sportsgrid
WINNIPEG, Manitoba – With a reshuffled lineup aimed at igniting a turnaround, the Anaheim Ducks leaned on the one unit that remained untouched: their fourth line. That trio delivered in a 5-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre on Friday, marking the Jets' first regulation defeat.
Judd Caulfield, Tim Washe, and Jeff Malott each posted their first career NHL multi-point games, with Caulfield also netting his first NHL goal. Sam Colangelo extended the lead to three in the third period, and Mikael Granlund reached his 200th career NHL goal to seal the outcome. Nikita Nesterenko added an empty-net goal in the final minute.
Goaltender Lukáš Dostál turned aside 15 of 16 shots, bouncing back from a rough five-goal period on Wednesday against Edmonton. Kyle Connor spoiled the shutout bid with a breakaway goal in the third period. Eric Stevenson made 12 saves for Winnipeg.
Anaheim (3-1-0, 6 points) wraps up its brief two-game Canadian road trip with the second half of a back-to-back in Calgary on Saturday. The Ducks then return home to face the Flames on Tuesday.
Key Analysis
Head coach Joel Quenneville overhauled three of his four forward lines and two of his three defensive pairings after Wednesday's loss to Edmonton. The only line left intact was the fourth unit, and it paid immediate dividends. In a opening period where other combinations clearly lacked chemistry, the fourth line generated a special tally.
Tim Washe and Judd Caulfield combined to break the puck out at center ice, and Jeff Malott entered the zone with speed for a partial breakaway. Stevenson stopped Malott's backhand, but Caulfield crashed the crease to deposit the loose puck—and himself—into the net for his first NHL goal. Playing in just his fourth NHL game, Caulfield celebrated the milestone in front of friends and family who made the two-and-a-half-hour drive from his hometown of Grand Forks, North Dakota.
"That's pretty awesome having a ton of family tonight," Caulfield told the Ducks broadcast postgame. "I remember my dad texted me before the game and he said they'd be on that end a couple rows up. That's a pretty cool moment to have them there for me. Unbelievable experience."
The 25-year-old spent four years at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks before playing over 200 AHL games with the San Diego Gulls, including on an AHL-only contract last season.
The fourth line continued to drive Anaheim's attack in the second period. Five minutes into the middle frame, Washe stripped the puck in the defensive zone, and Caulfield initiated the rush. From the right wing, Caulfield fed Malott far side to enter the zone with speed again, and Malott found Washe tracking in the middle to double the lead to 2-0.
"We all try to make it easy on each other," Caulfield said. "We're talking a lot on the ice. Letting us know where each other are. Just playing predictable."
The fourth line earned over 93% of the expected goals share while on the ice at five-on-five. Anaheim's penalty kill held strong through the second period, negating four Winnipeg power plays. In the third, the newly assembled top line finally struck.
Colangelo collected his first NHL goal in nearly a calendar year, finding room at the top of the crease to convert a feed from a wide-driving Beckett Sennecke. Colangelo's previous NHL tally came on Oct. 23, 2025, in his hometown of Boston. He scored 12 goals in 49 AHL games with San Diego last season.
With a 3-0 lead, the Ducks aimed to keep the Jets grounded in a low-event game, but Anaheim's 166-game shutout drought persisted as Kyle Connor slipped behind the defense for a breakaway goal. The Ducks have not recorded a shutout since the 2024-25 season opener.
Granlund restored the three-goal cushion with a wrist shot from distance with just under six minutes remaining, reaching his 200th NHL goal.
Anaheim made lineup changes after Wednesday's loss, altering the top three lines and all three defensive pairs. Colangelo entered the top line with Leo Carlsson and Sennecke, while Klepov exited. Warren received top-pair exposure alongside LaCombe, as noted by Zach Cavanagh (@ZachCav) on Oct. 9, 2026.
Originally reported by sportsgrid.