Kings can’t hold lead against Jets and suffer their third straight loss
WINNIPEG, Canada — Cole Perfetti scored twice and Kyle Connor contributed a trio of assists as the Winnipeg Jets ended a six-game losing skid with a 4-3 victory over the Kings on Monday.
The Jets went on the game’s first power play midway through the third period with the score tied 3-3. Perfetti, a healthy scratch for the last two games, fired a low shot past Kings goalie Cam Talbot two seconds after the man advantage expired.
“I’m not going to lie, it wasn’t easy. It has been tough the last little bit,” Perfetti said of sitting out. “I just tried to come to work every day with a positive mindset and be a good teammate.
“If an opportunity presented itself, I just wanted to be ready. An opportunity came tonight, and I just tried whatever I could to seize the moment.”
Josh Morrissey had a goal and an assist and Sean Monahan also scored for the Jets. Perfetti registered a helper on Morrissey’s second-period goal. Laurent Brossoit made 25 saves for Winnipeg.
Nazem Kadri had a goal and an assist, Jacob Markstrom made 16 saves and the Calgary Flames beat the Kings 4-2 to end their five-game losing streak.
“It was a great dish,” Morrissey said. “[Perfetti] played a great game. Nice to see him using his tools out there and playing with confidence. Great look, and a huge game for us.”
Jets coach Rick Bowness said Perfetti has been working hard with the coaches.
“I did tell him, ‘Listen, when you get back in, we’re going to give you more time with the top six,’” Bowness said. “That’s more his game, so he took full advantage of it. Give him credit for that.”
Viktor Arvidsson, Kevin Fiala and Anze Kopitar scored for the Kings. Defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov had two assists and Talbot stopped 28 shots.
“We had a lot of guys who played really hard, I thought,” Kings interim coach Jim Hiller said. “[The Jets are] a good team, they were desperate.
“I thought it was a good hockey game both ways. We go down and have a breakaway, they come back and get one. It’s that close.”
Both sides have struggled recently, with Winnipeg going 0-5-1 heading into the game. The Kings have lost three straight.
Monday’s game was tied 1-1 after the first period and 3-3 heading into the third.
Perfetti flipped in a loose puck at the side of the crease to give the Jets a 1-0 lead 11:14 into the opening frame.
Arvidsson tied the score at 12:30 with a blast from high in the circle.
Fiala got the puck rolling in a four-goal second period when he recorded his 25th goal after spinning quickly and firing the puck past a screened Brossoit at 5:48.
Monahan evened the score at 2-2 at the 11:49 mark when a pass from Morrissey went in off his skate.
The Kings broke the tie just over two minutes later with Kopitar’s 26th goal of the season from the slot, but Morrissey made it 3-3 at 16:47.
Arvidsson was called for holding the stick at 11:03 of the third.
Kings forward Trevor Moore went on a short-handed breakaway but fired wide of the net.
The Jets then went the other way and Perfetti scored his 17th at 13:05.
Up next for the Kings: host Seattle on Wednesday night.
