Anaheim

How Sweep it is: Ducks Defeat Jets 5-2 in Game 4

The Ducks entered the game with three consecutive come-from-behind wins in the series

How sweep it is.

The Anaheim Ducks defeated the Winnipeg Jets 5-2 in Game 4 to punch their tickets to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Wednesday.

Ryan Kesler scored two goals in the third period to help finish things off, and Sami Vatanen scored an empty net goal to seal the sweep. With the win, the Ducks now await the winner of the series between the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks to determine their second round playoff opponent. 

The first period started even with both teams doing a nice job of playing smart hockey, but the first mistake of the frame came when Andrew Cogliano was whistled for tripping, and the Jets headed to the power play. The Jets broke into the zone early in the sequence after a great pass by Dustin Byfuglien, and when Mathie Perreault feathered a pass to Bryan Little, the veteran forward didn’t miss as he fired a shot past Frederik Andersen to give his team a 1-0 lead.

The Ducks’ top line came right back out after the Jets’ goal and racked up some great scoring chances, but it was Emerson Etem that ended up scoring the goal. After a stretch pass up the ice from Sami Vatanen, Etem made a tremendous move in the defensive zone to get around Jacob Trouba and then backhanded a shot past Ondrej Pavelec to tie things up at 1-1 after 20 minutes of play.

The teams traded scoring chances early in the period, and the Jets got a power play about halfway in. Unfortunately for the home side, they weren’t able to get much going up the ice as the Ducks clamped down at the defensive blue line, and the game remained tied as the penalty expired.

With about seven minutes to go in the period, the Ducks jumped ahead in the game. Hampus Lindholm drove up the ice and threw off the Jets’ defense, and he eventually found Corey Perry in the offensive zone. The talented forward then dished off a quick pass to Cogliano, and the veteran didn’t miss as he fired a shot past a sprawled out Pavelec to give the Ducks a 2-1 lead.

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Over the final few minutes of the period, both teams got power plays thanks to penalties by Mark Stuart and a too many men penalty on the Ducks, but neither side was able to score as Anaheim remained in the driver’s seat with 20 minutes to go in the contest.

The Jets came out of the gate firing to start the third period as they looked to stave off elimination, but it was Anaheim that was able to land a critical blow less than seven minutes in. After winning face-off in the defensive zone, the Jets coughed up the puck after a shot went wide of the net. On the ensuing 3-on-1 rush, Simon Despres was stopped by Pavelec, but Ryan Kesler drove to the net and flipped home the rebound to give the Ducks a commanding 3-1 lead.

Not surprisingly, the Jets continued to pound away, and eventually they were able to score just after the halfway mark of the period. After the Jets won a faceoff following an icing, the puck worked its way back to Mark Stuart at the point, and his slap shot somehow evaded all sorts of traffic and bounced off of Cam Fowler’s stick and into the net to make it a 3-2 game.

With about five minutes to go in the game, the Jets had a couple of really good chances in front of the Ducks' net, but it was ultimately Anaheim that was able to capitalize as their transition game came to the forefront. Jakob Silfverberg broke out of the zone on a 2-on-1 rush with Kesler the other way, and when he fed the puck across the center didn't miss as he scored his second goal of the period to give the Ducks a 4-2 lead late in the contest. 

The Jets pulled their goalie with two and a half minutes to go, but it was a case of too little too late as Vatanen's shot from the defensive zone slid all the way down the ice and into the empty cage to seal the victory for Anaheim. 

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