Kempe played up to the 1-0 goal in the first period, and in the second period, he also made sure to write himself into the goal protocol when he easily could make it 4-0 for Los Angeles.
The goal came after a brilliant pass by teammate Anze Kopitar, giving Kempe an open goal. The Swede cheered broadly, smiling together with the rest of the team – and Los Angeles' goal scoring didn't stop there.
Just 24 seconds later, they could also make it 5-0 – then Rangers suddenly seemed to come to life. The whole team seemed to shift into a higher gear and they also got a reduction before the second period was over.
However, Rangers wouldn't get any closer than that, despite several chances – including Swedish star Mika Zibanejad, who had a great chance in the third period. In a numerical disadvantage, he managed to get a breakaway, but goalkeeper Darcy Kuemper could withstand the attack.
Nor did Los Angeles score any more goals, and the match ended 5-1. When the final whistle blew, Rangers were booed out by the home crowd at Madison Square Garden.
Mika Zibanejad was far from satisfied with the team's performance.
It feels like we're just chasing. I think everyone's waiting for someone else to do something, it becomes a game of waiting, he says to reporters after the match.
It will take much more than what we did today to get out of this. It's unacceptable.
Almost as big numbers were achieved by New Jersey against Chicago. Swedish point king Jesper Bratt contributed two assists in New Jersey's 4-1 win.
