The Winnipeg Jets take on the Los Angeles Kings Wednesday as part of a six-game road trip
The Winnipeg Jets are coming off an emphatic 4-1 win over the Wild and will look to keep things rolling when taking on the Kings Wednesday night. The Jets are looking to continue their winning ways as they embark on a six-game road trip and are 2-1 at the halfway point with three more games to go.
The Kings will be very tough as LA started off the season slow but have since started to piece things together with a 10-7-1 record and the third-best goals against average in the league at 2.56 over their last 18 games. Winnipeg will look to fight fire with fire as they are an even better defensive team with the best goals against average in the league this season at 2.36 through a large sample size of 22 games.
Despite both teams rolling out impressive defences, it doesn't seem to matter in this matchup as they've totalled six or more goals in five of their last six matchups. LA will come out with a lot of aggression as they are coming off a brutal 7-2 loss at the hands of the last place team in the San Jose Sharks and will see them try to rebound from the loss.
The Jets have beat the Kings in two straight matchups but if you look deeper into the history between these two, LA has won four of their last seven matchups. This will be a game where each team will look to take advantage of their chances and whichever team can be the most opportunistic will likely prevail.
The Jets will need a big performance out of star winger Kyle Connor, who leads the team in points with 27 and has a great history in this matchup with seven goals and ten assists for 17 points over his last 14 games against the Kings. Winnipeg will look to shut down the Kings dynamic duo of Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. LA's top scorers have been lethal this season with eight goals and 24 combined points over their last 11 games.
They will need to be a point of emphasis as the Jets are down a man on the backend with Dylan Samberg breaking his foot in Winnipeg's 4-1 loss to the Predators last Saturday after he attempted to block a Steven Stamkos one-timer. It'll be a big spot for youngster Ville Heinola, who is getting an extended look with the NHL roster and finished his first game in the lineup with just over 12 minutes of ice-time and two shots on net.
The matchup should be legendary and you catch the game on Sportsnet at 9:00 PM MT, or catch the live broadcast on Power 97, the FM home of the Winnipeg Jets. If you are in the Los Angeles area, tickets are very reasonable for Jets versus the Kings with the lowest pair being sold at roughly $40 USD.