Ducks Score Last-Minute Goal to Defeat Jets 3-2

The Anaheim Ducks shocked the Winnipeg Jets by scoring with 25 seconds left in the third period to capture a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory at Honda Center.

Troy Terry was left all alone in front of the net and got the puck after the Ducks forced Neal Pionk to turn it over. Terry was able to slip the puck by Eric Comrie, who was overaggressive in the crease, to break a 2-2 deadlock in stunning fashion.

The Ducks improved to 12-14-4 with the win. The Jets fell to 23-10-1 with the loss and saw their two-game winning streak snapped.

TROY TERRY GIVES THE DUCKS THE LEAD WITH JUST 25 SECONDS LEFT!! ???????? pic.twitter.com/IS2feCGcEr

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) December 19, 2024

The Ducks dominated most of the first period, generating a lot of good chances against a Jets squad that came out looking tired after battling the San Jose Sharks 24 hours earlier. The home team fired 10 shots on Eric Comrie before the Jets managed to muster a shot on Lukas Dostal and the shots after the first period were 12-4 in favour of the Ducks, but the game remained goalless.

The Ducks kept swinging away in the second and finally got their 18th puck past Comrie when Frank Vatrano tipped in a Radko Gudas point shot at 4:45. The Jets tied the game on the power play at 10:23 when Gabriel Vilardi, who was net-front, whacked home a Nikolaj Ehlers centring pass. The shots through two continued to heavily favour the Ducks, 22-8.

The Jets took a 2-1 lead at 4:12 of the third when Kyle Connor collected the puck behind his own net, zipped into the offensive zone, and dished a cross-ice pass to Mark Scheifele that Scheifele one-timed past Dostal’s blocker side.

Kyle Connor takes the puck down the length of the ice and finds Mark Scheifele to give the @NHLJets the lead in the third! ???? pic.twitter.com/Scr7sRP7c3

— NHL (@NHL) December 19, 2024

However, the Jets could not nurse the one-goal lead to the final horn as Vatrano converted on another deflection goal off a point shot with 4:46 to go. The Jets had a late power-play opportunity, but couldn’t convert on it, leading to Terry’s heroics.

Notes & Observations

Jacob Trouba played his first game against the Jets as a member of the Ducks. The New York Rangers traded the 2012 first-round Jets selection to the Ducks earlier in the month to dump his $8 million annual salary.

Related: Jets Have Won Trouba Trade 5 Years Later

Frank Vatrano paced all players with three points.

Comrie has lost five-straight starts after winning his first three of the season.

Ehlers returned to the Jets’ lineup after missing nine games with a lower-body injury he sustained on Nov. 29.

The Jets went one for four on the power play, while the Ducks went zero for three. The announced attendance was 16,260.

The Jets are back in action Saturday, Dec. 21 when they return home for a clash with Central Division rival Minnesota Wild. The Ducks return to action Saturday as well when they welcome the Colorado Avalanche to Honda Center to wrap a two-game homestand.