There’s something about 4-1 games for the Winnipeg Jets right now.
After beating the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 Friday, losing to Nashville 4-1 Saturday and knocking off Minnesota 4-1 Monday, the Jets looked slow and weary in another 4-1 loss in Los Angeles Wednesday night.
The Jets were outplayed for the third straight game and now have losses in two of their last three contests.
“We didn’t have enough attack,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “We didn’t have enough continuous pressure where it was maybe one line, and the next line going out, and following that up. It just seemed like early on, it was just hit and miss.
“We started to get some rhythm. We got to play fast a little bit and we got after them a little bit in the second, but just not enough pucks getting to the blue paint. We didn’t make their goaltender work.”
The Jets were outshot 33-14 and only had two shots on goal the entire third period. It took them over 14 minutes to record their first shot of the period in the final frame.
“It was definitely not our best,” said Jets forward Rasmus Kupari. “We were too slow there, gave up way too many chances. We got to pick it up to the next game.”
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Gabriel Vilardi scored the lone goal for Winnipeg on the powerplay. After their hot start, the Jets are now just 3-4 in their last seven games.
“We are the first place team,” said Jets forward Nino Niederreiter. “And everybody comes after us and we have to make sure we bring our best every single night to be successful. We sure didn’t do it tonight and that’s what it got us.”
Kupari missed on a second period penalty shot and the Jets also hit the iron twice in the stanza, but couldn’t carry the momentum over to the third.
“A few good chances, but I don’t know, we just couldn’t be at our best today and we got to find a reason, work harder, and move along,” Kupari said.
Things did not begin well for the Jets as Vladislav Namestnikov took a bad slashing penalty just 1:48 into the game and the Kings immediately made Winnipeg pay.
Los Angeles won the ensuing faceoff and just four seconds after the puck dropped, Anze Kopitar tipped an Adrian Kempe point shot past Connor Hellebuyck to make it 1-0.
The Kings continued to control play for the bulk of the first period, ending the frame with a 13-5 advantage in shots on goal but the score remained 1-0.
Winnipeg got a glorious opportunity to level the score when Kupari was slashed on a breakaway early in the second, earning him a penalty shot. Kupari tried to deke out David Rittich but he got in too deep and stuffed his attempt into Rittich’s left pad.
The Kings widened the gap at the 7:10 mark. Alex Turcotte got the puck in the corner in the Winnipeg end and hit a cutting Phillip Danault, who had eluded the check of Cole Perfetti on the boards. Danault had enough time to drive the net and get stopped by Hellebuyck but still be able to bang home the rebound before Perfetti or Nikolaj Ehlers could get to the crease.
Just over two minutes later, the Jets got on the board. Nine seconds after Tanner Jeannot went to the box for slashing, former King Gabriel Vilardi banged home a loose puck in front to make it 2-1.
The Jets had another power play look later in the period and Josh Morrissey struck iron on that chance but Winnipeg couldn’t find the back of the net.
It stayed 2-1 into the third before the Kings grabbed an insurance marker at the 5:21 mark of the third. Kevin Fiala’s shot from distance was heading wide but it glanced off the skate of Haydn Fleury in front of Hellebuyck and into the net.
The Kings tacked on one more into an empty net as Kempe scored with just under three minutes left.
Hellebuyck made 29 stops in the defeat.
The Jets continue their six-game road trip Friday in Vegas against the Golden Knights. Pregame coverage on 680 CJOB starts at 5:30 p.m. with the game action starting just after 7:30.
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