Ducks Defeat Jets 5-1 Behind Caulfield NHL Debut Goal

The Anaheim Ducks defeated the Winnipeg Jets 5-1 on Friday night, Oct. 9, 2026, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, as rookie Judd Caulfield scored his first NHL goal and added an assist. The victory helped Anaheim respond after a previous loss and handed Winnipeg its first regulation defeat of the season.

According to the Orange County Register and Sportsnet, Caulfield opened the scoring at 14:41 of the first period after collecting a rebound from Jeff Malott’s shot. The goal came in Caulfield’s fourth NHL game and kept Anaheim’s streak of scoring first in every game this season alive.

Tim Washe and Mikael Granlund each recorded a goal and an assist, while Sam Colangelo and Nikita Nesterenko also scored for Anaheim. Lukas Dostal stopped 15 of 16 shots for the Ducks, who improved to 3-1-0.

The Ducks extended their advantage when Washe scored early in the second period from a Malott pass on a two-on-one chance. Colangelo then made it 3-0 early in the third period after receiving a feed from Beckett Sennecke.

Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor scored at 10:36 of the third period to cut the deficit to 3-1. According to Sportsnet, the goal was Connor’s 329th career goal and moved him into sole possession of third place in Jets franchise history.

"He often goes under the radar, I think around the league," said Scott Arniel, head coach of the Winnipeg Jets.

Connor played his 700th NHL game in the loss, and Arniel discussed the forward’s continued impact after the milestone appearance.

"We know what we have. We have a special player. (Getting to 700) is great for him, when you can play in these situations for (that long). He stays relatively healthy and can play like that and be a factor like he is every night," said Scott Arniel, head coach of the Winnipeg Jets.

The Jets coach added that Connor’s performance remains important to the team after his milestone game.

"That’s big for our hockey club," said Scott Arniel, head coach of the Winnipeg Jets.

Granlund restored Anaheim’s three-goal lead at 14:06 of the third period, and Nesterenko scored into an empty net with 41 seconds remaining. The Ducks also killed all four Winnipeg power plays, while Clay Stevenson made 12 saves for the Jets.

According to the Orange County Register, Anaheim will visit the Calgary Flames on Saturday at 7 p.m., while Sportsnet reported Winnipeg will host the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.