Kuemper makes 23 saves, Kings shut out Jets for 1st home win

LOS ANGELES -- Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves, and the Los Angeles Kings defeated the Winnipeg Jets 3-0 for their first home win this season at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday.

It was Kuemper's first shutout of the season and his 37th in the NHL.

Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala and Drew Doughty scored for the Kings (6-4-4), who had lost two straight (0-1-1) and entered the game 0-3-2 on home ice.

“We really wanted this one,” Doughty said. “We played well in Winnipeg when we played them there (a 3-2 loss on Oct. 11), and we thought we deserved a better fate.”

Connor Hellebuyck made 23 saves for the Jets (9-4-0), who had had their three-game winning streak end.

It was also Winnipeg’s first road loss (4-1-0) and the first of a season-long six-game road trip.

“I don’t think we created enough offense,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said. “I think we had 10 scoring chances ... but I didn’t think we got to any second opportunities, continuous sort of attacks. When we were on, it’s a shot, it’s a rebound, and then all of a sudden it’s another play. Today, we were kind of one and done.”

Winnipeg captain Adam Lowry made his season debut after undergoing hip surgery on May 27. He had one shot on goal and was minus-1 in 14:08 of ice time.

Kempe put the Kings ahead 1-0 at 17:09 of the first period, charging the paint to put in Joel Armia’s backhand centering pass from behind the net. It was Kempe’s 200th NHL goal.

Los Angeles coach Jim Hiller credited Armia, who started on the top line with Kempe and center Anze Kopitar for the first time, for the sequence.

“The big play of the night is the assist he makes,” Hiller said. “He’s that type of a player. Maybe not as much off the rush, but under the goal line, on the forecheck.”

Fiala made it 2-0 on the power play at 15:00 of the third period with a wrist shot from between the circles through traffic.

“We went into the third period and said we need to get some insurance goals but keep our foot on the pedal,” Doughty said. “Don’t sit back … and we did a good job with that. We didn’t really give them much, and we drew some penalties to have some extended PP time."

Corey Perry had the primary assist on Fiala's goal after receiving a high stick from Vladislav Namestnikov at 11:46, which resulted in the double minor. It was Perry’s 1,400th NHL game, and he has eight points (five goals, three assists) through eight games this season.

“It’s pretty incredible the run that he’s on out of the gate here,” Hiller said. “He’s had some type of impact in one way each and every night.”

Doughty scored an empty-net goal to make it 3-0 at 19:06. The goal was Doughty's 162nd of his career, passing Rob Blake (161) for the most by a defenseman in Kings history.

“It’s crazy,” Doughty said. “You come in the League just hoping to be a good NHL player for like five years, 10 years, whatever you can play. I mean, that was a fortunate bounce to be able to do that in the first place, and then to do this and have the career I’ve had is super special, and I’m super thankful for everybody involved in it.”

NOTES: Perry is the fourth active player to reach 1,400 games, joining Brent Burns (1,511), Alex Ovechkin (1,503) and Kopitar (1,464). … Kempe is the ninth player from the 2014 NHL Draft class to score 200 goals.