(SportsNetwork.com) – The Winnipeg Jets suffered through a rough third period
en route to losing the franchise’s first playoff game in eight years. The
Jets hope to bounce back on Saturday when they visit the Anaheim Ducks in Game
2 of this Western Conference quarterfinal series.
Winnipeg lost 4-2 in Anaheim on Thursday despite carrying a 2-1 lead into the
third period. Corey Perry scored twice for the Ducks in the decisive period,
while captain Ryan Getzlaf also contributed a goal to complete the onslaught.
Frederik Andersen, meanwhile, stopped 25-of-27 shots to pick up the win for
the Ducks. Ondrej Pavelec made 29 saves in defeat.
The Jets are in the postseason for the first time since 2007, when they were
still known as the Atlanta Thrashers. That trip marked the club’s only
appearance in the playoffs and it ended with a 4-0 sweep at the hands of the
New York Rangers in the opening round.
Winnipeg will try once again for the franchise’s first playoff win tonight
before the series shifts to the MTS Centre for Games 3 and 4. Monday’s meeting
in Winnipeg will mark the first time the city gets to host an NHL playoff game
since April 28, 1996 when the original Jets dropped a 4-1 decision to Detroit
in the final tilt of a six-game series’ loss.
The top-seeded Ducks erased a 2-1 deficit when Perry was left unaccounted for
early in the third period on a power play. A shot on net caromed to Perry’s
stick on the right doorstep, and he easily cashed in 69 seconds into the
period.
Perry did more than be in the right place at the right time on the go-ahead
goal, as he gathered the puck along the icing line and avoided a poke check
while skating through the goal mouth. Pavelec made an acrobatic kick save on
the initial backhand, but Perry knocked in his own rebound.
Even though Perry celebrated with his hands in the air, play resumed for
several minutes before the shot was reviewed. The replay showed the puck fully
crossing the goal line, and officials put the clock back to 6:39.
“I had a feeling it was in. You never know until they announce it,” Perry
said.
Perry also added two assists in Thursday’s win, including the primary helper
on Getzlaf’s power-play tally that gave Anaheim a two-goal edge with 3:05
left. Getzlaf added two assists for a three-point night and helped the Ducks
go 2-for-3 on the power play.
The Ducks recorded 18 wins in the regular season when trailing at any point in
the third period
Drew Stafford and Adam Lowry both scored for the Jets, who failed to convert
on three chances with the man advantage.
“It’s something we have to learn from and learn from quick,” Jets defenseman
Tyler Myers said of the loss.
Jets center Mathieu Perreault was sidelined with a lower body injury for Game
1. He did practice on Friday and is questionable for tonight.
This is the first playoff meeting between the Ducks and the current Jets.
Anaheim swept the three-game season series in 2014-15, winning twice in
Winnipeg prior to a shootout win at home on Jan. 11.
