in there and trying to tire them out and wearing them down,” Lewis said.

Tanner Jeannot made it 2-0 at 18:27, finishing off a 3-on-1 from Lewis at the left post. Jeannot had been suspended the previous three games for an illegal check to the head of Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser in a 4-2 loss on Nov. 7.

“I just heard the bench say, ’three, three guys (on the rush),’” Lewis said. “And I saw it was [Kings defenseman Jordan Spence] back there, so I looked him off and got it over to Jeannot.”

Lalonde liked how the Red Wings responded in the second period despite being outshot 14-5, but any chance for that to carry over into the third period ended when Kempe scored on a breakaway with a wrist shot from the slot for a 3-0 lead after 15 seconds.

“The back breaker was the start of the third,” Lalonde said. “What’s frustrating about this is having some moments of some pretty good hockey. It’s just not enough of it. Probably not connected enough at time from out of our zone, into our zone.”

Dylan Larkin broke up Rittich’s push for his eighth NHL shutout at 18:33 to pull within 3-1, but Kempe scored an empty-netter at 19:11 for the 4-1 final.

“He’s a great goal scorer, and when he gets hot, he’s shooting the puck well and seeing the net really well,” Lewis said of Kempe, who tied Alex Laferriere with a team-leading nine goals.

NOTES: Kings forward Trevor Moore had an assist to extend his point streak to a NHL career-high eight games (two goals, eight assists). … Anze Kopitar got his sixth assist during a four-game streak on Kempe’s empty-netter. … Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson was a late scratch because of a lower-body injury after going through warmups. Forward Michael Rasmussen (upper body) is day to day. Lalonde hopes both Edvinsson and Rasmussen will be available to play at the San Jose Sharks on Monday.