LOS ANGELES, CA– The Kings upset the team with the best record with a dominant win over the Jets, 4-1.
Alex Lafirrere was productive on both ends of the ice. He accumulated two assists and provided four hits.
Anže Kopitar and Adrian Kempe both collected two points on the night as well. Both players had a goal and an assist each.
Heading into this game, the Jets were ranked in the top three for both offense and defense.
However, the Kings came out aggressive from the start to disrupt the Jets’ offense.
Los Angeles brought the physicality on defense the entire night. The Kings delivered 32 hits, while Winnipeg only had 18.
The defensive intensity of the Kings caused a massive disparity in shot attempts. Los Angeles had 33 shots on goal compared to Winnipeg’s 14 shots.
“I just thought maybe we wore their defenseman down a little bit. They’ve got some defensemen that really carry the puck, get up in the play [and] roll around in the offensive zone,” Coach Jim Hiller said. “I just think as they game wore, they might not of had or felt as comfortable as much you know gas.
This game was dominated by the Kings, particularly through the first and third periods. During those two periods, the Kings outscored the Jets 3-0.
The penalty kills were also more successful for the Kings. The Kings killed two out of 3 penalties, while the Jets only killed one out of two penalties.
From beginning to end, the Kings were more fluent on offense and more aggressive on defense. A well-rounded performance led to this blowout victory over Winnipeg.
Despite the defeat, Gabriel Vilardi scored the only goal for the Jets. Kyle Conner and Nikolaj Ehlers also contributed with an assist each.
After defeating the best team in the NHL, the Kings will look to continue this momentum. The Kings will face the Ducks in Anaheim on Friday.
