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With Kyle Connor sidelined for 6-8 weeks, the Winnipeg Jets turned to their new-look top line to take over, providing all the offence as the Jets rallied from an early deficit to down the Kings 5-2 in Los Angeles Wednesday night.
The Kings got the game’s first power play when Nate Schmidt was assessed a questionable cross-checking penalty, and they took full advantage.
As Anze Kopitar tried to skate the puck towards the crease, Dylan Samberg fell into his path because he was cross-checked by Adrian Kempe. The puck got lost in Samberg’s skate and Kopitar was the first to find it, potting it past Connor Hellebuyck to open the scoring at the 9:39 mark.
Head coach Rick Bowness and captain Adam Lowry gave the officials an earful after the goal, believing there should have been a penalty called on Kempe.
The Kings made it 2-0 less than three minutes later when Alex Laferriere’s shot from below the goal line banked into the net off the mask of Hellebuyck.
A questionable roughing call on Kempe with 16 seconds left in the period gave Winnipeg most of a power play chance to start the second, though the Jets couldn’t cash in.
Los Angeles got a second power play opportunity just over three minutes into the second and had several good chances that were denied by Hellebuyck, which proved to be huge because the Jets started turning things around.
Nikolaj Ehlers got Winnipeg on the board at the 6:08 mark when he took a pass from Gabriel Vilardi in the slot and wired a shot past Cam Talbot.
It was Ehlers again just over 13 minutes into the frame when he took a pass from Vilardi in stride, bursting into the Kings end and blowing a shot over the shoulder of Talbot to tie the game.
Winnipeg’s strong push continued, leading to the go-ahead goal just 1:41 after the Ehlers goal. It was again the top line getting it done as Mark Scheifele collected a loose puck at the side of the goal after a scramble in front and banked it in off of Talbot to put the Jets ahead.
Early in the third, the career night of Gabriel Vilardi continued. After tallying three assists in the second, in his first game back in Los Angeles since he was traded to Winnipeg in the summer, Vilardi took a pass from Dylan DeMelo and roofed a backhander past Talbot 2:30 into the third to double Winnipeg’s lead.
With the goal, Vilardi recorded his first career four-point night.
From there, the Jets locked things down defensively, allowing just six total shots in the final frame. Scheifele picked up an empty-netter right before the final buzzer, assisted by Ehlers as the top line put a bow on a phenomenal offensive display.
Ehlers finished with two goals and two helpers, Vilardi had a goal and three assists and Scheifele had two goals and an assist.
Hellebuyck wound up making 30 saves for the win, his ninth straight start allowing two goals or fewer. Talbot gets saddled with the loss after stopping 24 shots.
The Jets will now return home to face the Colorado Avalanche Saturday night.
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