The Winnipeg Jets will look for a bounce back Saturday when taking on the Los Angeles Kings in a matineemantiee showdown. 

The Winnipeg Jets look to bounce back after a tough 5-4 loss in the season opener at the hands of the Dallas Stars on Thursday, when hosting the LA Kings in their second home game of the season. This will be the 48th meeting between the two clubs as the Kings hold the upper hand historically with a 25-13-9 record to date against the Jets, including an active win streak at three. 

Lineup Storylines

The Jets had some standout performances in their season opener with superstar winger Kyle Connor, leading the way with a hat trick as well as his center Mark Scheifele collecting a trio of assists. On the blueline, Dylan DeMelo nabbed a pair of assists and Josh Morrissey took on heavy minutes with 27:04 of ice-time and finished with a +2 rating. The rest of the defense took too many penalties with four as a unit. 

A much needed bounce back will be needed from the Jets second forward group in Jonathan Toews, Gustav Nyquist and youngster Nikita Chibrikov. The trio finished with no goals and just three shots on net. They'll need a better response as part of the Jets top six forward group. 

The LA Kings have made little changes to their lineup from last season with captain and veteran center Anze Kopitar announcing to the media that this season would be his last in the NHL. He remains deadly while playing alongside elite winger Adrian Kempe, who is coming off his second straight 70-point season. Some new additions to the Kings include most veterans with forwards Corey Perry and Joel Armia with Brian Dumoulin and Cody Ceci on the backend. 

Former Minnesota Wild Forward Tabbed as New Captain of Winnipeg's AHL Moose Winnipeg's AHL Moose name veteran forward Mason Shaw as the 13th team captain in franchise history on Thursday. 

Player & Betting Trends (Presented By BetMGM)

WPG ML (-133) | LAK ML (+110)

WPG -1.5 (+185) | LAK +1.5 (-227)

O/U 5.5 Goals

With the Jets and Kings both possessing strong defenses, their matchups rarely turn into high-scoring affairs. The two teams have combined for fewer than six total goals in 17 of their last 24 meetings, including a current streak of three straight unders. Over the past two seasons, Winnipeg and Los Angeles rank first and second in defense, respectively, with the majority of their games finishing under the total.

The Kings have recently gained the upper hand in this matchup, winning six of the last eight meetings. After dropping their season opener to the Colorado Avalanche, LA bounced back with a shootout win over the Vegas Golden Knights. However, they could face a tougher challenge on Saturday, as the Jets, still searching for their first win of the season, will be eager to make a strong statement in their home opener.

Leading the charge for the Jets will be hometown native Jonathan Toews, who has a strong track record against the Kings. He’s recorded points in two of his last three games versus Los Angeles, tallying eight goals and ten assists for 18 points over his last 25 matchups against them. On the other side, the most reliable player to produce offensively is Kings captain Anze Kopitar. The Slovenian center has points in eight straight games against Winnipeg, amassing nine goals and six assists for 15 points over his last ten meetings with the Jets.

Goalie Matchup

Winnipeg: Connor Hellebuyck (VS LAK: 6-9-1 record, 3.19 GAA, .900 SV% in 16 Games) 

LA: Darcy Kuemper (VS WPG: 8-2-0 record, 2.61 GAA, .920 SV% in 12 Games)

What's Next For Winnipeg Following Kyle Connor Extension? After signing Kyle Connor to an eight-year, $96 million deal, the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/winnipeg-jets">Jets </a>now focus on managing the cap, re-signing key players, and developing young talent to maintain long-term success.