With only 8 games left in the season, the Winnipeg Jets were searching for a way to end their current losing streak as they prepared to face off against the defensively minded Los Angeles Kings. The fans at the Canada Life Centre were also doing their pre-game prep as they readied their voices to boo former Jet Pierre Luc Dubois all evening. Let’s find out if the masses left the arena happy or not…
Winnipeg’s coaching staff had juggled the lineups for both the forwards & defensemen prior to the match and it appeared to pay dividends as the Jets controlled the early play. Despite having the puck on their sticks more often, Los Angeles’ defensive structure remained steadfast for the most part, but our squad used their early energy to take the early shot lead. The Kings eventually started to get some offensive zone time of their own, but physical play by Dillon saw him end a rush & cycle with a couple of bodychecks. Winnipeg’s 2nd line of Monahan, Connor, & Perfetti were finding success in the early parts of the game and they opened up the scoring after a cycle shift that resulted in multiple scoring chances. After Monahan whiffed on a 1 timer from the low slot, the trio continued to push and when a Connor shot from the blueline bounced hard off the backboards, Perfetti was battling near the crease and managed to create enough space to bang the puck by LA’s Talbot. The good feelings at the CLC didn’t last long though, as shortly after Arvidsson was sprung with a long pass. While the rush didn’t appear dangerous, the winger unleashed a slapshot from the left face-off circle and sent the puck off the crossbar & by Brossoit to knot the match up. Winnipeg finished the period with more pressure that saw multiple cycle shifts (via 2nd, 3rd, & 4th lines) in the King’s zone, but they couldn’t solve the tender before the first intermission. Check out how MoneyPuck saw things after the 1st below:
First Period MoneyPuck Stats: Score: 1 to 1 tie, shots 12 to 5 for the Jets, 66% Deserve To Win for the Jets, Expected Goals – all situations (0.92-0.32 WPG), & 5 on 5 (0.92-0.32 WPG)
The middle period opened up to see both teams trading opportunities (Vilardi steals puck and narrowly missed the top corner, a 4 on 2 rush by LA broken up by Pionk, a Kings’ cycle ended when Dillon rubbed out PLD, & Niederreiter failing to beat Talbot’s glove), but it was Los Angeles who broke the tie 5:48 in. Pionk tried to wrap the puck around the boards in doomed attempt to clear his zone, sending it into the waiting arms of a Kings’ player. After cycling the zone with the puck, Fiala did a quick spin and fired a shot by Brossoit from the high slot to give Los Angeles the 2-1 lead. The visitors received a boost from their last goal, as they knew they had been out-played up to that point and were lucky to be up one, but Brossoit & Winnipeg’s defense combined to keep the score the same. The Jets’ 2nd line was back in the offensive zone and after Connor cut back & forth with the puck, he left it for Morrissey at the side boards. The defender spotted Monahan at the back door and the duo connected to even things up with 8:11 to play in the 2nd. The Kings responded with pressure of their own and were rewarded after Perfetti failed to get a puck by the defenseman at Winnipeg’s blueline. The puck went down low to Kempe, but he only kept it briefly before hitting Kopitar with a pass near the top of left face-off circle. One of the more amazing wrist shots I’ve seen put LA up 3-2 a little more than 2 minutes after Winnipeg had knotted the contest. The Jets’ 2nd line came to the rescue once again when Connor rushed up the ice before handing the puck over to Perfetti in the King’s end. The young forward (who was only playing because Toffoli was under the weather) picked out Morrissey stepping in from the point and #44 netted his 9th goal of the season on a 1 timer. Winnipeg ended the period by pressuring LA with back-to-back cycle shifts, but the horn ended with the squads deadlocked.
After Two Periods MoneyPuck Stats: Score: 3 to 3 tie, shots 23 to 17 for the Jets, 68% Deserve to Win for the Jets, Expected Goals – all situations (1.57-0.80 WPG) & 5 on 5 (1.57-0.80 WPG)
It was the LA Kings that had puck possession in the early minutes of the final period, including a great scoring chance on a rebound. Eventually a couple shifts by the Lowry trio helped tilt the ice back to Winnipeg’s favour, including a fabulous chance on a rebound for Niederreiter. A bit later, back-to-back cycle shifts by the Jets led to the game’s first powerplay when Arvidsson got whistled for holding. An early set up allows Winnipeg to get set up, but LA kept the shooting lanes clogged. Vilardi received a pass net-side and walked right in front but Talbot kept his legs shut to deny him. Things fell apart a bit and the Kings had a pair of SH looks, including Brossoit shutting down a player on a breakaway. Winnipeg countered on that last chance with Pionk skating the puck up the ice along the right boards. He drew the defender’s attention enough to allow a drop pass to Perfetti at the right face-off dot and the kid lasered a shot into the far top corner to put Winnipeg up a goal with 7 minutes to play. The Jets did an admirable job of shutting things down by only allowing 1 shot from LA in the final 5 minutes, while getting a couple more scoring looks of their own. The Kings did have some offensive zone time in the final minute with an empty net, but Winnipeg really kept them along the boards until they were able to clear (and miss a couple long shots at the yawning cage). In the end, neither squad could light the lamp again, so the final stats/shots looked like this.
After Three Periods MoneyPuck Stats: 74% Deserve to Win for the Jets, Expected Goals – all situations (3.45-1.85 WPG) & 5 on 5 (2.63-1.64 WPG)
FINAL SCORE: WINNIPEG JETS 3 LA KINGS 2
SHOTS: WINNIPEG JETS 32 LA KINGS 28
Game Observations:
- Cole Perfetti wasn’t even expected to play, but he certainly had a impactful game versus Los Angeles. At least one mistake helped the Kings score a goal, but with 2 red lights of his own and a primary assist the youngster was a key player for Winnipeg in his return to the top 6.
- Kyle Connor was very good last night, picking up 3 assists as he used his speed effectively on the forecheck, on the attack, and while protecting the neutral and defensive ends.
- Other worthwhile performances included Brenden Dillon (9 hits to lead team), Gabriel Vilardi (team-high 4 shots and dangerous on the one PP opportunity), and the overall team defense (holding the Kings to just 1.85 expected goals despite some defensive miscues).
- Thought I would share a couple screenshots that show how the Winnipeg Jets players and lines did in terms of expected goals last night. The first shows each individual skater’s share of the the Jets’ xG’s, while the second displays how each forward unit performed (via MoneyPuck). **have added the defensive stats too, as ForgetTeemu requested.**
Well, now that the monkey is off their backs…can Winnipeg string some wins together to finish the season strong? We’ll find out later this week.
NEXT GAME: Calgary Flames @ Winnipeg Jets – Thursday, April 4th @ 7:00 pm Central
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