Ryan Sikes 
The LA Kings saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday night, falling 3-2 in overtime against Winnipeg.
Going for a clean sweep north of the border, the LA Kings left a point on the table, falling 3-2 in overtime against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night. The Kings (8-5-2) will return home for a lengthy homestand to close out the month, so it will be a great opportunity to continue to climb in the standings.
1. Quick response to Jets’ first goal
Two minutes into the game and the Winnipeg Jets were on the board. Kyle Connor tallied his 11th goal of the season. Pierre Luc-Dubois carried the puck into the offensive zone, finding Logan Stanley for a one-timer in the high slot. Cal Petersen made the initial save, but Connor was there to put home the rebound.
The goal didn’t seem to rattle the Kings too much, who didn’t register their first shot on goal until the 3:06 mark of the first period. From there, Los Angeles was relentless, with Carl Grundstrom burying a wrist shot past Jets’ netminder Connor Hellebuyck.
Grundy goes top chedd short side 🧀🧀!!!#GoKingsGo | @LAKings pic.twitter.com/MwjDWbbDD8
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) November 14, 2021
Brendan Lemieux would later extend the Kings lead with a second-period goal. The Kings’ bottom two lines accounted for both games on the evening.
“I think this was probably our line’s best game of this trip,” Carl Grundstrom said after the game. “Even though we lost today, it was a big step for our line. I think we helped each other out a little bit better than we did in the other games.“
Lemieux cleans up the rebound to take the lead!! 🚨🚨#GoKingsGo | @LAKings pic.twitter.com/uAES1oMGdh
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) November 14, 2021
2. Special teams units good and bad
The Good:
The Kings penalty kill in the first period was one of the best I have seen all year. After Kale Clague was sent to the box for a delay of game penalty, the Kings cleared the zone twice before Winnipeg was able to cycle through their passes.
Good on Adrian Kempe, though, for getting an active stick to break up a pass halfway through the penalty that sent the puck out of the zone before he went off for a change. From there, the Kings had a couple of chances at logging a goal a man down, with Olli Maatta and Alex Iafallo getting good looks on net.
The Bad:
For whatever reason, the Kings’ powerplay has felt more like a penalty kill this season. Pierre Luc-Dubois was called for cross-checking Matt Roy at the 11:56 mark of the final frame. At the very least, the Kings could have used the time to burn off two extra minutes while keeping the momentum in their favor.
The crowd gets LOUD for @ddems2! #GoJetsGo | #LAKvsWPG pic.twitter.com/zSxsGYuIkw
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) November 14, 2021
Instead, the Kings were caught too committed in the o-zone, and Stanley found Andrew Copp streaking the other way. The latter pulled up and waited for Dylan DeMelo to join the rush, passed it to him, and buried a wrist shot past Petersen.
The goal breathed life back into the Canada Life Centre, setting the stage for overtime.
3. Point streak still alive
Regardless of the outcome, the Kings were guaranteed one point in the standings, extending their point streak to eight games, the fourth-longest in franchise history. However, the Jets made quick work of the Kings in the extra period, with Mark Schiefle scoring 32 seconds into overtime and ending the Kings’ win streak.
”I thought we gave up too much ice on the entry, and they turned what was a 2-on-2, a soft 2-on-2, into almost a 2-on-1, we didn’t play it real well,” Kings head coach Todd McLellan said. “They’re crafty players, they know how to create that situation, they did a good job. Sometimes you have to give the opposition credit too.”
🚨 MARK SCHEIFELE FOR THE WIN 🚨
Scheifele’s bullet secures the @SUBWAYCanada OT winner for the @NHLjets! pic.twitter.com/qsrl1TMQMN
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 14, 2021
It’s tough to lose a game in this fashion where the Kings had outplayed Winnipeg for the majority of the game, but a few errors let them and their home crowd back into it. That said, there’s not much to complain about taking seven of a possible eight points on a difficult road trip.
As noted, the Kings return home for a six-game homestand, starting Wednesday against the Washington Capitals.
We also provided an instant reaction to this game on the podcast.
LA Kings: Andreas Athanasiou on Phillip Danault ‘unbelievable player’
“It’s tough to lose a game in this fashion where the Kings had outplayed Winnipeg for the majority of the game“ – outplayed is music to my ears!
Haha me too. And Winnipeg had a difficult time even registering a shot in the second half of the second period and the first five minutes of the third period.