GAMEDAY: Jets at Kings

LOS ANGELES – At this point, the road record the Winnipeg Jets (9-3-0) have put together this season is perfect: Four games, four wins.

Whether it has been Eastern Conference opponents like the New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers, or Western Conference foes like the Calgary Flames and Minnesota Wild, the Jets have found their way to victory each time.

Tonight, they’ll try to do the same against the Los Angeles Kings (5-4-4). However, they’re well aware that they had their challenges at crypto.com arena last season.

“Definitely not an easy building to play in,” said Jets forward Nino Niederreiter. “We’ve got to make sure we come out flying and try our best to get a win.”

Winnipeg dropped both games in Los Angeles last season by identical 4-1 scores, but this is a new season for both clubs.

In 2024-25, Los Angeles was the National Hockey League’s best home team at 31-6-4 (just ahead of Winnipeg’s 30-7-4) but have stumbled out of the gate a bit this season at 0-3-2.

Still, the Jets don’t plan to change their game in the second of three meetings between the two clubs this season. Winnipeg won the first match-up by a 3-2 score on October 11 at Canada Life Centre, and the template will be very much the same on the road.

“There isn’t a home way or a road way. That’s one thing about this group, they play a consistent brand (of hockey),” said Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “We try to stay up above, whether that’s keeping it a one-goal game or an even game, that sort of helps a lot, maybe you catch the opposition at home trying to do things and push things for offence and push for goals and you capitalize on it by being patient.”

There were no changes to the Jets line rushes at the morning skate in Los Angeles, meaning the team's projected line-up looks like this:

Arniel announced after Monday's practice that Morgan Barron is week-to-week after leaving Saturday’s win over Pittsburgh late in the third period. Barron joins Gustav Nyquist (day-to-day) on the sidelines with injuries.

On the positive side, Adam Lowry – who has yet to play this season after having hip surgery in late May – could return against the Kings.

“It finally feels like Christmas morning,” said Lowry after Monday’s 40-minute practice in Winnipeg. “It might take me a couple of games to get back up and feeling good. I am going to do everything in my power to try and make that process as quick as possible.”

Last season, Lowry set a career high for goals with 16 and took the second most face-offs on the team – second only to Mark Scheifele. Lowry was trusted in the face-off dot in the defensive zone, with 605 of his 1,188 draws coming in Winnipeg’s end.

“The face off thing, it is still going to take some time, take some rhythm and it was one of the last things I did, just going into the flexion position,” Lowry said. “I feel really good and I am looking forward to being back out there and it finally feels like Christmas morning. I am looking forward to it.”

While Lowry has been on the road with the team for a couple of one-game trips, the fact the team’s captain is able to join the group for this six-game, 13-day trek through the Western Conference is a positive on and off the ice. It also further adds to Winnipeg's depth, even with Barron, Nyquist, Cole Perfetti, and Dylan Samberg out.

Whether it's Lowry's line with Nino Niederreiter and former King Tanner Pearson, or Jonathan Toews' trio with Vladislav Namestnikov and Alex Iafallo, Arniel has options.

"Those six guys can go out, whether it’s D-zone draws or going out against (Anze) Kopitar - in tonight’s scenario - I’m really comfortable with either of those lines," said Arniel after the morning skate. "It helps match-up wise, it helps with being on the road and doing that type of thing. It’s a different look that I haven’t really had before when it comes to six forwards you can really rely on head-to-head against no matter who comes over the boards for the opposition.'

As for the Kings, they’ve started a five-game home stand with a 4-3 shootout loss to Detroit and a 4-1 setback to New Jersey. So the Jets expect a strong push from the Kings, who currently sit fifth in the Pacific Division.

“This is a team that is a heavy shot volume group that’s got bodies, good at tipping pucks, being around the net front," Arniel said. "I thought we did a good job on our box outs and limiting the second-chance opportunities (in Winnipeg). We’re going to have to do it again, they’re a big heavy group. We know coming in here we don’t have the best record in this building recently. We have to start this road trip on a good note."

Puck drop is set for 9:30 pm CT.

ICE CHIPS

Dylan Samberg (wrist) and Cole Perfetti (ankle) skated in non-contact jerseys once again on Monday. Both players will be on the road trip with Arniel indicating there is a chance one or both of them could play by the end of the six-game stretch.

“They’re still yellow jerseys, and until that changes. They’re still getting closer,” said Arniel. “They haven’t really gotten the contact yet. A little closer to that, but I think that we’ve still got to get to that phase before we really start talking about them.”