Turnovers sink Winnipeg Jets in 4-1 loss in Los Angeles – Winnipeg

It has been quite a challenge for visiting teams to come out with a win in Los Angeles this season. And when you make multiple mistakes that result in goals for the opposing team, it definitely doesn’t help your chances.

The Winnipeg Jets struggled with turnovers on Tuesday night in L.A., leading to a 4-1 loss that bolstered the Kings’ impressive home record to 28-4-4 for the season.

The Kings capitalized on three giveaways by the Jets, converting them into three goals and adding an empty-netter to end the Jets’ three-game winning streak.

“We turned the puck over three times and it ended up in the back of our net,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “I liked a lot of what we did, our game plan against them. We did a good job of getting through the neutral zone.

“We didn’t spend a lot of time in our end of the rink, but again, we made three mistakes and ended up in the back of our net.”

The Jets fell behind by two goals early, and Cole Perfetti’s 17th goal of the season in the second period narrowed the gap to one. However, Andrei Kuzmenko scored off a Logan Stanley turnover late in the frame to restore the Kings’ two-goal lead.

The Jets had single-digit shot totals in each period and ended up being outshot 20-19.

“Throughout the game, I thought we played pretty well,” said Perfetti. “They’re obviously a really good team in this building and they don’t give up much. But I thought we created some chances and had our looks, and a couple of self-inflicted wounds and they capitalized on some of their chances.”

Perfetti has recorded at least a point in five of his last six games.

With this win, the Kings swept all three meetings and secured the season series for the first time since the 2012-2013 season when they only met once. The Jets scored just once in each of their three matchups this season.

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“They’re extremely stingy,” said Arniel. “They don’t give you a whole lot. They’re the type of team that if you make mistakes, they pounce on it.”

Luke Schenn missed the game and is day-to-day after stiffening up during the morning skate. Haydn Fleury dressed in his absence.

The Jets are currently leading the Dallas Stars by only four points for the division lead, and the Stars have a game in hand.

Not much transpired in the first eight minutes of the game, but a couple of misplays cost the Jets dearly near the midway mark of the first period.

The first error occurred when Colin Miller made a risky pass up the boards in his own end, too high and too fast for Mark Scheifele to control. It landed on the stick of Brandon native Joel Edmundson at the point, who took a shot that deflected off Trevor Moore and into the net at the 8:28 mark.

Just over a minute later, Josh Morrissey made a pass to David Gustafsson in the neutral zone that Gustafsson couldn’t handle. LA capitalized on it as Morrissey went off for a change, with Adrian Kempe charging into the Winnipeg zone. He passed it to Andrei Kuzmenko, who set up Anze Kopitar for a one-timer that beat Connor Hellebuyck to make it 2-0 at the 9:50 mark.

The Kings ended up outshooting the Jets 10-7 in the first period. Winnipeg started to create some good scoring chances late in the period but couldn’t find the back of the net.

The Jets had some solid offensive zone time in the early minutes of the second period as well but continued to struggle with getting shots on goal.

Los Angeles got the first power play of the game when Kevin Fiala was tripped by Hellebuyck’s stick to the right of the Winnipeg net. The Jets successfully killed the penalty and shortly after, they scored their first goal.

Perfetti served the penalty for Hellebuyck, and just as he came out of the box, Morgan Barron made a great play to block a shot and set up Perfetti for a 2-on-1 with Kyle Connor. Perfetti took a shot that beat Darcy Kuemper perfectly, making it 2-1 at the 11:40 mark.

The Jets had the momentum as they tried to tie the game, but another costly mistake hindered their progress.

Logan Stanley lost possession of the puck as he tried to cross the red line, allowing Kuzmenko to take advantage and score on an odd-man rush as Stanley fell to the ice. Kuzmenko’s goal at the 16:07 mark restored the Kings’ two-goal lead.

Heading into the third period, the Kings maintained their lead in shots on goal, outshooting Winnipeg 18-13 through the first two periods.

Winnipeg received their first power play opportunity with 15 minutes left in the third period when Nikolaj Ehlers was tripped in the offensive zone. However, the Jets, who have been operating at a 17% success rate on the power play since the Four Nations Faceoff, failed to register any shots on goal during the two-minute advantage.

Ehlers drew another penalty with 5:08 remaining, but once again, the power play struggled, failing to generate any shots.

Trailing by two goals, Winnipeg pulled Hellebuyck for an extra attacker, but Kempe sealed the victory for the Kings with an empty-net goal with 55 seconds left.

The Jets now have a 0-2-1 record against the Kings this season and have failed to reach 20 shots on goal in any of their matchups.

Hellebuyck made 16 saves in the losing effort.

Next, the Jets will travel to Vegas to take on the Golden Knights on Thursday night. The game will start just after 9:30 p.m. with pregame coverage on 680 CJOB beginning at 7 p.m.

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