Game Twenty-Three Preview: Jets @ Kings

The Los Angeles Kings return home to Crypto.com Arena after a forgettable loss in San Jose on Monday.

They’ll matchup against the red hot Winnipeg Jets who sit in first place in both the Central Division and Western Conference. Their 18-4-0 start to the season has been nothing short of amazing, with the four losses coming outside of the Pacific Division (Toronto, Tampa Bay, Florida, Nashville) — a division the Jets have outscored 23-9 (nearly a 5:2 ratio).

This is the first-of-three meetings between the Kings and Jets this season, with LA playing host for two of those contests.

Kings fans will likely take a keen interest in this game after Los Angeles’ General Manager, Rob Blake, dealt a package of players to Winnipeg in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois (later traded for Darcy Kuemper); notably forward Gabe Vilardi who has sixteen points (8G, 8A) in twenty-two games played, this season, while only seeing the penalty box for a total of two minutes.

Alex Iafallo (included in the trade from Los Angeles) scored two goals in the Jets’ game against the Minnesota Wild on Monday, giving him one hundred total goals in his National Hockey League (NHL) career.

TALL TASK, BIG ASK

LA has ridden goaltender David Rittich hard and for good reason. Heading into the Kings’ last game against San Jose, he had averaged a 1.00 GAA and an incredible .947 SV% in three consecutive starts.

Things seemed to be status quo heading into the third period against the Sharks with the score tied 2-2 before the Kings crumbled in the final twenty minutes of play, giving up five goals on ten shots faced.

The Kings are now between a rock and a hard place. Instead of giving Erik Portillo the nod in San Jose and reserving Rittich for Wednesday against Winnipeg, head coach Jim Hiller, must now: A) throw the young Portillo into the lion’s den, B) recall Pheonix Copley from the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Ontario Reign in a cold start, C) activate Darcy Kuemper from injured reserve pending he’s ready to play, or D) see if there’s some juice left to squeeze out of Rittich.

With the Kings set for a quick drive down to Anaheim on Friday afternoon, option A is probably off the table as this is likely where Portillo finds his first taste of NHL action – provided he’s still up with the team. Option D seems to be the only answer, meaning Rittich is going to have to shrug off the loss against San Jose and show Winnipeg why they call him “Big Save Dave.”

JET-ERAN LEADERSHIP

The Winnipeg Jets have been getting production from their veteran players with forwards Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, and Nikolaj Ehlers leading the team in points with 27, 26, and 23, respectively.

Defensemen Josh Morrissey and Neal Pionk are right on their heels at 20 and 19, while logging over 21+ minutes TOI.

If that weren’t enough, goaltender Connor Hellebuyck leads the league in win-loss amongst all netminders with a 15-2-0 record.

Teams are true Stanley Cup contenders when their star players are producing in their prime, which is why this hot start to the season for Winnipeg may not cool off.

FIRST KICK AT THE CAN

Former NHL head coach Dave Tippett, known mostly for his time with the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes, once said (and I’m paraphrasing), “as the head coach, you can only kick the trash can in the locker room three times a season before the boys tune out.”

In essence, the coaching staff must be deliberate when displaying their frustration.

This scene from Moneyball illustrates a “kick the can” moment when Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) enters the locker room and embarrasses the group about what losing really sounds like before throwing a water cooler against a wall.

Assuming Monday’s loss in San Jose resulted in Hiller’s first kick at the can, expect a motivated Kings team to come out swinging against the juggernaut Jets.

Puck drop is slated for 7:10 PM PST. You can watch the game on television via the FanDuel Sports Network or listen live with the ESPN LA app.