The Kings finally have an easy schedule ahead of them, and at just the right moment for a group that finds itself five players short due to injuries entering Saturday’s showdown with the Detroit Red Wings.

They will play just three games in the span of 11 days with no back-to-back sets until Nov. 29, and they will host seven of their next nine games. They have already played back-to-back sets three times and 12 of their 18 matches have been on the road, leaving little time for repetitions, finesse or wrinkles. That has been reflected in their hitting percentage, which is .750 at home but a more modest .500 on the road after losses in Calgary and Colorado this week on what outfielder Adrian Kempe described as a “tough road trip.”

“We have a lot of home games coming up in the coming weeks. We have to keep the momentum going at home,” Kempe told reporters.

The winless road trip hinged on a pair of crucial second periods — in Calgary, the middle frame meant two goals against in 36 seconds, and in Colorado, it meant 20 minutes without a shot on goal — and yielded two more stints on injured reserve. Goalie Darcy Kuemper and defenseman Caleb Jones, both former Avs, left Wednesday’s 4-2 loss against Colorado and didn’t come back.

Kempe said he felt the Kings played well enough to win at least one of the two games, saying of the scoreless second period in Denver that “obviously we had shots, obviously just not on net,” pointing to Kevin Fiala pinging the pole on breakout.

“It’s bouncing a little bit the wrong way right now for us. I think the chances are there,” Kempe said.

The Kings have lost straight games just four times under Jim Hiller since his promotion in February, and have dropped three straight just twice.

They will have to right the ship with an undermanned crew, however, with Jones and Kuemper leaving in consecutive periods Wednesday and both landing on IR on Friday. They join Drew Doughty (broken ankle), Arthur Kaliyev (broken collarbone) and Alex Turcotte (upper body) among the unavailable Kings.

On the plus side, winger Tanner Jeannot ended his three-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Vancouver forward Brock Boeser, who has not played or practiced since taking the hit.

David Rittich will man the Kings net in Kuemper’s place and behind him will be Erik Portillo, who could make his NHL debut during this emergency recall (Jacob Moverare was called upon to step in for Jones). Veteran Pheonix Copley was recalled the last time Kuemper suffered an injury, in an 8-7 loss at Ottawa in the season-opening road swing.

“It’s every hockey player’s dream to get that call. Now it’s about taking advantage of the opportunity here,” Portillo told reporters.

Detroit’s cage will be guarded by a familiar protege, Cam Talbot, who formed a tandem with Copley initially and then Rittich for the Kings last season. Talbot expressed an unequivocal interest in returning to the Kings as well as a preference for a two-year contract, which he received from Detroit in the offseason.