Kings match franchise record with victory over Jets
LOS ANGELES –– The Kings matched the longest points streak in franchise history and kept themselves within striking distance of what would be their second division crown with a 4-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena.
They moved within two points of the Vegas Golden Knights, the top team in the Pacific Division and Western Conference, though Vegas was in action against the third-place Edmonton Oilers later in the evening with a chance to regain sole possession. The Kings earned points in 11 consecutive games for the third time in franchise history and the first since early in the 2013-14 season. If they can win or lose outside regulation Sunday against visiting St. Louis, they would set one record and also equal another, from two decades earlier, with points in their 13th consecutive home game.
Winger Viktor Arvidsson bookended the game with a goal in the second minute and an empty-netter in the waning moments. Winger Alex Iafallo and defenseman Drew Doughty each scored a goal for the Kings, with Doughty also notching an assist. Joonas Korpisalo made 25 saves to earn his fourth win in five appearances as a King.
Center Pierre-Luc Dubois tallied for Winnipeg. Connor Hellebuyck stopped 25 of 28 shots.
“We played pretty much the game that allows us to have success,” said Coach Todd McLellan, eschewing any chatter of statistics and the organization’s lore. “Our team play, as a whole, was where it needed to be.”
The Kings came up with a timely penalty kill and then Arvidsson’s empty-net goal in the final five minutes of the contest, pushing his total to 22.
As they did to start the game, the Kings kicked off the final frame with an offensive-zone faceoff win and a far-side goal through traffic. This time it was Doughty, flicking a shot from the intersection between the right circle and the wall that put the Kings up 3-1. Doughty has accumulated four goals and six points in his past five games, as many points as he compiled in the entire months of February and December.
“I definitely looked at my goal total and was like, ‘Oh, I’m not gonna be worse than my first year in the league,” Doughty said. “It feels good to finally get back on the scoresheet, but I don’t want to waste them all before the playoffs come, that’s for sure.”
Coasting atop a two-goal lead, a breakdown in discipline tested the Kings’ resolve and penalty kill alike late in the second period. Center Blaze Lizotte cross-checked defenseman Josh Morrissey in the face, leading to a major penalty and an ejection.
Morrissey, the Jets’ power-play quarterback, missed the entire five-minute man advantage as he received treatment on both the inside and outside of his mouth, totaling nearly 20 stitches, he said.
“We were kind of going at it up the ice. He hooked me, I slashed him for sure,” Morrissey said. “He turned around and looked at me, kind of skated in my direction and I said, ‘Let’s go’ and dropped my gloves, then he got his stick up in my face.”
Down a man for five full minutes and missing a forward for the rest of the afternoon, the Kings came away with some mitigated success as they allowed one goal with just 34 seconds left on the infraction. Winger Kyle Connor found a seam for a pass from the bottom of the right faceoff circle to the left dot, where Dubois whipped home a wrist shot with 1:23 to go for his 25th goal of the season.
The Kings extended their edge at the 5:28 mark of the stanza by way of a power-play goal. Defenseman Sean Walker’s keep-in at the blue line allowed him to send the puck below the goal line to center Phillip Danault. He stepped in front of the net and snuck the puck across the blue paint to Iafallo for a tap-in goal at the opposite post, Iafallo’s 11th of the campaign. Danault’s assist was the 200th of his career and also his 300th point.
The Kings got the offense rolling just 82 seconds after the first puck dropped. Forward Trevor Moore won a faceoff to Arvidsson, who scooped up the puck and flung it on net in one motion to pot his 21st goal of 2022-23.
That meant the Kings led for more than 58 minutes Saturday, with their 1-3-1 defensive system and another event with poor ice conditions inhibiting a comeback, according to Morrissey, his Jets teammates and Coach Rick Bowness.
“The worst thing you can do is give them a lead, and we did,” Bowness said.