Los Angeles Kings Claim 3-2 OT Win Against Winnipeg Jets

The Los Angeles Kings have been the best team in overtime this season, and continued that trend by winning a dramatic 3-2 game against the Winnipeg Jets that was tied at the end of regulation.

The Kings didn’t let the game stretch into a shootout like the last time these two squads met, and it was Jeff Carter who delivered the victory tonight in OT.

The Clippers and Lakers played each other earlier in the day, and much respect for the crew at Staples Center for pulling off such a quick turnaround to get the venue ready for NHL action.

Jari Kurri was honored during a nice pre-game ceremony for Legends Night. Kurri scored 108 of his 601 career goals in a Kings uniform.

Scratches for the Kings were Andy Andreoff, Matt Greene, and Tom Gilbert for the second straight game. Scratches for the Jets were Julian Melchiori, Brandon Tanev, and Ben Chiarot for their second straight game as well.

These two teams last played each other on November 13 in Winnipeg. The Jets won that match 3-2 in a shootout.

Michael Hutchinson got the start in net for the Jets tonight. It was his 19th appearance of the year, as Connor Hellebuyck has gotten the bulk of the appearances as goaltender for the Jets. Peter Budaj got the start in goal for the Kings.

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Marian Gaborik put the Kings up early on a great pass from Anze Kopitar. Alec Martinez got the other assist at 3:19 into the period.

Toby Enstrom got whistled for holding Gaborik at 6:34 into the period. Jake Muzzin managed to hit the crossbar on the man advantage, but that’s as close as the Kings got to scoring on that power play.

Jordan Nolan got elbowed on the head by Adam Lowry, which resulted in a illegal checking penalty at 17:11 into the period. Nic Dowd hit a crossbar, and Drew Doughty hit a post, but once again no power play goals were scored.

The Kings looked in control of the game early on. They had 4 takeaways in the 1st period, outshot the Jets 15-9, and won 17 faceoffs while only losing 5.

The Kings got called for too many men on the ice when the puck made contact with Kyle Clifford right as he jumped on the ice from the bench. The penalty was whistled at 55 seconds into the 2nd period. The Jets had a couple good chances, but the Kings killed off the penalty.

Dustin Byfuglien stuck his stick into the skate of Carter and was called for tripping at  9:45 into the period. The Jets proceeded to kill off the penalty.

Dustin Brown got called for hooking Enstrom at 13:55 into the period. The Jets seized the opportunity, as Drew Stafford got the game tying goal on the power play on a great pass from behind the net by Mathieu Perreault. Mark Scheifele got the other assist at 15:06 into the period.

Josh Morrissey was called for tripping Carter on an awkward play 5:25 into the period. The Jets created a 3 on 1 for a shorthanded chance, but Budaj made the save. The Kings generated no shot of their own on that man advantage.

The game was tied 1-1 heading into a crucial 3rd period. Trevor Lewis was sent to the box for hooking Jacob Trouba at 3:30 into the 3rd. Carter had a shorthanded breakaway, but couldn’t put it away on the backhand. The Kings did manage to kill of the penalty, though.

The Jets went right back on the power play when Kevin Gravel was called for high sticking Stafford at 6:30 into the period. It was especially unfortunate because Gravel’s stick was lifted up by a Jets player on the penalty.

At 7:38, Byfuglien sent a low shot off of Kopitar’s skate to give the Jets the lead. Perreault and Blake Wheeler got the assists.

The Kings tried to answer immediately. Nolan clanked a crossbar on the other end of the ice, and the score remained unchanged. Budaj then had to bail his defense out with a big save when Wheeler generated a breakaway of his own.

Dustin Brown tied the game up on a rebound off of a shot from Kopitar at 14:52 into the period. Derek Forbort got the other assist.

Clifford had a chance to give the Kings the lead in the waning moments, but hit both the posts when presented with a clear net in front of him.

The game went into overtime, which is an area the Kings have thrived in over the course of this season.

The Kings pulled off the late game heroics once again, as Carter buried a shot in the back of the net on a great pass from Muzzin. Kopitar got the other assist at 1:36 into overtime. Carter leads the league in game winning goals.

The Kings outshot the Jets 38-28 over the course of the game. The Jets went 2 of 4 on the power play, while the Kings went 0 of 4 on the power play.

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The Kings will continue this homestand on January 16 against the Tampa Bay Lighting. The Jets will head up the West Coast and play the San Jose Sharks in the heart of Silicon Valley on January 16.