The Anaheim Ducks, fresh off a rough loss to Edmonton, rolled into Winnipeg with their lineup looking like a jigsaw puzzle, but it was the one line left untouched that delivered the spark. Judd Caulfield, Tim Washe, and Jeff Malott each notched their first career NHL multi-point games, with Caulfield even bagging his first ever NHL goal, as the Ducks handed the Winnipeg Jets their first regulation loss, a decisive 5-1 smackdown at Canada Life Centre.
The Unexpected Spark That Lit Up Winnipeg
Coach Joel Quenneville clearly wasn’t happy with how things went down against Edmonton, because he went full overhaul, shuffling three of the four forward lines and two of the three defensive pairs. But here’s the kicker: the only line he left completely alone was the fourth line, and man, did that pay off. While the other new combinations struggled to find their rhythm early, it was that untouched fourth group that ignited the offense with a truly special tally. Tim Washe and Judd Caulfield broke the puck out, then Jeff Malott screamed into the zone with speed for a partial breakaway. Jets goalie Eric Stevenson stopped Malott’s backhand, but Caulfield was right there, crashing the crease to deposit the loose puck, and himself, right into the back of the net for his first ever NHL goal.
What a moment for Caulfield, playing in just his fourth NHL game at 25 years old. He’s put in the work, with a four-year college career at the University of North Dakota and over 200 AHL games with the San Diego Gulls, even an AHL-only contract last season. To top it all off, he got to celebrate that milestone in front of family and friends 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.” You love to see it.
This Fourth Line’s Dominance Is Hard To Ignore
The Ducks’ fourth line didn’t just stop there. They kept the pressure on right into the second period. Five minutes in, Washe stripped the puck in the defensive zone, and Caulfield was off, leading the rush again. From the right wing, Caulfield fed Malott far side to enter the zone with speed once more, and Malott found Washe tracking in the middle, doubling the Ducks’ lead to 2-0. Talk about chemistry! Caulfield summed it up perfectly: “We all try to make it easy on each other. We’re talking a lot on the ice. Letting us know where each other are. Just playing predictable.”
And it wasn’t just the goals. The stats back up their incredible performance: that fourth line earned over 93% of the expected goals share while on the ice at five-on-five. That’s just wild. Beyond their heroics, Sam Colangelo added another to give Anaheim a three-goal cushion in the third, and Mikael Granlund scored his 200th career NHL goal to essentially seal the deal. Nikita Nesterenko popped an empty netter in the final minute, putting a cherry on top of the 5-1 victory. Goalie Lukáš Dostál also had a huge bounce-back game, stopping 15 of 16 shots after giving up five against Edmonton earlier in the week. Kyle Connor eventually broke his shutout bid with a breakaway in the third, but the damage was done. Anaheim now sits at a solid 3-1-0 with 6 points.
The Ducks wrap up this quick two-game Canadian road trip tomorrow with the back end of a back-to-back in Calgary. Then they head home to host the Flames on Tuesday. Can their jumbled lines continue to find rhythm, or will this fourth line keep carrying the load? It’s going to be interesting to watch what happens next.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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