The Winnipeg Jets head west to begin a three-game road trip tonight as they take on the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena.

Winnipeg enters the game on a three-game win streak, coming off a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in their last outing. Kyle Connor tied the game 1-1 with his 38th goal of the season, Mason Appleton netted the game-winner in the third period for his 10th, and Cole Perfetti sealed the win with his 16th, making a remarkable move to get past a Canucks defender and fire the puck past Thatcher Demko—all while being tripped up in the process.

With the win, the Jets improved to 51-19-4 and currently sit atop both the Central Division and the NHL overall standings with 106 points.

Perfetti’s spectacular goal drew praise from his teammates, including Appleton, who was quick to acknowledge the skill on display.

“I think everyone kind of gives each other that ‘Wow’ look,” Appleton said postgame. “You don’t see goals like that too often. Obviously, Fetts is a super skilled player. He made a great move, and the finish was just as impressive. We were all wowed and looking for him to smile there.”

The recent injury to Gabriel Vilardi, who is week-to-week, forced head coach Scott Arniel to make adjustments to his lines. His decision to reunite Nikolaj Ehlers and Adam Lowry has already shown positive results.

“I did like the fact of how we scored it because that is playoff-style hockey,” Arniel said about Appleton’s goal.

Whether Ehlers continues to play alongside Lowry and Appleton in the playoffs will likely depend on Vilardi’s health. However, when paired together, that trio has proven to be an effective combination.

Arniel emphasized the impact that line had against Vancouver, particularly in their defensive matchup.

“The big thing we’ve talked about with (Lowry’s) line, with him and Appleton and Ehlers, is that they are still facing the other team’s top line,” Arniel said. “They saw an awful lot of (Pius) Suter. They were really good, in the sense of how physical they were. Lowry was real good. He’s getting so many chances around that net front. I know he hasn’t scored for a while, but he’s doing all of the right things. Fly gives him some speed on there.”

As the Jets take on the Kings tonight, it will be interesting to see how this line contributes and which lines they face. Winnipeg continues to solidify its standing as a Stanley Cup contender, and tonight’s game will be another key test on their road trip.

Connor – Scheifele – Iafallo

Ehlers – Lowry – Appleton

Nederreiter – Namestnikov – Perfetti

Gustafsson – Barron – Tanev

Morrissey – DeMelo

Samberg – Schenn

Stanley – Miller

Hellebuyck

Comrie

Kuzmenko – Kopitar – Kempe

Fiala – Byfield – Laferriere

Foegele – Danault – Moore

Malott – Helenius – Lewis

Anderson – Doughty

Gavrikov – Spence

Edmundson – Clarke

Kuemper

Rittich