After storming out to a 3-1 lead in the first period against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday, the Winnipeg Jets managed to fall apart in the next two frames, extending their losing streak to 11 games. With no time to look for answers to their inability to protect leads this year, the True Northers are back in action Friday night when the Los Angeles Kings come to town.
The fighter jets (15-22-5) haven’t scored 2 points in a game since December 13, when they absolutely destroyed the Washington Capitals 5-1. Winnipeg remains at the bottom of the NHL standings, along with a pair of other Canadian franchises in the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames. Goal scoring remains an issue for the club with the 7th fewest goals scored in 2025/26 (121GF) and the Jets are not in the middle of the defensive team (16th with 134 GA).
The Kings (18-14-10) just wrapped up a homestand where they went 2-1-1 before flying to the much colder climate of Manitoba. They are still very much in contention for the playoffs and currently hold the last wild card spot in the West despite being the 5th place team in the Pacific Division. Los Angeles is one of the few teams to score less than our squad, as their 114 goals tie them with the Flames as the second-worst offensive club. Defensively, LA is on the opposite end of the spectrum, as they have allowed the third fewest goals conceded (117).
Tonight’s match at the Canada Life Center kicks off at 7pm Central and here’s how the two clubs’ stats compare so far, via ESPN‘S comparison numbers of team and goalkeeper:
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The main thing I take from the stats above is Los Angeles’ ability to stifle the offense, allowing half a goal fewer than Winnipeg has this year. The Kings’ struggling scoring output should be helped by the expected return of Erik Comrie to the net….although Connor Hellebuyck hasn’t played that great in recent games.
There is no pre-game skate today due to the back-to-back situation, so we will have to look at the last game’s lineup for now. I heard that rookie Danny Zhilkin will make his second NHL start….and Illegal bend seems to think Vladislav Namestnikov also returns to the starting list.
WINNIPEG JETS ALIGNING
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LOS ANGELES KINGS LINE
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The Kings will be without forwards Trevor Moore & Corey Perrythat are on IR, but the status of a few others is unknown Anze Kopitar & Joel Armia listed as day to day. For the Jets, lone defenseman Haydn Fleury remains unavailable to the head coach Scott Arniel.
When I look at the scoring leaders of both teams, you see a few Winnipeggers way up front, but you also notice the slightly better depth that the Californians have:
WPG: Kyle Connor (51 points), Mark Scheifele (50), Gabriel Vilardi (37), Josh Morrissey (34), Nino Niederreiter & Alex Iafallo (15), & Morgan Barron (14)
THE: Adrian Kempe (34 points), Kevin Fiala (31), Quinton Byfield (24), Anze Kopitar (21), Alex Laferriere (21), Corey Perry (21) and Brandt Clarke (19)
Go Winnipeg Jets!!!!!
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AFTER-GAME INFO
Score overview: (courtesy of ESPN)
FINAL SCORE: Winnipeg Jets 5 Kings of Los Angeles 1
**first time in a long time I was able to put the Jets at the front of the final score section.**
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Game Statistics: (courtesy of MoneyPuck)
Expected goals (all): LACQUER 3.73 WPG 2.31
Expected goals (5on5): LACQUER 3.51 WPG 2.00
Despite Winnipeg’s fast start, it was Los Angeles that led the xG battle until early in the 2nd period. After that, the Jets were in front until midway through the third period, when they lay back and let the Kings come to them, allowing the visitors to pile up 2,163 xGs in the final frame to regain the lead.
The Zhilkin The line was limited to 7:22 in 5 on 5 ice time against the Kings, but the other 3 units saw at least 10 minutes. With many of Winnipeg’s goals coming during team changes, only three came against the four lines above. The Ropes trio had the best xG rating for the Jets, but broke even in real goals with 1 for and 1 against. The Lowry line was the other one that was on the ice for a Winnipeg goal on the card above, while the other 2 goals came when Vilardi was reunited with his usual linemates Scheifele & Connor for 1 shift and then the 4th line achieve their goal with captain Lowry play center.
I really liked what I saw Zhilkin & Perfect tonight…but the whole team played pretty well.
No injuries allowed Arniel to throw three defensive combinations tonight, with the top duo playing just over 18 minutes of 5-on-5 and the other two closer to 14 minutes. It was Miller fill in for Pionk collaborated with Samberg where most of the action took place, on the ice for two Winnipeg goals and one from Los Angeles. Despite being killed in the xG battle, the Stanley–Schenn pairing defeated the Kings 1-0. The Jets’ final goal came on a one-time shift Samberg & The Melo.
The Jets’ backup tender was very good tonight, rebounding after his last outing might have been his worst performance of the year. Comrie wasn’t tested too much in the first two periods, but made saves when called upon, including a nice one in the final minute and a half of the second frame that led to a Winnipeg counterattack to make the match 5-1. The ever-smiling goaltender was most impressive during LA’s third-period press, which included a power play and outshot the Jets 12-3. The huge score ‘Goals saved above expectations’ confirms the feeling that the final score could have been much closer.
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BOJA’S thoughts after the game:
Well, I’ve probably said enough with my add-ons in the stats… but it sure was nice to see a cheering crowd at the Canada Life Center again. It’s been a while…like since December 13th. That was in a completely different year!!! Way back in 2025.
Winnipeg gets a chance to go on a winning streak as the New Jersey Devils limped into Manitoba after a three-game skid that saw them outscored 16 to 2. That’s a matter of Sunday afternoon… See you here then!!
#Los #Angeles #Kings #Winnipeg #Jets