WINNIPEG — Rookie Judd Caulfield scored his first NHL goal and added an assist as the Anaheim Ducks defeated the Winnipeg Jets 5-1 on Friday night at Canada Life Centre, handing Winnipeg its first regulation loss of the season. Anaheim improved to 3-1-0 while Winnipeg fell to 3-1-1 before 13,693 fans. Tim Washe and Mikael Granlund each had a goal and an assist, while Sam Colangelo and Nikita Nesterenko (empty net) also scored for the Ducks.
Kyle Connor provided Winnipeg's lone goal at 10:36 of the third period to trim the deficit to 3-1, beating Lukas Dostal alone in front off a feed from Mark Scheifele. The tally was Connor's sixth of the season and the 329th of his career in his 700th NHL game, moving him past Ilya Kovalchuk for sole possession of third place in franchise history. Granlund answered at 14:06 to restore the three-goal margin. Dostal stopped 15 of 16 shots for Anaheim, while Clay Stevenson made 12 saves for Winnipeg.
"He often goes under the radar, I think around the league," head coach Scott Arniel said of Connor post-game. "We know what we have. We have a special player. (Getting to 700) is great for him, when you can play in these situations for (that long). He stays relatively healthy and can play like that and be a factor like he is every night." Anaheim opened the scoring when Caulfield pounced on a rebound of a Jeff Malott shot, with Washe also assisting after sending Malott in on a breakaway. Washe made it 2-0 early in the second period off a pass from Malott with Caulfield adding an assist, before Colangelo converted a Beckett Sennecke pass alone in front early in the third for a 3-0 lead.
Winnipeg went 0-for-4 on the power play and passed up too many chances to shoot from in close, a factor that proved costly. The Jets played without injured star defenseman Josh Morrissey (upper body), with Haydn Fleury replacing him in the lineup. Anaheim took advantage of almost every dangerous opportunity, beating defenders to pucks for its first two goals and finding open space in front for two others. The Ducks visit the Calgary Flames on Saturday, while the Jets host the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.