Cole Perfetti and Kyle Connor get 3-points each as Jets edge Kings 4-3
Winnipeg Jets' Cole Perfetti (91) scores on Los Angeles Kings goaltender Cam Talbot, back left, during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on Monday, April 1, 2024. Credit: AP/FRED GREENSLADE
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Cole Perfetti scored twice and Kyle Connor contributed a trio of assists as the Winnipeg Jets snapped a six-game losing skid with a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday.
The Jets went on the game’s first power play midway through the third period with the score tied 3-3. PerfettiPerfetti, a healthy scratch for the past two games, fired a low shot past Kings goalie Cam Talbot two seconds after the man advantage expired.
“I’m not going to lie, it wasn’t easy. It has been tough the last little bit,” Perfetti said of sitting out. “I just tried to come to work every day with a positive mindset and be a good teammate.
“If an opportunity presented itself, I just wanted to be ready. An opportunity came tonight, and I just tried whatever I could to seize the moment.”
Josh Morrissey had a goal and assist and Sean Monahan also scored for the Jets. Perfetti registered a helper on Morrissey’s second-period tally. Laurent Brossoit made 25 saves for Winnipeg.
“It was a great dish,” Morrissey said. “(Perfetti) played a great game. Nice to see him using his tools out there and playing with confidence. Great look, and a huge game for us.”
Jets coach Rick Bowness said Perfetti has been working hard with the coaches.
Los Angeles Kings goaltender Cam Talbot (39) directs the puck behind the net as Winnipeg Jets' Cole Perfetti (91) slides past him during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on Monday, April 1, 2024. Credit: AP/FRED GREENSLADE
“I did tell him, ‘Listen, when you get back in, we’re going to give you more time with the top six,’” Bowness said. “That’s more his game, so he took full advantage of it. Give him credit for that.”
Viktor Arvidsson, Kevin Fiala and Anze Kopitar scored for the Kings. Defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov had two assists and Talbot stopped 28 shots for Los Angeles.
“We had a lot of guys who played really hard, I thought,” Kings interim coach Jim Hiller said. “(The Jets are) a good team, they were desperate.
“I thought it was a good hockey game both ways. We go down and have a breakaway, they come back and get one. It’s that close.”
Los Angeles Kings' Viktor Arvidsson (33) holds the stick of Winnipeg Jets' Morgan Barron (36) as Pierre-Luc Dubois (80) clears the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on Monday, April 1, 2024. Credit: AP/FRED GREENSLADE
Both sides have struggled recently, with Winnipeg going 0-5-1 heading into the match. The Kings have now lost three straight.
Monday’s game was tied 1-1 after the first period and 3-3 heading into the third.
Perfetti flipped in a loose puck at the side of the crease to give the Jets a 1-0 lead 11:14 into the opening frame.
Arvidsson tied the score at 12:30 with a blast from high in the circle.
Fiala got the puck rolling in a four-goal second period when he recorded his 25th goal after spinning quickly and firing the puck past a screened Brossoit at 5:48.
Monahan evened the score at 2-2 at the 11:49 mark when a pass from Morrissey went in off his skate.
The Kings broke the tie just over two minutes later with Kopitar’s 26th goal of the season from the slot, but Morrissey made it 3-3 at 16:47.
Arvidsson was called for holding the stick at 11:03 of the third.
Kings forward Trevor Moore went on a short-handed breakaway, but fired wide of the net.
The Jets then went the other way and Perfetti scored his 17th at 13:05.
UP NEXT
Kings: Host Seattle on Wednesday night.
Jets: Wrap up a five game homestand against Calgary on Thursday.
