The Anaheim Ducks secured a decisive 5-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Friday at Canada Life Centre. The Ducks surged in the third period, scoring four times to pull away from their opponent, bringing their season record to 3-1-0. Following the loss, Winnipeg's record stands at 3-1-1.
Anaheim’s Judd Caulfield opened the scoring at 14:41 of the first period with a snap shot, assisted by Jeff Malott and Tim Washe. The Ducks then doubled their lead early in the second period when Tim Washe scored at 5:20, receiving feeds from Malott and Caulfield to make it 2-0. The score remained 2-0 until the third period.
The Ducks' offense ignited in the final frame, adding three goals in less than 10 minutes. Sam Colangelo extended Anaheim’s lead to 3-0 at 4:25 with a snap shot, assisted by Beckett Sennecke. Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor answered at 10:36, converting a wrist shot from Mark Scheifele and Dylan DeMelo to cut the deficit to 3-1. Anaheim responded less than four minutes later when Mikael Granlund scored at 14:06, with assists from Jackson LaCombe and Noah Warren. Nikita Nesterenko closed the scoring at 19:19, with Sennecke and Granlund drawing the helpers, bringing the final score to 5-1.
In goal for Anaheim, Lukas Dostal stopped 15 of 16 shots, turning aside 12 of 13 at even strength, and posted a .938 save percentage. Dostal also made three saves on three Jets power-play shots. For Winnipeg, Clay Stevenson allowed four goals on 16 shots, finishing with a .750 save percentage.
Mikael Granlund led the Ducks with a goal and an assist for two points. Beckett Sennecke also contributed significantly with two assists, factoring into three of Anaheim’s five goals. For Winnipeg, Kyle Connor provided the team's only goal, playing 23:56 of ice time. Dylan DeMelo picked up an assist and logged 21:40 on the ice.
Special teams performance saw Winnipeg go 0 for 4 with the man advantage, while Anaheim was 0 for 1. Winnipeg’s lone goal came on its only successful power play conversion attempt of four chances. Anaheim also dominated in other statistical areas, outhitting the Jets 25-14, winning 52.4% of faceoffs, and committing fewer giveaways (16 compared to Winnipeg’s 26).
With this win, Anaheim holds a 3-1-0 record and six points through four games, placing them among five teams in the tightly packed Pacific Division that have reached six points or more this season. The Ducks also took the season series lead at 1-0. Winnipeg dropped to 3-1-1 with seven points, marking their first regulation loss of the year, though they remain atop the Central Division standings. Anaheim is set to host Florida next in their continuing schedule.
