Todd McLellan’s Kings took to the ice in Winnipeg on Tuesday searching for their first victory of the season. PL Dubois, their big offseason acquisition, was still looking for his first goal in an LA uniform. And new goalie Cam Talbot began the day seeking his first win in net.
Missions one, two, and three have been accomplished.
Early on, Jets coach Rick Bowness brought some rare chuckles to the opening faceoff, as he started a line of Gabe Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, and Rasmus Kupari.
The fun didn’t last long, though.
Vilardi was injured and did not return for the remainder of the night.
Video of the Vilardi injury pic.twitter.com/xdzNwrr7xu
— Michael Remis (@mremis) October 18, 2023
INJURY UPDATE: #NHLJets F – Gabriel Vilardi will not return to tonight’s game due to a lower body injury.
— Winnipeg Jets PR (@WpgJetsPR) October 18, 2023
https://twitter.com/NHLJets/status/1714475088068649429?t=8PiYo_e2ryZRYOeGhNI55Q&s=19
Like Fiala did one year ago, Dubois used the opportunity to record his first goal with his new club against his former team.
One year ago, Kevin Fiala scored his first goal as a King against his former team. Today, Pierre-Luc Dubois scored his first goal as a King against his former team. https://t.co/oqFoEBlsYO
— The Kingstorian (@Kingstorian) October 18, 2023
In the end, there were plenty of other goals — including Arthur Kaliyev potting his first of the season in his return from suspension, plus a pair from Trevor Moore.
Mark Scheifele may have ruined Talbot’s shutout with about a minute remaining in regulation, yet that didn’t stop the Kings from skating off with a 5-1 win.
Full game highlights:
https://youtu.be/3BUmJjmh1H8?si=Xz29831hFDPqqogJ
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Tuesday: Dubois Faces Winnipeg Media for First Time Since Leaving
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