LOS ANGELES — Sometimes, hitting rock bottom inspires a team to go and defeat the league’s best.
This was the case for the Los Angeles Kings, who defeated the 18-win Winnipeg Jets, 4-1, two nights after a five-goal loss to the bottom-tier San Jose Sharks.
“Everybody was in sync, everybody was pretty committed to taking the opportunity offensively when it was there,” said head coach Jim Hiller postgame. “We were physical tonight, too, and I thought we probably wore [the Jets] down a little bit by the end.”
The Kings can proudly say that they played a complete game against the Jets. Los Angeles checked exceptionally well, killing two critical Winnipeg power plays with its stubborn defensive-zone presence throughout the clash. Defeating the top team is one thing, but responding after a loss — something the Kings have excelled at this season — was the real lesson Wednesday.
Kings head coach Jim Hiller made significant lineup changes ahead of the bout. The group of centers stayed the same with the exception of Samuel Helenius stepping in on the fourth line, but on the wings, every line saw changes from the game before: Warren Foegele moved to the first line; Trevor Moore and Tanner Jeannot moved to the second; Trevor Lewis moved to the third; Alex Turcotte, Kevin Fiala and Alex Laferriere all received demotions.
“If some guys struggle together, and you get it with other linemates, they can step up,” said center Phillip Danault. “It’s normal, the lines should be moving when it’s not going well.”
The changes worked like magic. It’s a small sample size of one game, of course, but from top to bottom, LA skated a complete 60 minutes — and showed that despite recent offensive woes, its depth can rise up and support the top line when called upon.
The Kings scored in every period, with one empty-netter for good measure, and set the tone early with their physicality. The main theme of their scoring was low-traffic slot feeds. Against reigning Vezina Trophy recipient Connor Hellebuyck, LA knew that it would need to throw as many chances on net, no matter how low-danger they might be.
This formula worked to perfection when Adrian Kempe fed Anže Kopitar, who scored in the slot on the Kings’ first power-play chance in the first period, with Quinton Byfield screening. LA is now 2-for-11 in the “five-forward power-play” era.
The Kings would truly keep their quick intensity and transition chances going for the rest of the first period. In the second, former King Rasmus Kupari had a chance to equalize on a penalty shot, but the night’s — and possibly season’s — underrated hero, David Rittich, stepped up to stop it.
The opportune slot chances only increased when Alex Turcotte delivered one of his signature, dazzling feeds to Danault, who doubled LA’s lead with ease for his second goal of the year. Turcotte continues to help his teammates shine, now with a plus-10 rating and 1.5 assists expected per 60 minutes according to MoneyPuck.
The Jets cut the lead in half thanks to another ex-King, Gabriel Vilardi, making an impact. On a Winnipeg power play, Vilardi received a nearside post pass from Nikolaj Ehlers and pounded the puck toward Rittich, poking it through.
Even a dominant win can sometimes come with sandpaper and splinters, as the Kings appeared to take the backseat in the waning moments of the second period. But in a one-score game against a team like the Jets, they knew they’d have to get back to form.
The Kings played simple and aggressive in the third period, continuing to forecheck and keep the puck in the offensive zone. Off a silky zone entry from Brandt Clarke, Los Angeles took a 3-1 lead off a strange Kevin Fiala goal that hit an opposing player’s skate. The Jets completely fell apart in the third, only striking two shots on goal, and the Kings put the cherry on top with a Kempe empty-netter.
After losing to the Sharks twice this year, the Kings have gone on to respond twice against top teams in the following games, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights and now the Winnipeg Jets — a strange, but encouraging phenomenon.
“That one the other night did not feel good for anybody and so I think that may have had a little extra motivation for us tonight, the way that one went down in the third period,” Hiller said. “We’ve bounced back pretty well after losing a game.”
LA has not been a streaky team this season but will hope that a win against a serious Cup contender can inject momentum into the team. The Kings have yet to win three games in a row.
Wednesday showed that change was likely needed. The second line of Byfield, Moore and Jeannot didn’t score, but showed offensive life, posting .758 expected goals. The team’s list of players that have struggled this season — including Danault and Fiala — defied expectations, and Laferriere appeared to be back in a rhythm with two assists.
“There are 82 games in the regular season, so it’s one game in a long list of games,” Laferriere said. “But I mean, it’s a real big game for our team … Just knowing that we can bounce back like that and knowing that we can dominate top teams like that.”
Rittich only needed to make 13 saves for his 100th career win. A bit of an unsung hero, the veteran did his job after a forgettable outing in San Jose.
LA will make a quick trip to Anaheim to face the Ducks next. The game will start at 12:30 p.m. on Friday.