Vilardi scores late to lift Jets past Ducks 4-2

Winnipeg Jets center Gabriel Vilardi, right, celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Anaheim Ducks during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -

Gabe Vilardi broke a tie with 1:42 left with the third as the Winnipeg Jets edged the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 on Sunday.

Winnipeg rallied after losing scoring leader Kyle Connor to a knee injury in the second period when he took a knee from Ducks' defenceman Ryan Strome, who received a game misconduct.

The Jets have won four straight and nine of 12, while the Ducks have dropped three in a row and 12 of 13.

"That's what good teams do, I think," Vilardi said of the comeback after the Winnipeg offence was in stall mode through two periods.

"You have to keep going. We had (five) power plays and nothing was going (in). A lot of teams would just hang their heads. … We just kept battling and got some greasy goals and that's what it takes sometimes to win."

Nino Niederreiter and Morgan Barron also scored, Mark Scheifele added an empty-netter with 29 seconds remaining and Connor Hellebuyck made 25 saves.

Vilaradi scored his first goal of the season. His shot from the top of the left circle trickled past goalie John Gibson to give the Jets a 3-2 lead.

"It definitely felt good; there was some relief to that, I feel like," Vilardi said. "I put a lot of pressure on myself and it was nice to get that one."

Alex Killorn and Adam Henrique scored for Anaheim. Gibson made 27 saves.

"Like what do you have to lose right now? Just play hockey," Ducks coach Greg Cronin said when asked if his team is feeling pressure amid its struggles.

"It's not the last week of April and we're fighting for the fourth playoff spot, right? Or eighth playoff spot. That's just a sign of mental weakness. Just play the game. Do your job, win your puck battles, do what you have to do to be successful."

After the Jets failed to score on the five-minute power play from Strome's penalty, they bungled a 3-on-1 rush midway through the second when Cole Perfetti delivered a wayward centring pass just beyond the blue line.

On their second power play of the second period, the Ducks opened the scoring when Killorn pounced on a loose puck in front of the goal and lifted a wrist shot past Hellebuyck. Anaheim took a 2-0 lead at 1:15 of the third when Jakob Silfverberg threaded a pass to Henrique.

Jets coach Rick Bowness said the extent of Connor's knee injury is not known and the forward will be examined when the team gets to San Jose in advance of a game against the Sharks on Tuesday.

"It's knee on knee. (Strome) sticks his knee out there and hopefully that's suspendible," Bowness said. "Knee on knee, there is no other way to look at that. The referees made the correct call: five-minute major, a game misconduct and we'll see where it goes from there."

UP NEXT

Jets: At San Jose on Tuesday night.

Ducks: At New York Islanders on Wednesday night.