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The Los Angeles Kings came up short against the Winnipeg Jets yesterday, losing 6-4 at home.
Viktor Arvidsson was back in action after missing Tuesday’s game with an illness but Jaret Anderson-Dolan remained in the lineup, as a result of Quinton Byfield being out with an illness.
Despite the Kings getting the first five shots of the game, Winnipeg scored first, with Phillip Danault turning the puck over and Mark Scheifele going in on a breakaway down ice, roofing the puck over Jonathan Quick. However, the Kings were able to tie the game on a power play shortly after, with Arthur Kaliyev coming down the wing after two of Winnipeg’s defenders collided and ripping a shot past Connor Hellebuyck. Then only 40 seconds later, Blake Lizotte got to the net and managed to put the puck under Hellebuyck’s arm in-close, giving Los Angeles the lead. The Kings continued to completely dominate the frame and a little later, Gabriel Vilardi managed to tip in Kevin Fiala’s shot to extend the lead.
Despite Los Angeles having all the momentum though, Winnipeg went down on a shorthanded rush with under two minutes to go and Adam Lowry slid the puck through Quick, cutting the lead to one. While the Kings outshot Winnipeg by a massive 17-6 margin, essentially every shot they gave up was an excellent chance and they took only a 3-2 lead into the intermission.
The Kings continued to control the game through the first half of the second frame, limiting chances for the Jets. Despite a pretty low-event frame though, Los Angeles got into penalty trouble and the Jets capitalized, with Pierre-Luc Dubois taking a pass at the side of the net and beating Quick. Then with just over a minute to go, Nate Schmidt was able to prevent a clearing attempt and put a good shot on net through traffic, which found its way in, putting the Jets ahead 4-3.
The goals kept coming early in the third period, as Phillip Danault managed to force a bad turnover from Pierre-Luc Dubois in the Jets’ end and Trevor Moore went in alone, sliding the puck through Hellebuyck to tie the game. After Los Angeles continued to outplay Winnipeg throughout the third period though, Blake Lizotte turned the puck over and Axel Jonsson-Fjallby was able to tip-in a point shot, for the Jets to re-take the lead. The Kings then took a late penalty and Blake Wheeler ended up scoring an empty netter to secure a win for Winnipeg.
It was a frustrating loss for the Kings, considering how well they played. They dominated the opening frame and outshot Winnipeg by a massive 44-19 margin but too many mistakes ended up costing them. It seemed like for the first half of the game, every shot they gave up was off an odd-man rush. Los Angeles would control the play for an extended period in the offensive zone but time after time, a costly mistake sent the Jets back down ice the other way on a rush.
It’s hard to fault Jonathan Quick for a lot of the goals but at the same time, he gave up five goals on 19 shots. While the larger issue is certainly how frequently the mistake were coming, at a certain point, you just need a save and Quick wasn’t able to provide them at key times.
There are obviously positives to draw from how much Los Angeles controlled the game but you can’t help but feel like this was a situation where two points slipped right through their fingers. It was a missed chance to continue making up ground in the Pacific Division but instead, they’re now back below a .500 record.
The Kings’ next game comes tomorrow against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
OTHER ARTICLES FROM OCTOBER
Kings announce opening night roster
Late goal sinks Kings in opening night loss to Golden Knights
Brandt Clarke makes NHL debut in Kings' 4-1 loss to Kraken
Kings pick up first win of season in Kevin Fiala's return to Minnesota
Kings earn key overtime win in Detroit
Kings battle back to defeat Predators in shootout
Kings’ three-game road winning streak snapped in loss to Penguins
Kings collapse in third period, blow lead in loss to Capitals
Kings earn important home win over Lightning 
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