The Winnipeg Jets will try to extend their strong record against the Anaheim Ducks when they face off on Wednesday.
Since the 2016-17 season, the Jets have dominated the Ducks, with a 16-2-1 record in their last 19 games, including an 8-0-0 streak in their last eight meetings.
If the Ducks win on Wednesday, it would be considered an upset based on their previous matchups and their current positions in the standings. Winnipeg is currently leading the NHL with 47 points, boasting a 23-9-1 record, while Anaheim is at the bottom of the Pacific Division with an 11-14-4 record and 26 points.
Anaheim will have a rest advantage, as the Jets are coming off a quick turnaround after a 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday. The Ducks, on the other hand, haven’t played since Saturday, when they broke a five-game losing streak with a 4-3 overtime victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
In that game, despite the Blue Jackets leading 17-5 in shots during the third period, the Ducks’ Jackson LaCombe scored to tie the game at 17:14, forcing it into overtime. Alex Killorn then scored the game-winner in overtime. The Ducks ended a tough road trip with one win in four games.
“I liked three of our games this trip. We just couldn’t find a way to get points,” Ducks forward Ryan Strome said. “So to find a way in the last one … I thought we played a good, hard game. We didn’t give up. We found a way to win.”
Winnipeg also made a comeback against San Jose, overcoming a 3-2 deficit in the third period. Adam Lowry scored the game-winner with 73 seconds left, following a power-play goal from Kyle Connor earlier in the period.
The Jets have the best power play in the NHL with a 31.7 percent success rate (32 of 101). Ten players have scored on the power play, with Connor leading the way with eight goals.
Connor explained the success of the team’s power play: “We make it a focal point to adjust to how they’re killing and be dynamic and unpredictable. I think we’ve done a great job of that this year. (We’re) just scoring different ways every single time. It’s everybody chipping in.”
The Ducks will have to improve their penalty-kill, as their 72.5 percent success rate is among the worst in the league, to counter the Jets’ dangerous power play.
Winnipeg is 5-1-1 in their last seven games. The Jets’ top line, featuring Connor (six goals, five assists), Gabriel Vilardi (four goals, six assists), and Mark Scheifele (four goals, six assists), has combined for 31 points during that stretch.
Anaheim’s Troy Terry, who leads the Ducks with 24 points this season, has 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) in his last 10 games.
The Ducks’ goaltenders, John Gibson and Lukas Dostal, have been sharing the starting duties, but Gibson might get another chance after his strong 39-save performance in Columbus.
Since Connor Hellebuyck played on Tuesday, Jets backup goalie Eric Comrie will start on Wednesday. Comrie has a 3-4-0 record with a 3.05 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage in seven starts.
