Ducks 5, Jets 1: Caulfield's First NHL Goal

October 9, 2026 - Winnipeg - Judd Caulfield jammed in a rebound at 14:41 of the first, his first NHL goal, and about 10 family members from Grand Forks were in the building to see it. He told NHL.com they drove 145 miles north for his fourth NHL game, as close as the schedule was going to get on a Friday. Grandma, parents, his wife's family, siblings. Then Jeff Malott took the puck to the net and left it sitting there.

The Anaheim Ducks beat the Winnipeg Jets 5-1. Anaheim is 3-1-0, first two road games of the season in the books, the NHL recap said, the fourth time in franchise history they have done that. Winnipeg is 3-1-1, first regulation loss after three straight wins. Shots were 17-16 Anaheim. Attendance was 13,693. Josh Morrissey did not play. The Jets site recap said they knew they would have a tough time replacing him, especially on a power play that went 0-for-4.

Mikael Granlund had a goal and an assist. Tim Washe had a goal and an assist. Caulfield had a goal and an assist. Sam Colangelo and Nikita Nesterenko scored. Beckett Sennecke and Jeff Malott each had two assists. Lukas Dostal stopped 15 of 16. Kyle Connor scored Winnipeg's only goal, his sixth of the season, in his 700th NHL game. Clay Stevenson stopped 12 of 16 in 56:08. Caulfield, Washe, Malott, Colangelo, Nesterenko, Stevenson, and Noah Warren are not seeded on AthX player pages, so those names stay unlinked.

Fourth line, first two, then Colangelo on the rush

Joel Quenneville told NHL.com the Jets are fast, and that he was concerned going in. He liked the consistency. On the fourth line: special night. Washe, Caulfield, and Malott combined for six points. They scored a couple off the rush, almost had a third, had cycle time in the third. Could not ask for more.

Scott Arniel said they had been doing a pretty good job against the Leo Carlsson and Granlund line, and that it was the fourth line that scored those. Of all the teams to face in a fifth game in eight nights, he said, probably not that one.

Caulfield at 14:41, rebound of Malott's partial breakaway, Washe the other assist. 1-0. Washe at 5:20 of the second, 2-on-1 with Malott after Caulfield's pass through the neutral zone. 2-0. The Jets site recap said a Winnipeg turnover in the offensive zone turned into that odd-man rush. Stevenson robbed Ryan Poehling late in the second on a look the Jets wrap called all alone in front.

Travis Mitchell and Adam Lowry fought at 19:46 of the first. Mitchell also took unsportsmanlike. Sennecke tripped at 5:54 of the second. Poehling took holding and tripping later in the period. Winnipeg did not score on any of it. Connor told NHL.com the power play could have been a lot better, and that they had chances in the second to change momentum.

Colangelo made it 3-0 at 4:25 of the third, knocking in Sennecke's backhand at the top of the crease. Mario Ferraro told the Jets site they played simple early, then fed Anaheim's transition in the second and third.

Connor to 329, Granlund from the blue line, empty net

Connor cut it to 3-1 at 10:36. Mark Scheifele spun and hit him with a cross-ice pass. Breakaway. Blocker side. Dylan DeMelo the other assist. It was Connor's 329th career goal, past Ilya Kovalchuk for sole possession of third on the Jets/Atlanta Thrashers list, the NHL recap said. Only five U.S.-born players have had more goals through 700 games or fewer: Auston Matthews, Pat LaFontaine, Joe Mullen, Keith Tkachuk, Jeremy Roenick.

Granlund answered at 14:06, a wrist shot from just inside the blue line, Warren and Jackson LaCombe on the play. 4-1. Nesterenko into the empty net at 19:19 from Sennecke and Granlund. 5-1.

Dostal told NHL.com both teams played well in the neutral zone, not so many shots, and that the plan was to be on top of them with good sticks. He was amazed defensively. Arniel said they were not getting inside, and that five in eight is not an excuse, but you could see it mentally. Quenneville had already called the fourth line the difference.

Sennecke has six points (three goals, three assists) in a season-opening four-game point streak. The NHL recap called him the youngest forward (20 years, 254 days) to open with four-plus since Elias Pettersson in 2018-19. Washe, Caulfield, and Malott each had a first NHL multipoint game. Connor played 23:56. Caulfield needed 9:34. Malott 9:26. Dostal faced 7, 6, and 3 shots by period. Stevenson faced 4, 5, and 7 before the extra attacker.

Anaheim visits Calgary on Saturday. Winnipeg hosts Minnesota on Tuesday.

AthX Engine on a 5-1 that did not need volume

AthX Engine (our projection and scoring system) scored Caulfield at 8.80. Granlund is 8.20. Washe is 8.10. Dostal is 7.80 (win, 15 saves, one goal against). Connor is 6.30. Malott is 6.10. Nesterenko is 5.20. Sennecke is 5.00. Colangelo is 4.60. Stevenson is 0.00 on 12 saves and four goals against.

Anaheim's team line is 22.00. Winnipeg floors at 0.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for a Duck club that scored five on 17 shots, and for Connor after goal 329 in game 700. They are not the same number.

Track Granlund, Dostal, Connor, and both clubs on the marketplace.

*Sources: AP recap (ESPN), ESPN box score, NHL.com recap, NHL.com scoreboard. AthX Engine fantasy points scored from NHL gamecenter boxscore 2026020069. Information only; not financial advice.*