Terry’s late goal gives Ducks win over Jets

DUCKS

The Ducks’ Ryan Strome, left, congratulates Frank Vatrano on his second-period goal against the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday night at Honda Center. Vatrano also scored during the third period. Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images

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By Andrew Knoll

Correspondent

ANAHEIM — In their biggest victory of the campaign to date, the Ducks dominated early and rallied late against the NHL’s best team by record, grounding the Winnipeg Jets, 3-2, at Honda Center on Wednesday night

The Ducks had won just one of their previous six games while the Jets entered the match with the NHL’s best point total and best goal differential. That didn’t stop the Ducks from dominating possession, scoring chances and nearly every barometer for most of a match that saw them circle the wagons and surmount a 2-1 deficit with two goals in the final 4:46 of the game.

Frank Vatrano scored two Anaheim goals and assisted on Troy Terry’s game- winner with 24.2 seconds showing on the clock. Captain Radko Gudas earned assists on both of Vatrano’s goals. Lukáš Dostál stopped 21 of 23 shots and aided a clutch penalty kill shortly before Terry deposited the game-winner.

Gabriel Vilardi and Mark Scheifele each scored a goal for Winnipeg. Backup goalie Eric Comrie made 28 saves.

After being hectored for two periods, the more familiar Jets showed up in the closing stanza, sustaining pressure early and tilting the ice in their favor early before the Ducks drew even late and then scored in the dying embers of the tilt.

After an offensive-zone faceoff win, Vatrano’s high shot was redirected in by Terry, capping a night in which the Ducks’ leading scorer was engaged but not rewarded on the score sheet to that point. He now has 13 points in his past 11 games.

With 4:46 left in regulation, Vatrano let a shot rip from the blue line that bounced off the ice surface and up into the net. Whether Vatrano called “bank” or not, it was his second goal of the game, ninth of the season and his seventh in his past 11 appearances.

Early in the third period of a tie game, the Ducks weathered a pair of defensive breakdowns thanks to Dostál, but could not survive a third as the Jets took their first lead of the game with 15:47 to play.

Kyle Connor’s intrepid foray began behind his own net and continued as he broke down the Ducks through the neutral zone, skating to the right circle and dishing deftly to Scheifele for a one-timer.