The Kings went into a rare Saturday morning game coming off a gutsy 6-5 shootout victory over a division rival in the Vegas Golden Knights.
They entered Saturday’s game trying to win back-to-back games to give themselves some momentum after a brutal season opener against the Avalanche.
However, LA got off to a slow start on Saturday as the Jets controlled the play in the first period. The Kings came alive in the second period and continued their strong effort into the final frame. However, Mark Scheifele and the Jets proved to be too much to handle.
First Period: Inability to Stay out of the Penalty Box
The Kings got off to a nightmare-ish start as Quinton Byfield was called for hooking just 3:25 into the opening frame. Alex Iafallo made his former team pay, scoring on the ensuing power play, which gave Winnipeg a 1-0 lead just 4:48 into the game.
Jeff Malott continues to make the most with the ice time he’s been given. After Jets blue-liner Logan Stanley laid a massive hit on Alex Turcotte, Malott stepped to avenge his teammate. Stanley wasn’t interested in squaring off with LA’s enforcer, so Luke Schenn stepped in and the two squared off in a short bout.
The penalty trouble didn’t end after Byfield’s minor earlier in the first. Brian Dumoulin and Alex Laferriere were each sent to the box with two-minute minors in the last half of the period. Luckily, the Kings’ penalty-kill stepped up to keep it a one-score game after 20 minutes.
Discipline is essential if you want to succeed in this league. Giving your opponent the man advantage for six minutes a period is a recipe for disaster, especially against the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners.
Darcy Kuemper stayed strong in the crease, stopping 13 of Winnipeg’s 14 first-period shots.
Second Period: Strong Effort is Rewarded
Los Angeles came out firing in the second period, and they were rewarded almost instantly. Mikey Anderson beat Connor Hellebuyck with a blistering shot from the point to get the Kings on the board just 50 seconds into the middle frame.
The Kings continued to push, which led to Adrian Kempe scoring his first goal of the season. Kempe buried a tap-in after a beautiful passing play by Andrei Kuzmenko and Anze Kopitar. The Kings had the lead for the first time.
That lead was short-lived however, as Mark Scheifele beat Darcy Kuemper with just over a minute remaining to tie the game at 2-2.
Although they no longer had the lead, the Kings second-period effort was very promising.
Third Period: Lack of Execution
After a terrific middle period, the Kings carried that effort over into the final frame. This time, they weren’t rewarded for several reasons.
LA was awarded three different man advantages throughout the third period, and five in the game overall. They scored on zero of said power plays. It is extremely difficult to win in the NHL when you fail to execute on crucial chances. It wasn’t for a lack of effort. Los Angeles outshot Winnipeg 11-5 in the final 20 minutes, but last season’s MVP, Connor Hellebuyck was on his A-game.
With just over eight minutes remaining in regulation, Scheifle scored his second of the game, which would end up being the decider.
The Jets deserve a ton of credit as well as they blocked 28 shots to the Kings 11.
Los Angeles falls to 1-2-0 while Winnipeg improves to 1-1-0. Despite the loss, the Kings should use this game as a building block moving forward. They played well and should use that as a way to improve their execution moving forward.
The Kings will look to bounce back once again as they travel to Minnesota to take on the Wild (1-1-0) on Monday, October 13th at 8:00 PM ET / 11:00 PM PT.
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