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The Winnipeg Jets suffered their first regulation loss of the season on Friday night, falling 5-1 to the Anaheim Ducks at Canada Life Centre. The defeat dropped Winnipeg’s record to 3-1-1 and exposed clear weaknesses in transition defense and power play execution. The loss was particularly sharp given the Jets had just beaten the Colorado Avalanche in dramatic fashion days earlier.
Anaheim’s Fourth Line Sets the Tone Early
The opening period started with a clean flow of play. Just one whistle sounded in the first ten minutes, though neither side created much danger. Winnipeg held a 7-1 shots advantage with five minutes left in the first. Then Anaheim struck on a counter-attack.
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The sequence began when Tim Washe stripped the puck from Brad Lambert along the boards. Washe pushed the puck ahead to Judd Caulfield in the neutral zone. Caulfield then slid it to Jeff Malott, who burned past Neal Pionk and moved in alone on goaltender Clay Stevenson. Stevenson stopped the initial deke, but the rebound fell to an unmarked Caulfield in front. He rammed it home at the 14:41 mark for his first NHL goal in his fourth career game.
Winnipeg generated no further shots in the period. However, in the final seconds, Adam Lowry delivered a heavy hit on A.J. Greer along the boards. Travis Mitchell responded by dropping the gloves with Lowry, who earned a clear win in the fight. Mitchell also received an extra two minutes for instigating, giving the Jets a power play to open the second period. They failed to convert.
Turnovers and Transition Goals Sink Winnipeg
Anaheim’s fourth line struck again early in the second period. After another Jets turnover in the Ducks’ end, Anaheim broke up the ice on a 3-on-2. Malott carried the puck across the blue line, then fed Washe, who had blown past several Jets defenders including a backchecking Lambert. Washe finished cleanly to make it 2-0 at the 5:20 mark.
Anaheim nearly extended the lead further. Ryan Poehling earned a long breakaway with A.J. Greer trailing as a passing option. Instead, Poehling nearly fumbled the puck as he approached the net before missing the target entirely. The Jets received two more power play opportunities in the second period but managed only three shots on goal across 7:46 of man-advantage time. Overall, Winnipeg outshot Anaheim 7-4 in the first and 6-5 in the second, yet trailed 2-0 heading into the third.
The third period began badly for Winnipeg. A poor pass from Mark Scheifele in the Anaheim end triggered another 3-on-2. Sam Colangelo fed Beckett Sennecke as they crossed into the Winnipeg zone. Sennecke drove down low before sliding the puck back to Colangelo in front. The Jets defenders failed to cover him, and Colangelo tapped it in to make it 3-0 with 15:35 remaining.
Connor Milestone Cannot Spark a Rally
Winnipeg finally responded after more than ten minutes without a shot in the third. Dylan DeMelo disrupted an Anaheim pass at the blue line. The puck skittered into the neutral zone, where Scheifele collected it and sent a cross-ice pass to Kyle Connor. Connor converted on a partial breakaway, burying the puck high past Lukas Dostal for his sixth goal of the season.
The goal carried extra significance. Connor was playing in his 700th NHL game. The tally also moved him into third place on the franchise’s all-time goal scoring list with 329 goals, breaking a tie with Ilya Kovalchuk.
However, any momentum quickly faded. With 5:54 remaining, Anaheim captain Mikael Granlund beat Stevenson with a long wrist shot to restore the three-goal lead. Winnipeg pulled their goaltender with over four minutes left, but the move produced little. Nikita Nesterenko sealed the result with an empty-net goal with 40 seconds to play.
Looking Ahead
Anaheim outshot Winnipeg 17-16 overall, including an 8-3 advantage in the third period. The absence of injured defenseman Josh Morrissey clearly affected the Jets’ power play, which looked toothless throughout the night.
Winnipeg does not return to action until Tuesday, when they host the Minnesota Wild at Canada Life Centre. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.
