DeSmith, Penguins hand Kings fifth straight loss

LOS ANGELES -- Casey DeSmith made 28 saves in his first NHL start, and Patric Hornqvist scored two goals to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 3-1 win against the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center on Thursday.
Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist for the Penguins (25-20-3), and Sidney Crosby had an assist to extend his point streak to six games (three goals, 11 assists).

WATCH: [All Penguins vs. Kings highlights]
Pittsburgh, coming off a 5-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday, has won five in a row in the second game of a back-to-back.
Adrian Kempe scored, and Jonathan Quick made 28 saves for the Kings (24-16-5), who have lost a season-high five games in a row.
DeSmith, whose first two NHL games came in relief in losses at the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 29 and against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Dec. 9, made a right-pad save on Dustin Brown from close range on the first shot he faced, with the Kings on the power play 1:57 into the game.
"They had a great look, and he looked pretty poised in there with the save he made and had to get over there quick," Crosby said.
Hornqvist beat Quick through the five-hole from above the right face-off circle 43 seconds into the game to give Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead.
Several key saves by DeSmith allowed the Penguins to carry that lead into the second period despite being outshot 11-3 in the first.
"They were coming pretty hard," Crosby said. "I thought we just stayed patient, found a way not to let it turn against us where we're down after one. We found a way to kind of hold the lead. Kind of weird the way it works sometimes, but I thought we had a really good third given it's back-to-back nights."

The Kings trailed at the end of the first for the fourth straight game.
"Started chasing the game against a really good hockey team," Los Angeles coach John Stevens said. "For whatever reason in hockey when you're down, the ice is a little bit uphill."
Kempe scored on a breakaway to tie it 1-1 at 14:10 of the second period. He waited until he got the angle on DeSmith by cutting to his left through the slot and outflanking the rookie goaltender. It was Kempe's third goal in the past six games.
"Great move, and kudos to him," DeSmith said. "He out-waited me big time. Getting beat on a breakaway isn't too confidence-killing. It was a good goal and I'd like to have it back, obviously, but people are going to score in this league."
Anze Kopitar had an assist on Kempe's goal for his sixth point in the past six games (one goal, five assists). Defenseman Jake Muzzin had the secondary assist after missing the past three games with an upper-body injury.
Pittsburgh pulled away with two goals in the third period. Los Angeles entered the game with an NHL-best plus-31 goal differential in the third.
Malkin scored from the slot to put the Penguins ahead 2-1 26 seconds in, with Quick unable to see the shot through traffic. It was the second straight game with a goal for Malkin, who has seven goals in his past six games.
Hornqvist made it 3-1 with a power-play goal at 10:21 after Brown received a major penalty and game misconduct at 6:41 for boarding Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz. He has five points in his past five games (three goals, two assists).
Coach Mike Sullivan said Schultz left the game to be examined for a concussion and should be OK.

Goal of the game

Malkin's goal 26 seconds into the third period.

Save of the game

DeSmith stopping Brown at 1:57 of the first period.

Highlight of the game

Kempe's goal at 14:10 of the second period.

They said it

"He's been showing the whole year in practice how competitive he is and how good he can play, and finally he showed it here, and good for him and good for the whole team." -- Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist on rookie goalie Casey DeSmith
"If you're not frustrated, there's something wrong with you, but trying to channel that frustration into that positive energy that you can use to win games, it's going to be hard. There's going to be ups and down, and you got to find a way to dig yourself out." -- Kings forward Dustin Brown on their five-game losing streak

Need to know

The Penguins are 13-2-1 when leading after the first period. … Pittsburgh's Carl Hagelin has a five-game assist streak, matching the longest of his NHL career (Jan. 18-Feb. 2, 2016), after setting up Hornqvist's first goal. His five-game point streak (one goal, five assists) also ties an NHL career best (Jan. 18-Feb. 2, 2016; Nov. 2-10, 2013; Feb. 10-19, 2013). ... Kempe's 14 goals are the most by a Kings rookie since Kopitar had 20 in 2006-07.

What's next

Penguins: At the San Jose Sharks on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, ATTSN-PT, NHL.TV)
Kings: At the Anaheim Ducks on Friday (10 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV)