{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Hockey League
Los Angeles 5, Winnipeg 2
When: 10:30 PM ET, Thursday, March 23, 2017
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Referees: Francis Charron, Ian Walsh
Linesmen: Shandor Alphonso, Ryan Daisy
Attendance: 18230

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Kings haven't acquiesced another postseason away from the rink.

They still showed some fire Thursday night against the Winnipeg Jets, scoring three power-play goals and another short-handed in a 5-2 victory at Staples Center.

The Kings (35-31-7) couldn't close the gap on the St. Louis Blues or Nashville Predators for the second wild-card out of the Western Conference, however, as they won before the Kings took the ice. Los Angeles remains eight points behind the Blues and Predators with nine games left.

But the Kings aren't ready to concede a playoff run for the second time in three years. Not after rallying to win Stanley Cup titles in 2012 and 2014.

"The mood is good," said Kings center Anze Kopitar, who scored the first power-play goal and assisted on the third. "We know what we've got to do and we're prepared to do it."

Drew Doughty and Jake Muzzin also had a goal and an assist, and Tyler Toffoli had two assists for Los Angeles, which scored three power-play goals in a game for the third time this season and second time in the last eight contests.

Mathieu Perreault and Patrik Laine scored first-period goals for the Jets (33-34-7).

"They just played well," Laine said of the Kings. "We started well in the first period, then our game changed."

Marian Gaborik scored the second power-play goal at 2:01 of the third period for a 3-2 lead. He maintained possession for several seconds before skating in and beating goaltender Connor Hellebuyck up high with a wrist shot from the left circle.

Doughty made it 4-2 at 3:57 when his blast from the left point also got through for a power-play goal.

Tanner Pearson scored short-handed shortly after Trevor Lewis went to the penalty box for hooking and the lead was 5-2 at 9:22.

"Special teams this time of year are very important," Kopitar said. "That was the difference."

The Kings twice came back to tie the score during the first two periods, the second time at 2-2 after a point shot from Muzzin nicked off Hellebuyck as he was screened by Jeff Carter and sailed into the net at 16:06 of the second period.

"We had some awfully long defensive zone shifts," Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice said.

The Jets took a 1-0 lead on the second shot on goal against Kings goalie Ben Bishop.

Los Angeles lost possession on the forecheck and Winnipeg center Mark Scheifele passed the puck out from the corner to defenseman Brian Strait while still on his knees. Strait's shot from the left point was tipped by Perreault and redirected past Bishop at 6:54 of the first period.

The Kings went on the power play later in the period after Blake Wheeler was called for high-sticking on Dustin Brown.

As the first power-play unit was applying steady pressure, the puck skipped out to Doughty, but he couldn't trap it in the Winnipeg zone. Doughty and Kopitar remained on the ice as their teammates went for a change, and Kopitar took a pass from Doughty as he re-entered the left side of the zone with speed. Kopitar took aim at the top-right corner and beat Hellebuyck over his glove to tie the score 1-1 at 14:23 of the first.

"I figured I'd try it and see if we could get a fast-break," Kopitar said of his decision to stay on the ice instead of change.

The Jets capitalized on back-to-back minor penalties by Los Angeles six seconds apart to take a 2-1 lead at 18:41 of the first.

Laine shot from the left circle and the puck hit Kings defenseman Alec Martinez, bouncing off the end boards and back toward the crease. Bishop was searching for the puck when it banked off his left skate and across the goal line with 11 seconds left on the two-man advantage.

Laine was credited with his team-leading 34th goal of the season, which is also tops among NHL rookies.

"They had a good push late in the second," Perreault said. "They took over the game in the third."

Bishop made 19 saves, while Hellebuyck stopped 31 shots.

NOTES: Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice did not have an injury update on D Dustin Byfuglien, who left the game in the third period. ... Kings RW Jonny Brodzinski was recalled from the Ontario Reign of the American Hockey League on Thursday, but was a healthy scratch. Brodzinski leads Ontario in scoring with 25 goals and 47 points in 56 games. ... Jets LW Brandon Tanev was in the lineup following his recall Wednesday from the Manitoba Moose of the AHL on an emergency basis. Tanev's previous game with the Jets was Feb. 21.
Top Game Performances
 
Winnipeg   Los Angeles
Mathieu Perreault 2 Points Drew Doughty 2
Mathieu Perreault 1 Goals Drew Doughty 1
Mathieu Perreault 1 Assists Tyler Toffoli 2
Patrik Laine 1 Power Play Goals Drew Doughty 1
N/A Short Handed Goals Tanner Pearson 1
Connor Hellebuyck .861 Save Percentage Ben Bishop .905
Connor Hellebuyck 31 Saves Ben Bishop 19
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Winnipeg 21 2 1-4 1-4 13 25
Los Angeles 36 5 3-4 3-4 13 33
Upcoming Games
  • Los Angeles will play their next game at home against NY Rangers. The Kings have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .462 after a loss.
  • Winnipeg will play their next game on the road against Anaheim. The Jets have a W/L % of .455 after a win and .439 after a loss.