Recap: Ducks Can't Hold Early Lead in 3-1 Loss to Jets

Mason McTavish scored his 11th goal of the season, but the Ducks could not protect an early lead tonight on home ice, falling 3-1 to the Winnipeg Jets at Honda Center.

NHL GAMECENTER | DUCKS STREAM

The loss, Anaheim's fourth in a row, dropped the Ducks to 13-24-1 on the season and 1-5-1 headed to the finale of an eight-game homestand.

McTavish scored the lone goal for Anaheim, giving the Ducks a 1-0 lead after the first period. Alex Killorn and Frank Vatrano collected assists. John Gibson made 24 saves.

Nikolaj Ehlers, Nate Schmidt and Cole Perfetti scored for the Jets, who extended their point streak to a franchise-record 11 games and improved to 30-9-4 on the season, the best mark in the NHL. Vlad Namestikov tallied two assists. Backup netminder Laurent Brossoit earned the win in the Winnipeg goal crease, turning aside 37-of-38 Anaheim shots.

McTavish gave Anaheim the night's first lead late in the opening period. Killorn carried the puck into the zone on left wing, drawing the attention of the Winnipeg just enough to free open space in the slot for McTavish, where the young center beat Brossoit with a backhand bid through Radko Gudas' screen in front.

With the goal, McTavish became the sixth-fastest Duck to reach 30 career goals (120 games played), trailing only Paul Kariya, Bobby Ryan, Dustin Penner, Ryan Getzlaf and Trevor Zegras.

McTavish now has five points in his last five games (1-4=5) and 26 points in 31 appearances this season.

The secondary helper gave Vatrano, yesterday named an NHL All-Star for the first time, points in five of his last six games.

Ehlers knotted the score for Winnipeg early in the second period, like McTavish taking advantage of a great screen in front of the netminder to beat Gibson blocker-side.

Now in his ninth NHL season, all spent as a Jet, Ehlers ranks second among team leaders in goals (13) and third in points (29). 

Winnipeg would claim its first lead early in the third on a bit of bad luck for the hosts. Just as McTavish hit the offensive blue line with speed, the centerman lost his balance and fell to the ice, offering the Jets an odd-man rush the other way which Schmidt buried over Gibson's glove.

Perfetti's power-play goal with seven minutes to play all but sealed Winnipeg's win, a one-timer from the right faceoff circle after a cross-ice pass by Namestikov.

The Ducks conclude an eight-game homestand Sunday against Detroit.