The Winnipeg Jets took a step back Friday night at Canada Life Centre, and the reminder came quickly: when your offence dries up, even a solid run can hit a hard wall.
After four straight one-goal games, Winnipeg finally landed in a result that wasn’t decided at the buzzer, but the 5-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks never tilted in the Jets’ direction. Clay Stevenson made his second start of the season, and the game stayed unusually quiet on the shot clock - just 17 shots on goal for each team. That kind of night tends to come down to execution, and the Ducks delivered it much more consistently.
Judd Caulfield opened the scoring late in the first period with his first career NHL goal. Anaheim added to that in the second when Tim Washe scored his first goal of the early season to make it 2-0. Winnipeg’s attack never found much traction through 40 minutes, while Dostal stopped all 13 shots he faced.
The third period brought more of the same. Sam Colangelo pushed the Ducks’ lead to 3-0 with his 13th career goal, and while Kyle Connor answered six minutes later with his league-leading sixth goal of the season, the Jets never got the game back within reach. Mikael Granlund restored the three-goal cushion with about six minutes left, and after Winnipeg pulled the goalie late, Nikita Nesterenko scored into the empty net to finish it off.
The loss leaves Winnipeg at 3-1-1, still good for second place in the Central Division. But the bigger picture now shifts fast. The Jets are 13 days away from hosting the Montreal Canadiens at Princess Auto Stadium for the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic, and the stretch before that outdoor game is packed.
It starts Tuesday night at home against the Minnesota Wild, one of 16 NHL games on the league’s revived “frozen frenzy” slate. All 32 teams are in action, with staggered start times across the night. At Canada Life Centre, puck drop is set for 7:15 pm CT, just 15 minutes later than usual.
Then comes a four-game run that leads directly into the Heritage Classic. Winnipeg visits Chicago on Thursday to face the Blackhawks, returns home for a Saturday afternoon meeting with the Carolina Hurricanes at 2:30 pm, then gets two days off before heading to St.
Louis on October 20 to play the Blues. The final stop before the outdoor game is Dallas on October 22 against the Stars.
The regular season is now in full swing, and for the Jets, the calendar is about to get busy in a hurry.
In Other News...
Oilers Start Is Raising One Big Lineup Question
The Oilers strong start has already shifted some of the conversation around how their lineup will look once the roster gets back to full strength. After a win over the San Jose Sharks pushed Edmonton to 4-0-1, coach Mike Babcock said Zach Hyman is expected back soon, and that could force the kind of decisions teams like to have but rarely welcome. With a rookie such as Owen Michaels also in line for more ice, there is at least some real competition for roles as the early-season sample grows.
For Winnipeg, the bigger subplot is still the one swirling outside the room, where trade chatter tends to travel fast around a high-end goalie. Elliotte Friedman has already pushed back on the idea of Connor Hellebuyck landing with the Rangers, and the fit looks complicated on paper for a few different reasons. The question for the Jets is not just whether a rumor has legs, but whether any serious offer would match what they would want in return for a goalie of that caliber. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Suddenly Face An Awkward Hellebuyck Reunion Possibility
The Jets have been forced to think about their goaltending future in a different light lately, and the conversation has taken an awkward turn around Connor Hellebuyck. With Igor Shesterkin injured in New York and the Rangers exploring trade and free-agent fixes, Winnipegs own crease situation has suddenly been folded into a broader goalie market talk, even though no move is close to happening.
What makes it especially uneasy for the Jets is the possibility of a reunion with a familiar face under tense circumstances. Reports suggest Hellebuyck is considering a return to Winnipeg even as he still wants a trade, and there is reason to believe not everyone in the room would greet that idea warmly. For a team trying to keep its focus on the ice, that is the kind of subplot that can linger until it is resolved one way or another. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Goalie Question Just Put A Familiar Trade Target Back In Play
Connor Hellebuycks name is back in the conversation, even though the Winnipeg Jets have given themselves some breathing room to start the season. Elliotte Friedman said the club has opened well without its No. 1 goalie available, and that could make Winnipeg more willing to keep rolling with its current tandem instead of forcing anything on the trade front. For a team that has long had to weigh present performance against long-term goalie questions, it is the kind of early-season development that can change the temperature around a familiar rumor fast.
The Buffalo Sabres are part of that backdrop, since they have previously shown interest in Hellebuyck and remain in a season where every roster decision carries some weight. Friedman noted the Sabres situation is worth watching, but he stopped short of saying whether they will actually push back into the mix. For now, the Jets appear content to let the year breathe before deciding whether this becomes a real market again or just another chapter in a conversation that never quite goes away. [Read more 🡒]