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 Center Rickard Rakell, 21, had two goals and two assists for his
first multi-point NHL game, and defenseman Sami Vatanen, 23, scored
the decider in a six-round shootout as Anaheim came from two goals
down in the third period to defeat the Winnipeg Jets 5-4 at Honda
Center.
The Ducks (27-10-6) set an NHL record with their 11th consecutive
home victory by a one-goal margin.
"In a perfect world, we'd like to win a couple 4-0 games, but until
we do, it's a great alternative," Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said.
Rakell's second goal of the night, and third of the season, at 17:42
of the third period got the Ducks even at 4 after they fell behind
3-1 in the first period and 4-2 in the second. Rakell also put a
nifty backhander past Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec in the fourth round
of the shootout to keep Anaheim alive.
"Getting the first goal (in the first period) gave me confidence for
the game," said Rakell, who called former teammate Selanne a great
role model.
"We hung out a lot in the stick room. ... It was just amazing,
everything he's done in his career. He's amazing, as a hockey player
and as a person."
Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice, who just missed out on his 500th NHL
victory, said he was not down on his team for the blown lead,
especially because the Jets (21-14-8) were coming off a 5-4 shootout
victory the night before in Los Angeles. Getting a total of three
standings points from back-to-back road games is always good, he
said.
"It hurts because you lost a lead, but other than that, we battled
hard and lost," Maurice said. "I'm disappointed with the loss, but
not the team. We had enough energy to get to 4-2 after two, but
that's the NHL.
"We had a real good start to the game, but I thought we competed
throughout, though. I thought it got away from us a bit in the third
period, when they put some pressure on us."
Pavelec made 39 saves in regulation and overtime. He was seeking his
first victory since Dec. 16, and he came oh-so-close. Anaheim goalie
Frederik Andersen made 28 saves, and he recovered nicely from his
team's horrible start.
"We just kind of got away from our game," Jets left winger Mark
Scheifele said. "We held back a little (in the third) ... instead of
pressing.
"I think it's a matter of stepping off the gas pedal. We have to
keep driving and continue to go for that next goal instead of
sitting back, waiting for them to come to us. We have to go to
them."
Rakell scored the equalizer off a feed from left winger Patrick
Maroon.
Ducks right winger Kyle Palmeiri scored a power-play goal on a
backhander at 6:25 of the third period, cutting the Jets' lead to
4-3.
Winnipeg took a two-goal lead for the second time at 17:42 of the
second period. Left winger Andrew Ladd finished a two-on-one rush
with his 16th goal, off a feed from right winger Blake Wheeler, to
make it 4-2.
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Right winger Tim Jackman cut the Ducks' deficit to 3-2 at 13:38 of
the second period, when he scored his third goal, off a feed from
behind the goal by left winger Andrew Cogliano.
All four first-period goals came on rebounds, with the Jets netting
three. The Ducks might have been mesmerized by the nearly
two-hour-long Selanne ceremony, but as Rakell said, the Jets had the
same wait.
"We don't have any excuses," Rakell said. "We just didn't play the
way we wanted in the first period."
Scheifele made it 3-1 at 14:36 of the first period with his seventh
goal, off a rebound of a shot by center Mathieu Perreault, a former
Duck. Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien also got an assist on the
play, his 200th in the NHL.
Jets defenseman Zach Bogosian scored his second of the season (and
in as many nights) at 9:49, tipping in the rebound of a shot by
right winger Michael Frolik for a 2-1 lead.
The Ducks got a tying, power-play goal from Rakell at 8:33, as he
chipped in the rebound of Palmeiri's jam attempt. The goal came just
12 seconds after Winnipeg defenseman Jay Harrison went off for
boarding.
Jets left winger Evander Kane started the scoring with his seventh
goal, at 7:47, going down the slot unattended to put in the rebound
of right winger Adam Lowry's wrist shot.
NOTES: Former All-Star RW Teemu Selanne's No. 8 became the first
sweater retired by the Anaheim franchise. Selanne, who retired after
last season, is 11th in NHL career goals with 684 and tied for third
with 110 game-winning goals. ... The Jets players all wore the No.
13 in pregame warmups, which was Selanne's number when he played for
the franchise. ... RW Corey Perry made his NHL debut with the Ducks
during the 2005-06 season, which also represented Selanne's return
to Anaheim after he signed a one-year contract over the summer.
Perry is now a 10-year veteran with 682 games of experience. ...
Jets D Dustin Byfuglien was selected as an All-Star for the third
straight season. ... Ducks C Ryan Getzlaf was selected to the
All-Star Game, his third career appearance.
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