The Winnipeg Jets rebounded from a disappointing loss to Nashville by decisively beating an injured Anaheim Ducks team 6-0 on Friday night in front of a loud sold-out crowd.
The Jets scored four goals in the last period and their power play was perfect, converting on all three opportunities, as they tied with the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche for the division lead.
Jets head coach Rick Bowness said, 'We managed the puck much better tonight. When passing through the neutral zone, we made the right choices at their blue line. If they were closely guarding us, then we put it behind them and went to work.'
The Jets completed a sweep of the season series against the Ducks for the second consecutive season and have not lost to Anaheim since October 2021.
Tyler Toffoli scored his first two goals with the Jets and could have scored three or four after a chance-filled third period.
Toffoli commented, 'It was just one of those games. I thought we played really well. It was just a matter of time before we started scoring some more.'
Bowness said, 'He's a prolific goal scorer. If we give him the puck in the right places, he's going to shoot, and it's going to go in.'
Kyle Connor, Mason Appleton, Nate Schmidt, and Dylan DeMelo also scored in the victory. Josh Morrissey had a three-point game, and Nikolaj Ehlers contributed with two assists.
The Jets achieved their third shutout in their last five games. Laurent Brossoit has two consecutive shutouts and has not conceded a goal for over 150 minutes.
Brossoit said, 'I feel pretty good about everything, and obviously the team in front of me. I'm going to try not to get too complacent because of the opponents I faced. I need to be honest with myself and ensure I don't become too casual.'
The Jets made four lineup changes following a tough game against the Predators. Mark Scheifele returned from a one-game absence due to illness, while Schmidt, Logan Stanley, and David Gustafsson also returned. Colin Miller, Dylan Samberg, Rasmus Kupari, and Cole Perfetti were all left out.
The Jets dominated the beginning of the game, outshooting the Ducks 8-1 in the first seven minutes before Anaheim obtained the first power play of the night.
Frank Vatrano hit the crossbar with a shot, but apart from that, the Jets effectively killed off the power play, leading to Winnipeg's opening goal.
A shot from DeMelo was heading wide, but Connor used his stick to redirect it past John Gibson, opening the scoring at the 16:20 mark.
Anaheim got their second power play of the game late in the period while the teams were at 4-on-4, but the Jets reached the end of the period without conceding a goal.
Winnipeg outshot the Ducks 11-6 in the first 20 minutes and continued to exert pressure in the second period, maintaining possession of the puck before earning their first power play just over six minutes into the second period.
In the final moments of the power play, Schmidt shot towards the net, deflecting off one Duck defender's skate and then off another Duck's shin pads, sending the puck into an empty net as Gibson could only watch helplessly. It was Schmidt's second goal of the year and his first since January 5, also against Anaheim.
The Ducks had another chance to score while they had the advantage but once again the Jets prevented it as they kept a 2-0 lead into the final period.
They increased their lead while both teams had one less player on the ice. Just before Josh Morrissey and Ross Johnston were about to come back, Ehlers passed the puck to DeMelo at the point. He moved forward and took a hard shot that Gibson managed to touch but it went through him to make it 3-0 at the 4:59 mark.
Like Schmidt, DeMelo also scored his second goal of the season, but his first one was all the way back on Oct. 14.
A little over three minutes later, Toffoli also scored. Sean Monahan passed the puck back to him from a faceoff and he shot the puck towards the goal. It went through a screen and past Gibson, marking Toffoli’s first goal as a Jet, exciting the crowd.
Toffoli must have enjoyed that excitement because a few minutes later with the advantage, he redirected a hard pass from Scheifele past Gibson to make it 5-0.
Appleton scored a goal with the advantage with 5.5 seconds remaining, wrapping up a dominant third period.
Brossoit had to make some difficult saves in the second period but was not heavily tested on the night, stopping only five shots in the third and 21 overall. He now has not allowed a goal for 150:40 minutes dating back to Mar. 3 against Buffalo.
The Jets will now go on the road for five consecutive games starting Sunday in Columbus.
