Jets' offensive breakthrough a reason for optimism despite loss to Kings

WINNIPEG - This was more than just lip service.

This was a breakthrough, albeit one that came with a few more required corrections.

As the Winnipeg Jets dropped a 6-5 shootout decision to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night, there was genuine reason for optimism on a number of fronts, even if the end result was a single point in the piggy bank.

For a club that had scored just 33 times in its prior 16 outings, a five-goal outburst was welcome.

For a team that won just six times in the previous 16 games, getting the game to extra time was a feat in itself, though the Jets won’t be happy with an inability to hold onto a two-goal lead in the third period.

“We competed super hard,” said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey, who delivered the first four-point game of his career in just under 26 minutes of ice time. “I thought we played really well in that game. Obviously, there is the fact we gave up five goals, and you don’t want to do that. I don’t have a huge problem with the way we competed and the way we played. 

“There’s some mistakes clearly that we need to clean up. Some tip goals and stuff like that, but the compete was there, the effort was there. It’s a team we are fighting with. It’s an intense game. You know, you get the lead and you want to keep it. But we played really hard considering the last number of games. We’re going to build off that.”

Were it not for a brilliant individual performance by Kings captain Anze Kopitar - who scored four times in the contest - the Jets might have gone home with two points instead of just one.

“He’s been in the league such a long time and I don’t know if he’s really changed at all, in the most complimentary way,” said Morrissey. “At that point of his career, (with) that many games. Long playoff runs. He looks the same as I remember watching him when I was a kid. 

“It’s pretty impressive that he’s able to play at that level. Unfortunately for us, he brought his A-game today. He’s been doing it a long time and like I said, he seems to be as on top of his game as he’s ever been.”

The tying goal was an example of what can occur when a team is going through a rough patch.

Jets defenceman Dylan Samberg was in good position to make a play in the defensive zone, but he lost an edge and fell to the ice, allowing Gabe Villardi an open lane to deliver the equalizer.

“A couple blown assignments, a couple flukey breaks,” said Jets head coach Rick Bowness. “When things aren't going your way, this is what usually happens. We've got to build on it.” 

In the shootout, Adrian Kempe was the only player to find the back of the net.

Aside from the lack of goals, the Jets' secondary scoring had virtually dried up for an extended period - until Kevin Stenlund broke through and scored a pair, including a shorthanded marker that was set up by Adam Lowry to make it 5-3.

“Yeah, obviously, everyone can score and it’s great when the bottom-6 can contribute that way, too,” said Stenlund, who snapped a 12-game drought. “We want everyone to contribute in their own way.”

With Pierre-Luc Dubois dealing with a nagging lower-body issue and Mason Appleton out with an upper-body ailment, the Jets were forced to dress a lineup that included 11 forwards and seven defencemen - which allowed Karson Kuhlman to draw in up front and Logan Stanley on the back end.

Tuesday was the first game for winger Nino Niederreiter with his new team and he received a big ovation from the hometown crowd after he crushed Kings defenceman Sean Durzi with a punishing check in the neutral zone late in the second period.

Niederreiter, who was given a penalty for an illegal check to the head along with coincidental roughing minors with Kempe, came exactly as advertised and provided a glimpse of what he figures to contribute during the stretch run.

“There have been a lot of changes in his life the last couple of days,” said Morrissey. “He competes hard so he brings all those intangibles that you want this time of year. We’ve seen it enough when he was in the Central with Minnesota and Nashville. That’s the kind of player he is. He’s just going to get more comfortable and I thought he was great.”

Niederreiter finished with 19 shifts for 18:13 of ice time, fired two shot attempts that were blocked and had five hits in his Jets debut.

“Certainly, you don’t realize how big and how heavy he is until he reverse checks you and kind of gets into a stick battle (with you) and he comes out of the puck and you’re thinking you should have won that battle,” said Lowry. “That’s a great combination and it makes us harder to play against. It’s another guy that’s going to go to the net. He’s going to find pucks around the net, but he can score from distance too. He finds ways to get it done in various different ways. If one part of his game is not working, he’s able to impact the game in other ways. That’s huge. He’s certainly a great combination of size and skill. A true power forward.”

The Jets, who are now 35-24-2, aren’t back in action until Friday when they play the front end of a home-and-home series with the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place.

The two teams are tied in the Western Conference standings with 72 points, going into Wednesday’s action, which should only ramp up the intensity.