Nikolaj Ehlers Postgame Wednesday night in Anaheim will be a game that the Winnipeg Jets want back. Falling 3-2 to the Ducks in the second half of a back-to-back, two-game road trip through California, the Jets were straight up outworked on the evening. Winnipeg fell to 23-10-1 on the year, but will retain its first-place standing across the league, with New Jersey and Washington both sitting just one win behind. Registering back-to-back periods of just four shots on goal, Winnipeg entered the third period tied at ones with Anaheim - thanks to a Gabe Vilardi second period marker - on just eight shots on goal. Despite pulling ahead 2-1 just 4:13 into the third on a Mark Scheifele one-timer, the Jets could not hold on against the cellar dwelling Ducks. Much like that of Tuesday night's contest down the road in San Jose, Winnipeg played sloppy hockey. But this time, as opposed to a late-game, come-from-behind win, it was a collapse. The Ducks scored twice in the final five minutes, with Frankie Vatrano finding his second of the game on a long-range looper with 4:46 remaining, before Troy Terry beat Eric Comrie moments after a successful Ducks penalty kill, outwaiting the Jets' backup and tucking the puck home with 25 seconds left in the game. Winnipeg did manage to spring Vilardi on a breakaway with just two seconds remaining, but Lukas Dostal stood his ground, poke checking the puck off Vilardi's stick, securing the home victory for his mates. Having beaten the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday and the Sharks on Tuesday, Winnipeg was looking for its third-straight victory over a bottom-six club on Wednesday, but was not up to the task. Forward Nikolaj Ehlers made his return to the lineup following a nine-game injury absence and skated in his regular spot alongside Cole Perfetti and Vlad Namestnikov on the team's second line. He finished the game with an assist in nearly 17 minutes of action. Comrie finished the night with 28 saves on the 31 shots he faced, while Dostal turned aside 21 pucks for Anaheim. Connor led Winnipeg with two helpers on the night, while Vatrano factored in on all three Ducks goals, with two goals and an assist to his name. Next up for the Jets is a return to Canada Life Centre on Saturday evening for a 6:00 PM Central Division showdown with Minnesota - Winnipeg's nearest geographical rival. That game can be viewed live on Sportsnet.
