Three Takeaways From 3-2 Loss To Winnipeg

The LA Kings dropped a 3-2 decision to the Winnipeg Jets on the road, unable to capitalize multiple power-play opportunities as Mark Scheifele’s second goal of the night proved to be the game-winner.

Despite falling behind in the first period, the Kings roared back with two second-period goals to take a 2-1 lead. However, Winnipeg answered with two goals of their own to re-take the lead and the game.

Here are our three takeaways from the contest:

Penalty Trouble Early

The Kings spent much of the first period killing off minor penalties, which limited their ability to generate sustained offense. Winnipeg capitalized with a power-play goal from former King Alex Iafallo, who was left all alone in the low slot. Despite the slow start, the Kings were able to find their footing from a strong sequence of short-handed chances late in the first, including a near-miss by Kempe, who fired a shot off the iron. That shift in momentum carried into the second period.

Top Line Led The Way

After falling behind, the Kings roared back in the second period with goals from Mikey Anderson and Adrian Kempe. Anderson’s tally came off a shot from near the blueline, while Kempe finished a slick passing play from Anze Kopitar and Andrei Kuzmenko. The Kings’ top line carried the team for much of this game, accounting for a 91.2 xGF% (Natural Stat Trick). After a penalty-filled first period, the Jets owned a 14-9 shots-on-goal advantage. However, the Kings pulled within one shot attempt going into the third period.

Missed Opportunities on the Power Play

The Kings didn’t go on the man advantage until the second period, but they had five power play chances overall on the night. Two of those came late in regulation. However, LA was unable to convert on any of their chances. Conversely, Winnipeg scored just after a Kings power play expired on Mark Scheifele’s partial breakaway, further adding to the frustration. There’s a strong case to be made that the Kings outplayed the Jets over the final 40 minutes of play — the third period had plenty of back and forth certainly — but LA couldn’t cash in on their chances.

Three Stars