Ducks take down Jets in shootout

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This article was published 11/01/2015 (3000 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ANAHEIM — It was a night reserved for No. 8, as Teemu Selanne had his iconic Anaheim Ducks No. 8 raised to the rafters at Honda Center. And the game itself served up enough drama to keep the Finnish Flash & Co. on the edge of their seats well after the final horn.

But the Winnipeg Jets will remember it as another meltdown of epic proportions.

The Jets carried a 4-2 lead into the third period, but fell 5-4 in a shootout to the Anaheim Ducks in front of a sold-out crowd of 17,356. It marked just the second time this season the Jets lost a game when leading after 40 minutes and the second time on the weekend they had spit up a big lead. Winnipeg led the Los Angeles Kings 3-0 Saturday night, but still managed to emerge with a 5-4 shootout win.

The result moves Winnipeg’s record to 21-15-7 but, with 49 points, they still hold down the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The Ducks improved to 27-11-6.

DOING THEIR BOSS A SOLID: Playing their second game in as many nights after Saturday’s wild 5-4 shootout victory over the Kings, the Jets were solid through 40 minutes in building their advantage.

Four different Jets scored — Evander Kane, Zach Bogosian, Mark Schiefele and Andrew Ladd — and 11 different players found the scoresheet.

But the wheels started to come off in the third when Kane was nailed for a goaltender-interference call that was followed by a Kyle Palmieri goal 80 seconds later. And with the Jets’ gas-tank emptying as the third progressed, the Ducks capitalized on a Dustin Byfuglien giveaway deep that resulted in the equalizer by Richard Rakell with just 2:03 remaining.

HELLO TREND, THEIR OLD FRIEND: The Jets opened the scoring when Kane slammed home a rebound of an Adam Lowry shot 7:47 into the contest. That marked the 26th time this year the club had scored first, second only in the NHL this season to Pittsburgh. Winnipeg is now 15-7-4 when finding the back of the net first.

PK NOT OK: The Jets were lit up for two more power-play goals against the Ducks and have now surrendered 10 man-advantage markers in their last six games. Winnipeg’s power play, meanwhile, was 0-for-6, again failing to score on two two-man advantages totalling two minutes.

NOTABLE NUMBERS, ETC: The Jets are now 6-2-3 in their last 11 road games… Ladd extended his point streak to six games (4G, 4A).

OT EXTRA FUN: The Jets began overtime with a brief power play but could not cash in for the winner. A Bogosian giveaway gave Ryan Kesler a chance moments later, but Pavelec came up with a huge save to save his defenceman.
That set up a 12-round shootout that saw Blake Wheeler and Kane score for the Jets with Mathieu Perreault, Bryan Little, Andrew Ladd and Mark Scheifele all missing.

Jakob Silfverberg and Corey Perry had the first two opportunities for the Ducks and missed. But three of the last four shooters — Kesler, Rakell and Sami Vatanen all got the better of Pavelec.

NEXT: The Jets continue one of the most gruelling chunks of their schedule at home Tuesday against the Florida Panthers before heading out for games in Dallas and Chicago later in the week. All told, the Jets will play seven games between Jan. 8 and Jan. 18, with five of them on the road.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca
Twitter: @WFPEdTait