The Anaheim Ducks visit the Winnipeg Jets on Friday, Oct. 9, with puck drop set for 8 p.m. ET at Canada Life Centre. This Ducks vs Jets preview finds Winnipeg off to a 3-0-1 start in the Central Division while Anaheim sits at 2-1-0 in the Pacific, and both clubs are coming off very different recent results. The Jets have won three straight games after an opening loss, and the Ducks are trying to find consistency after alternating wins and losses through their first three outings.
Ducks Vs Jets Game Information
- Date: Friday, Oct. 9
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Venue: Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg, MB
- TV/Streaming: ESPN+, KCOP, Prime Video (Local)
- Series: Season series opens with this game
By The Numbers
- Goals (season totals): Jets 12, Ducks 9
- Points (season totals): Jets 32, Ducks 27
- Shots on goal (season totals): Jets 113, Ducks 71
- Shooting percentage: Ducks 12.7%, Jets 10.6%
- Save percentage: Jets .924, Ducks .875
- Goals against average: Jets 2.50, Ducks 3.33
- Power-play goals: Ducks 5, Jets 4
- Faceoff percentage: Jets 45.6%, Ducks 43.0%
- Penalty minutes: Jets 32, Ducks 24
Ducks Outlook
Anaheim enters at 2-1-0 after a 5-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday, a game in which forward Beckett Sennecke scored twice. The Ducks have been streaky, following a season-opening 4-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Florida Panthers before the setback against Edmonton. Leo Carlsson has driven the offense with seven points, including three assists in the overtime win over Florida, and he had a goal and an assist in the opener against Vegas, according to ESPN‘s recap of that game.
Anaheim’s defensive numbers have been uneven, with a .875 team save percentage and a 3.33 goals-against average through three games. Lukas Dostal is listed as the probable starting goalie after making 27 saves in the season-opening win, per ESPN’s official data. The Ducks are without defensemen Drew Helleson and Ian Moore, both sidelined with lower-body injuries, and winger Troy Terry remains out as he recovers from hip surgery.
Jets Outlook
Winnipeg has won three of its last four games, including a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday, and sits atop the Central Division standings at 3-0-1. Kyle Connor leads the Jets with five goals and seven points, while Cole Perfetti has chipped in five points of his own, according to NHL.com. Winnipeg’s team defense has been a strength early, posting a .924 save percentage and allowing 2.50 goals per game, both notably better than Anaheim’s marks.
The Jets will be without goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who is on injured reserve due to suspension with a projected return date of Oct. 17. Stuart Skinner is listed as the probable starting goalie in his place. Winnipeg is also missing forwards Garrett Brown and Walker Duehr and defenseman Elias Salomonsson, all on injured reserve, while defenseman Josh Morrissey is day-to-day with a right upper-body injury and carries the same Oct. 9 target date as this game.
Key Matchup
The clearest contrast sits between the two blue lines and the goaltenders behind them. Winnipeg’s .924 team save percentage has anchored a 3-0-1 start despite missing its usual starter in Hellebuyck, and Skinner will be tasked with keeping that number steady against a Ducks offense that has scored at a 12.7% clip. Anaheim, by contrast, is working with a .875 save percentage and has already allowed as many goals in three games as it had in its first two games of the prior stretch. Dostal’s performance will likely determine whether the Ducks can turn their offensive touch, led by Carlsson’s playmaking, into points on the road against a Jets team that has not lost in regulation this season.
What To Watch
Both teams sit at the top of their respective divisions early in the season, with Winnipeg’s seven points matching Edmonton for tops in the Pacific and leading the Central outright. Anaheim is looking to build on a season that ended with a second-round playoff exit to Vegas last year, while Winnipeg is trying to establish depth scoring behind Connor and Perfetti with its top goaltender unavailable. How each team’s injury-depleted lineup holds up will be worth tracking as the season series opens Friday.
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