LOS ANGELES — The Kings earned two points and avoided an ignominious distinction by beating one of the NHL’s top teams.
The Kings blanked the Winnipeg Jets, 3-0, on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena – their first home win of the season and their third regulation victory. They were the last Western Conference team to win on home ice, but the New York Rangers remained winless out East after being blanked by the Carolina Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden.
Winnipeg had won three straight games and brought the NHL’s best points percentage into the clash, a distinction that now belongs to the Montreal Canadiens. The Jets had the best record in the league last season.
Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala each had a goal before Drew Doughty slathered on an empty-netter. Darcy Kuemper was sharp when he had to be, making 23 saves in his first shutout of the season.
Connor Hellebuyck, the reigning Vezina Trophy and Hart Trophy winner, stopped 23 of 25 shots for Winnipeg.
With 53.8 seconds displayed on the game clock, Doughty turned a takeaway into an effortless empty-net goal to ice the Kings’ cake. Doughty’s goal moved him into sole possession of the franchise record for goals by a defenseman (162).
The Kings’ penalty kill was unblemished for the fifth time in six games, killing all five penalties they took on Tuesday, and in the third period, the third Winnipeg penalty in a row was the charm for the Kings’ otherwise feeble power play.
After going 0 for their past 20 with the man advantage, Fiala’s flick from between the circles made good on the torrent of penalties for the Jets, who picked up a minor and a double minor in succession. It was Fiala’s sixth goal, keeping him in a tie with Kempe for the team lead.
The second period came and went without a goal. In the final minute, fans almost witnessed a vintage Jonathan Toews moment. The former Chicago Blackhawks captain stole the puck at the offensive blue line and darted in on a partial breakaway, only to be denied by Kuemper.
It was Toews’ first game at Crypto.com Arena in nearly three years with his last appearance coming on Nov. 10, 2022. He missed the past two seasons and three of the past five due to chronic inflammatory response syndrome.
The first period brought little in the way of entertainment value, with more combined penalty minutes than combined shots on goal for much of the frame. But nearly every faceoff (85% of them) and the two pivotal moments in the period tilted in the Kings’ favor.
First, Winnipeg appeared to score on its first shot on goal of the game, but the marker was disallowed due to goalie interference by former King Gabriel Vilardi, a call that was upheld after Scott Arniel’s challenge.
While the Kings continued to struggle on the power play, they broke through five-on-five to open the scoring with 2:51 left in the frame.
Joel Armia received the puck behind the net, where he manipulated defenseman Dylan DeMelo to set up a goal for Kempe. Armia faked toward one post, only to emerge from behind the other to slip the puck to Kempe for a redirection goal. Kempe’s 200th career tally was also his sixth of the season.
It was a night of milestones for the Kings.
In addition to Doughty’s goal, Armia played in his 600th career game and Corey Perry skated in match No. 1,400. Perry is the 44th player in league history to cross that threshold and only four active players have logged more contests. They are his fellow 2003 draftees Ryan Suter and Brent Burns, as well as teammate Anže Kopitar and all-time goals leader Alex Ovechkin.
More to come on this story.
