National Hockey League
Anaheim 4, Winnipeg 1
When: 9:00 PM ET, Sunday, January 3, 2016
Where: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
Referees: Trevor Hanson, Dave Jackson
Linesmen: Derek Nansen, Mark Wheler
Attendance: 17174

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Anaheim Ducks turned the convergence of their sense of urgency with the start of their longest homestand of the season into their fourth win in five games.

Goalie John Gibson earned his fourth successive victory and stopped 19 shots as the Ducks defeated the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 Sunday night in front of 17,174 at the Honda Center.

Right winger Corey Perry scored his team-leading 14th goal, while left winger Rickard Rakell added a goal and an assist for the Ducks (16-15-7).

"We put a lot of emphasis on tonight," said center Ryan Kesler, who scored one of Anaheim's goals. "We know this is going to set up the rest of our homestand."

For Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf, the games following the Christmas break represent the season's turning point, especially after Anaheim lost nine of its first 10 contests.

"We had to come out of the break playing good hockey and doing good things," said Getzlaf, who added that Sunday night's performance was "pretty close" to the most complete game the Ducks played all season.

The Jets (18-19-2) absorbed their 13th defeat in 15 road games.

"We wanted to come out with a better effort," Winnipeg left winger Andrew Ladd said. "But we tried to slow the game down a little too much, especially through the neutral zone, and you just can't do that against them. They skated a lot better than we did, and we just weren't good on pucks."

Rakell combined aggressive forechecking and disciplined stick-handling to give Anaheim a 1-0 lead with his eighth goal at 5:51 of the first period.

Rakell stole the puck from Jets defenseman Ben Chiarot in the left corner, evaded poke checks from Chiarot and defenseman Mark Stuart while skating behind Winnipeg's net and converted a wrist shot from the slot inside the left post against goalie Michael Hutchinson, who made just his second start in 11 games.

"In the first period, I was just trying to force things a little too much and make things happen instead of letting the game come to me," said Hutchinson, who finished with 31 saves. "As the game went on, I got to relax more."

Nearly four minutes later, defenseman Kevin Bieksa scored his first goal of the season on a power play. Bieksa one-timed a slap shot from the left circle past Hutchinson at 9:04.

The Ducks retained their lead by killing two penalties within 4 minutes, 17 seconds, a span that lasted until early in the second period. Perry then extended the margin to 3-0 with a slap shot from the left circle on a three-on-two attack at 5:01 of the middle period. Gibson earned his first NHL assist.

About two minutes later, Winnipeg ended Gibson's streak of consecutive shutout minutes. Defenseman Tyler Myers sent a pass from the right boards toward right winger Blake Wheeler, who was rushing toward the net. However, Anaheim left winger Carl Hagelin inadvertently tipped the puck into the upper-right corner, and Myers received credit for his fifth goal at 6:56.

Until Myers scored, Gibson had not conceded a goal in 184 minutes, 30 seconds. The streak was the third longest in team history.

The Ducks regained a three-goal lead at 18:41 of the second when Kesler tapped right winger Chris Stewart's pass between Hutchinson's legs on a power play.

NOTES: Sunday night's game was the first meeting between the teams since the Ducks swept the Jets in the first round of last year's Stanley Cup playoffs. ... Winnipeg scratched D Adam Pardy, D Paul Postma and RW Anthony Peluso. ... The Jets activated C Mark Scheifele from injured reserve and sent F Matt Halischuk to Manitoba (AHL). Scheifele missed three games after suffering a concussion in practice Dec. 26. ... Jets LW Andrew Ladd needs five goals to reach 200 for his career. ... Anaheim scratched D Clayton Stoner and LW Jiri Sekac. ... Ducks D Cam Fowler will miss three-to-five weeks because of a sprained right knee, the team announced. Fowler, who suffered the injury Dec. 27 against the Philadelphia Flyers, was leading the Ducks in playing time. ... Sunday night marked the first of eight home games the Ducks will play through Jan. 20.
Top Game Performances
 
Winnipeg   Anaheim
Tyler Myers 1 Points Kevin Bieksa 2
Tyler Myers 1 Goals Kevin Bieksa 1
Bryan Little 1 Assists Kevin Bieksa 1
N/A Power Play Goals Kevin Bieksa 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Michael Hutchinson .886 Save Percentage John Gibson .950
Michael Hutchinson 31 Saves John Gibson 19
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Winnipeg 20 1 0-4 0-2 13 25
Anaheim 35 4 2-2 4-4 17 36
Upcoming Games
  • Anaheim will play their next game at home against Toronto. The Ducks have a W/L % of .375 after a win and .455 after a loss.
  • Winnipeg will play their next game on the road against Nashville. The Jets have a W/L % of .368 after a win and .550 after a loss.