Perfetti has 3 points, Jets edge Kings to end losing streak at 6

WINNIPEG -- Cole Perfetti had two goals and an assist for the Winnipeg Jets, who ended their six-game losing streak with a 4-3 win against the Los Angeles Kings at Canada Life Centre on Monday.

“We created lots as a line, scored lots as a line,” Perfetti said. "So, that felt really good. I was just really happy that I could contribute and help get back into that. I missed that for a little bit. It just feels really good to get back and help this team win.”

Perfetti gave the Jets a 4-3 lead at 13:05 of the third period with a wrist shot from the right face-off circle shortly after Kings forward Trevor Lewis was unable to score on a short-handed breakaway attempt.

“It’s just heartbreaking when it happens that way,” Los Angeles coach Jim Hiller said. “What was it, 10 seconds later they came down and score the other way. We’ve seen that in hockey before. But nothing to hang our heads about, we’ll regroup, get a rest and we’ll get ready for the next game.”

Kyle Connor had three assists, and Josh Morrissey had a goal and an assist for the Jets (45-24-6), who were 0-5-1 in their previous six. Laurent Brossoit made 25 saves.

"Well, we get a much-needed win, so I'm very happy about that,” Winnipeg coach Rick Bowness said. “Obviously, the [Sean] Monahan line (with Perfetti and Connor) had a big night for us. That made the difference in the game."

Anze Kopitar, Viktor Arvidsson and Kevin Fiala scored for the Kings (38-25-11), who have lost three straight. Vladislav Gavrikov had two assists, and Cam Talbot made 28 saves.

“They’re a good team, they were desperate,” Hiller said of the Jets. “I thought it was a good hockey game both ways. … Overall, the effort is good. The result is bad.”

Perfetti gave the Jets a 1-0 lead at 11:14 of the first period when he put in a loose puck at the right post.

“[Perfetti] has been working really hard,” Bowness said. "The coaches have been spending a lot of time with him. I did tell him, 'Listen, when you get back in, we're going to give you more time with the top six.' That's more his game, so he took full advantage of it. Give him credit for that."

Arvidsson tied it 1-1 at 12:30, carrying the puck into the offensive zone and beating Brossoit with a slap shot from the top of the right circle.

“That game was back and forth for us,” Gavrikov said. “Didn’t get the result, obviously. That’s exactly what we’re looking for in the next games, and just got to move on. Every single game matters for us, every single point has got to matter.”

Fiala put Los Angeles ahead 2-1 at 5:48 of the second period. He took a pass along the left-side boards, skated into the slot, spun around and scored with a snap shot.

“We thought we had probably a good 15 minutes of the second, then we turned the puck over a couple times, made a couple poor decisions, we wanted to clean those up,” Hiller said. “I thought we did in the third. Just a good game. Could have gone either way, and they got it.”

Monahan tied it 2-2 at 11:49, redirecting Morrissey’s shot from the right circle past Talbot.

Kopitar made it 3-2 at 13:56 with a snap shot from the slot off a pass from Adrian Kempe from below the goal line.

“Some really good looks,” Hillier said. “We had a couple others (that) just rattled around, hit some bodies in front. We had some good screens.”

Morrissey tied it 3-3 at 16:47 of the second with a one-timer in the slot off a centering pass from Perfetti.

“Not every win is going to be perfect,” Morrissey said. “They’re a good hockey team. You have to give every team in this league their respect. For us to go down multiple times in the game and find a way to come back and stay resilient and find a way to break a tie game open in the third, it’s great. It’s huge. Hopefully we can get on a run now and feel good about ourselves in the next number of games before the [playoffs] start.”

NOTES: Perfetti was a healthy scratch in Winnipeg’s previous two games and in six of the previous nine. He was reinserted into the lineup because forward Tyler Toffoli missed the game with an illness. … Kings forward Akil Thomas had three hits in 3:42 of ice time in his NHL debut. … Jets forward Nino Niederreiter left the game midway through the third period to get stitches on his leg. Bowness said he is still being evaluated. … Brossoit has six wins in his past seven starts.