Williams and Nicholls Lead Kings to Victory Over Winnipeg, 4-2

Left wing Dave Williams scored two goals in 40 seconds in the first period to lead the Kings to a 4-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets Monday night before 8,577 fans at the Forum.

The Kings had beaten the Jets, 5-4, in the first game of the series on Saturday night, scoring five straight goals.

They matched their longest winning streak of the season by taking their second in a row. They also beat the Jets in back-to-back games earlier this month at Winnipeg. The Kings are 10-21-4 and trail the fourth-place Jets by four points in the Smythe Division.

Winnipeg, which has lost its last four games, is 12-24-4.

Trailing, 2-0, after Williams’ goals, the Jets closed to 2-1 when defenseman Tim Watters scored in the second period.

However, King center Marcel Dionne made it 3-1 with an unassisted goal at 5:56 of the third period. It was his 16th goal of the season. Dionne’s shot from the left circle sent the puck through the legs of Winnipeg goalie Bryan Hayward.

The Kings took a three-goal lead at 7:16 of the final period when center Bernie Nicholls deflected a shot by defenseman Grant Ledyard into the net for his 18th goal of the season. Nicholls also had two first-period assists.

The Jets scored a power-play goal with 9:07 left in the game when Dale Hawerchuk scored his 28th goal of the season on a rebound of a shot by defenseman Mario Marois to make it 4-2. Hawerchuk has scored 11 power play goals this season. He has 10 goals in his last eight games.

King Notes

The Kings play host to the Philadelphia Flyers Thursday night at the Forum. It’s the only time this season that the Flyers will play at the Forum. They reached the Stanley Cup final last season, losing to the Edmonton Oilers. The Flyers have the second-best record in the league this season behind the Oilers. . . . The Kings start a five-game trip Saturday night in Toronto. King General Manager Rogie Vachon said he hopes that goaltender Roland Melanson will join the team this weekend. The Kings acquired Melanson from the New York Rangers earlier this month. However, Melanson was out with a groin injury and is playing his way back into shape with the Kings’ minor league team in New Haven, Conn. The Kings will have three goalies when Melanson joins the team, and Vachon said that he doesn’t like a three-goalie system. . . . Anthem singer Lloyd Swanson forgot the words to the Canadian national anthem.