In what will probably be his last game in Winnipeg, Teemu Selanne left victoriously as the Anaheim Ducks beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-2. Former Hart trophy winner Corey Perry took advantage of a Zach Bogosian giveaway in the third period handing the Jets their first loss of the season.
Jets defenseman Zach Bogosian was behind his own net with 5:31 left in the game and mishandled the puck turning it over to a waiting Perry. The Ducks forward shot the puck past an unsuspecting Ondrej Pavelec which sealed the game. It was a rough game for Bogosian as he was also called for a boarding penalty late in the game that deflated the Jets chances for an equalizing goal.
Andrew Ladd scored both goals for the Winnipeg Jets. With the Jets on the power play, Ladd scored off of a deflection of Blake Wheeler’s shot giving them a 1-0 lead. After a goal by Mathieu Perreault for the Ducks, Ladd replied right back as Blake Wheeler fired a shot wide that bounced off the back boards. The puck went straight to Ladd and he fired it into a yawning cage.
Andrew Cogliano scored the tying goal for the Ducks with 4.2 seconds left in the second period.
Ducks goaltender Victor Fasth faced only 15 shots while Jets netminder Ondrej Pavelec was busy once again stopping 31 of 34 shots. In a recurring trend, the Jets were outshot and Pavelec had to bail out his team on numerous occasions.
“We got saved by our goalie and realistically our goalie has saved us in all three games” Coach Claude Noel said after the game. “He’s been superb – not average -superb.”
Although the home team lost, the MTS Centre was treated to see a former Winnipeg hero one last time. Teemu Selanne didn’t score but he was voted as the First Star of the game. Selanne received a standing ovation in the first period and acknowledged the crowd with a wave and smile. “The Finnish Flash” was a member of the organization from 1992-1996 and was the face of the franchise before he was traded to Anaheim. He was a member of the 2007 Ducks championship team and declared in the off-season that this would be his final year.
The Jets see action next on Thursday when they travel to St. Paul to take on their division rival Minnesota Wild.
