LOS ANGELES — Going 3-0-0 in a season against the Western Conference’s best isn’t too shabby. At no point in the season did the Los Angeles Kings see the Winnipeg Jets as a wall in their way. Like in many intense matchups this season, they instead rose to the occasion and stuck to their guns.
LA took down Winnipeg 4-1 on Tuesday night after scoring twice in the first period and never looking back. The quick start followed a pregame ceremony for longtime commentator Nick Nickson, who is set to retire after this season.
“We knew [the Jets] would be ready to play and they came out hard and I thought we picked up our intensity and matched it right away, early on,” said goaltender Darcy Kuemper. “Then, we got some big goals in the first and that kind of gave us momentum.”
Trevor Moore struck first for the Kings, followed by Anže Kopitar just over a minute later. Andrei Kuzmenko started the sequence, breaking up the puck in the neutral zone to start a rush.
Kuzmenko cashed in for a goal of his own in the third period, once again taking the puck away in neutral ice and creating offense himself. Kuzmenko now has nine points as a member of the team after going scoreless through his first seven appearances donning silver and black.
Winnipeg’s lone goal came midway through the second period, as Cole Perfetti took advantage of an LA error right after its power play ended.
“We play a similar style, [the Jets] don’t give up much,” said head coach Jim Hiller. “It’s whoever can find the back of the net and we had a couple of nice ones.”
Adrian Kempe’s empty-netter sealed the Kings’ 28th win at home and ownership over the Jets. With the Oilers defeating the Golden Knights on Tuesday, the Pacific race remains tightly knit.
Talk of Troy reporter Kasey Kazliner attended the clash and analyzed LA’s win on Skate of Thrones, TOT’s LA Kings podcast.