The Winnipeg Jets certainly weren’t at their best, but they’ll take the two points anyway they can get them.
The Jets overcame an early two-goal deficit and defeated the Los Angeles Kings 6-4 for their first back-to-back wins of the season to start off a three-game road trip.
The Jets had an awful start, allowing three goals in the opening period, while getting badly out-chanced and outshot. The Jets managed to flip the momentum, and scored twice in each the second and third period to win a back and forth, see-saw affair.
For the second straight game all four of the Jets forward lines figured in on the goal scoring. Axel Jonsson-Fjallby’s first goal as a Jet with a little over five minutes remaining broke a four all deadlock to send the Jets to the victory.
Connor Hellebuyck finished with 40 stops and he made several key saves in the third to preserve the win.
The Kings outshot the Jets 44-19.
READ MORE: ANALYSIS: Challenging start to new season puts Winnipeg Jets below .500
It was a sleepy start for the Jets with the Kings recording the first five shots of the game. But at the five minute mark, Mark Scheifele stole the puck at his own blueline and waltzed in on the clear cut break. He picked the top corner on Jonathan Quick to give the Jets the early lead on their first shot of the hockey game.
But the next 10 minutes belonged to the Kings as they scored three straight times. After the Jets took a too many men on the ice penalty, Arthur Kaliyev beat Hellebuyck from the faceoff dot to tie the game.
Just 66 seconds later, the Jets failed to corral a loose puck and Blake Lizotte found a hole between Hellebuyck and the goal post to make it a 2-1 Kings lead.
The Kings power play connected again with around six minutes left in the first with Gabriel Vilardi tipping in a shot by Kevin Fiala.
But the Jets managed to stop the bleeding late in the first. After the Jets took their fourth minor penalty of the period, David Gustafsson and Adam Lowry raced in on a 2-on-1 and Lowry found the five-hole on Quick for a shorthanded marker. The Jets trailed by only one after 20 minutes despite getting outshot 17-6.
Hellebuyck continued to keep it close to start the middle frame. He made a spectacular toe save on a breakaway to stop Fiala and keep the lead at one.
The Jets got a late period power play and after some nice puck movement, Pierre-Luc Dubois wheeled out front and beat Quick for his third goal of the season and it was a brand new game tied at three.
Just a little over two minutes later, Nate Schmidt threaded in a wrister from the blueline for his first of the season and suddenly the Jets had the lead up 4-3.
But five minutes into the third, the Kings levelled the score. Dubois was stripped of the puck, and Phillip Danault spotted Trevor Moore in the slot, and he snuck the shot behind Hellebuyck.
The Jets retook the lead for good with just over five minutes left. Brenden Dillon’s long shot was redirected home by Jonsson-Fjallby. And his first goal with the Jets turned out to be the game winner as Blake Wheeler sealed the deal with an empty-netter with just 41 seconds left.
READ MORE: Jets among NHLers tooting their own horn with personalized goal songs
Cole Perfetti was kept off the scoresheet to end his four-game point streak.
Quick made just 13 saves in the loss.
Defenceman Logan Stanley sat out after getting hit by a puck in the last game. Dylan Samberg returned to the lineup in Stanley’s place on a pairing with Dylan DeMelo.
The Jets will finish the back-to-back on Friday with a date against the Arizona Coyotes. Puck drop is once again scheduled for 9:30 p.m.
Comments