Once again, the Los Angeles Kings took care of business at home. This time, picking up two huge points in a 4-1 win over the league-leading Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. With that win, the Kings swept the season series against the Jets, beating them in all three meetings.
The Jets rank at the top of the NHL in most categories, including goals for and goal differential, but for the third time this season, the Kings limited the Jets to under 20 shots and just one goal. The Kings’ top line shined as all three forwards picked up two points, Joel Edmundson tied his career high in points, and goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who now has an 8-2-0 record against the Jets all time, stopped 18 of 19 shots for a .947 save percentage (SV%).
Neither team dominated, but the Kings’ transition game and offensive output off the rush had never looked stronger. They stood their ground throughout the neutral zone and their blue line before capitalizing on their counter-attacks. Whether it’s the San Jose Sharks or the Jets, it’s going to take a spectacular performance to be successful against the Kings in their home building.
The Kings jumped up to 93 points, remaining two ahead of the Edmonton Oilers as both teams continue to battle for second in the Pacific Division.
Game Recap
The Jets came out with an extra sense of urgency in the first period, possessing the puck more. While they seemed to have the puck on their sticks a lot more than the Kings in the first, they didn’t generate more than one high-danger chance. Instead, it was the Kings capitalizing on turnovers and off the rush that led to them scoring two quick goals midway through the first.
Jets defenseman Colin Miller turned the puck over with a weak rim around the boards that was intercepted by Edmundson at the point. Trevor Moore redirected Edmundson’s shot past Connor Hellebuyck for his 17th goal of the season to open the scoring. Less than two minutes later, it was the Kings’ first line showing some pretty passing as all three of Andrei Kuzmenko, Adrian Kempe, and Anze Kopitar got a touch of the puck before Kopitar buried it into the open cage to extend the Kings’ lead to two.
You won’t see a ton of chances when two defensively strong teams go at it, and that trend continued for the entire game. Both teams finished with 20 shots or fewer. Jets forward Cole Perfetti collected the puck straight out of the box after serving a tripping penalty on Hellebuyck halfway through the second, to skate in on a 2-on-1 before placing a perfect shot above Kuemper’s pad to get the Jets on the scoreboard.
It didn’t take the Kings longer than five minutes to respond as Kuzmenko decided to do it all by himself, stripping the puck from Jets defenseman Logan Stanley in the neutral zone before sliding one five-hole on Hellebuyck to give the Kings a 3-1 lead.
The third period was quiet regarding offensive production as the Kings were content with tightening up and letting this one play out. The Jets had two power-play opportunities in the third period, but they couldn’t even generate a shot on goal. With Hellebuyck pulled, Kempe picked up his 62nd point of the season, sealing the deal with an empty-netter to put the Kings up by three with less than a minute remaining.
What’s Next for the Kings & Jets
The Kings will head out on a mission to try and bring this same performance on the road against the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday (April 3), while the Jets have a battle against another Western Conference powerhouse in Sin City on Thursday, taking on the Vegas Golden Knights.
