Jets fall to Kings 2-1 in overtime

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This article was published 10/01/2025 (269 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Scott Arniel called it as close to playoff hockey as his Winnipeg Jets have seen this season.

So what to make of a 2-1 overtime loss on Friday night to a Los Angeles Kings team that put on a defensive clinic, grounding the normally high-flying Jets by giving them very little time or space?

Where some folks may see disappointment, Arniel thought he spotted some maturity and growth – especially after his group fell behind early in the second period, then rallied to tie in the third before Kings forward Adrian Kempe scored 74 seconds into the three-on-three session to give the visitors the bonus point.

“We’ve been learning that lesson for the last couple of years,” said Arniel.

“We’ve had a few this year where we’ve stayed patient and not let it become a 2-0, 3-0 game. That’s all you can do. You have to wait for your moments sometimes. We spent a lot of time in their end. We just had to continue to grind and hope that either it was a goal or it was a power play situation. And we got that. And I liked the way we played that game.”

Winnipeg falls to 28-12-3 on the year, which is still good for first place in the increasingly crowded Central Division. They are now 1-1-2 at the halfway point of this season-long four-game homestand, which continues Saturday night against the Colorado Avalanche.

“It was a hard fought game. Both sides protected the inside ice and didn’t give much easy ice inside,” said Jets centre Mark Scheifele. “It was a tough battle right till the end.”

Los Angeles improves to 24-10-5 after a fifth straight triumph, putting them in second place in the Pacific behind league-leading Vegas.

The Jets mustered just 19 shots in the game and the only offence they generated came on a third-period power play in which Mark Scheifele finished off a pretty passing play with linemates Kyle Connor and Gabriel Vilardi to score his team-leading 24th goal.

That’s actually five shots more than they produced in a 4-1 loss loss on Nov. 27 in southern California. The Kings are the masters of shot suppression, no question.

“It was tight checking throughout the whole game,” is how Vilardi described it. “Not a lot of space for either side. I thought we kind of gained momentum.”

Kempe had a hand in his team’s other goal, as his shot was tipped by teammate Alex Turcotte early in the second period.

Let’s break this one down further:

NO SUPPORT FOR COMRIE

Another game, another tough loss for backup goaltender Eric Comrie. After winning his first three stars – in which the Jets scored a whopping 17 goals — Comrie has now gone 0-for-7 (0-6-1 to be precise) with teammates lighting the lamp just 11 times in that span.

That’s been a theme, and something they talked about prior to puck drop. Easier said than done against the Kings, of course.

Comrie had no chance on Turcotte’s goal, and Kempe’s winner was a wicked wrister on a two-on-rush — which came seconds after veteran Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper had stopped Kyle Connor’s one-timer.

Typically the Jets play Comrie on the second night of a back-to-back, but they decided to flip the schedule this time around in order to have Connor Hellebuyck face the Avalanche.

Comrie stopped 21 of 23 shots he faced.

“He’s been playing amazing,” said Scheifele. “He’s kept us in games. He’s made some fantastic saves. And, again, tonight he was awesome.”

HELLY-BRATION

Speaking of Hellebuyck, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner was given a well-deserved night off, but that still didn’t stop him from being the centre of the pre-game attention. Hellebuyck was honoured for becoming just the 30th goalie in NHL history with at least 500 games played, 300 wins and 40 shutouts.

Hellebuyck’s wife, Andrea, his two children and his father, Chuck, joined him on the ice for a ceremony in which owner Mark Chipman presented him with a framed puck, a portrait, a silver stick, a golden stick and a $25,000 donation to a charity of his choice, which was Project 11.

There were also several video messages played on the scoreboard from current and former teammates including Laurent Brossoit, Andrew Copp and Dustin Byfuglien, who got a roar from the crowd when he told Hellebuyck to “keep kicking ass. I’ll see you on the water.”

“It was awesome. You know he’s been the backbone of this team for a long time. And you know, it was bone chilling for sure,” Scheifele said of the ceremony. “I definitely got the chills. He’s been fantastic for us and to honour him like that. And for his family to be here and see that is pretty special. And I’m lucky to have him as our goalie.”

SAMBERG’S RETURN

It was a fairly high-event return for Dylan Samberg, who had missed the previous 21 games with a broken foot.

Early in the game, a soft clear in his own end turned into what appeared to be a goal from Kings defenceman Jordan Spence. However, the Jets challenged the play for a missed offside and it was quickly overturned. Give a tip of the hat to video coach Matt Prefontaine.

Later in the frame, with the Jets on the penalty kill, Samberg had to face his fears and step in front of the same type of slap shot that had sidelined him in late November. Although he’s beefed up his skates with protection — he referred to them as Transformers — the puck hit him in the fleshy part of his leg.

Samberg ended up playing 22:35 — fourth on the team behind only Scheifele, Connor and blue-line partner Neal Pionk — and had three shot attempts, a hit, a takeaway and two blocked shots.

“He’s a really important part of our D-core,” said Vilardi. “He does things so well, especially on the PK. Very good defensively. I’m very happy for him, he’s been grinding away the past month, month and a half whatever its been. We’re happy to have him back.”

HEAVY HEARTS

You wouldn’t know it from their play, but members of the Kings had a lot on their minds as they hit the ice Friday. The raging wildfire situation sweeping through southern California certainly hit home, with plenty of players and staff impacted.

“It’s really tough. It’s hard to be away right now,” veteran Kings forward Trevor Moore said following the morning skate. “It’s the worst fire I have ever seen in California in my time. It is just awful. We are thankful for the men and women who are the first responders and taking care of everything. We are thinking and praying for everyone.”

The Kings just wrapped up a four-game homestand that was supposed to be five, but the finale on Wednesday against Calgary was postponed due to the emergency situation.

“We feel so bad for the people who have lost homes, had to be evacuated. It’s truly like nothing we have seen before, certainly me, being a part of that,” said head coach Jim Hiller.

“The men and women on the frontlines are courageous. They are fighting, saving lives, saving homes, we just want to make sure that even though we are not back in town, we are still thinking about what is going on back there. We really want to acknowledge all the tragedy that is going on. It has been hard for everybody.”

The Jets joined the Kings in wearing decals of the Los Angeles Fire Department, and a message of support was announced in the rink prior to puck drop.

“I think it’s super great that they’re willing to do that,” said Moore. “We are all playing against each other, but this is bigger than hockey and our competition.”

KEY PLAY

Kempe’s overtime winner was the difference.

THREE STARS

1. Los Angeles RW Adrian Kempe: 1G, 1A.
2. Winnipeg C Mark Scheifele: 1 goal.
3. Los Angeles G Darcy Kuemper: 18 saves

EXTRA, EXTRA

Winnipeg’s two healthy scratches were defenceman Ville Heinola and forward Dominic Toninato, while defencemen Hayden Fleury and Colin Miller and forward Mason Appleton all remain sidelined with injury.

Brandon’s Joel Edmundson, who is on the Kings, missed the game with an unspecified injury.

The Jets went 1-for-2 on the power play while killing off all three minors they took.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg