Music: {allcanada} Jets top Kings in shootout after blowing big lead

Saturday, January 10, 2015

{allcanada} Jets top Kings in shootout after blowing big lead

LOS ANGELES -- The Winnipeg Jets blew an early three-goal lead, but Bryan Little scored in the fourth round of the shootout for a 5-4 win against the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center on Saturday.

Little beat Kings goalie Jonathan Quick with a snap shot to the glove side for the only goal in the shootout. Mike Richards missed the net in the bottom of the fourth in his attempt to keep it going for Los Angeles.

The Jets (21-14-7) finish their Southern California back-to-back Sunday at the Anaheim Ducks. Winnipeg broke a 1-4-0 slide and got left wing Evander Kane and defensemen Toby Enstrom and Mark Stuart back from injury.

The Kings (19-13-10) erased a 3-0 first-period deficit, but they have lost the first three of a seven-game homestand (0-1-2) and are 1-2-3 in their past six games. Los Angeles has allowed 15 goals in three games.

The loss was further dampened by the losses of left wing Tanner Pearson, who left the game with a lower-body injury, and linemate Tyler Toffoli, who is out indefinitely with mononucleosis.

The Jets tied it 4-4 on Zach Bogosian's wrist shot with 5:56 left in regulation to stun the crowd. The Kings went up 4-3 when Kyle Clifford's shot went off Jets defenseman Mark Stuart's skate at 12:25 of the third.

Marian Gaborik completed the Kings' comeback from down 3-0 when he put in a loose puck that got caught Enstrom's feet 1:29 into the third period. It was his 13th goal, tops on the Kings.

Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams scored power-play goals to cut the Kings' deficit to 3-2 in a momentum-swinging first period. Kopitar put in Drew Doughty's rebound on a two-man advantage at 14:31, and Williams tapped in a loose puck at 15:58. Jeff Carter nearly tied it when he hit the crossbar on a shorthanded breakaway midway through the second.

Winnipeg has allowed eight power-play goals in its past five games.

The Jets took a 3-0 lead on goals by Mathieu Perreault, Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler in the opening seven minutes. Wheeler's pass went in off Kings right wing Trevor Lewis's skate on the power play at 6:39 to give the Jets three goals on its first four shots.

It was another poor start by the Kings, who have been outscored 8-4 in the first period the past three games.

Perreault has 17 points in 17 games, including seven goals in his past 10.