February 25, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks coach Joel Quenneville (back row, right) celebrates with his coaching staff after earning his 1,000th career coaching win in a 6-5 win over the Edmonton Oilers at the Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Image The red-hot Anaheim Ducks look to extend their home winning streak to seven games when the Winnipeg Jets visit on Friday.
The Ducks have won three straight overall and 10 of their last 12 games. That streak includes six straight wins at their own rink, which bodes well for the remainder of their season-long nine-game homestand.
The NHL’s three-week Olympic hiatus couldn’t slow the Ducks down, but the team had plenty of anxious moments in Wednesday’s 6-5 win over the Edmonton Oilers. Anaheim had to come back from three deficits and didn’t lead until Cutter Gauthier broke a 5-5 tie with 1:14 left in regulation.
Ducks defenseman Jacob Trouba said these tough games “knock us back to where we were” before the Olympic break.
“I think being down twice and coming back is something that really helps us in this game,” Trouba said. “I think it says a lot about the group and the character we’re building in the room.”
The win puts Anaheim five points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for first place in the Pacific Division.
The Ducks are chasing a division title while trying to stay above the playoff cutline in a crowded Western Conference.
Winnipeg isn’t out of the race yet, but the Jets are 11 points behind Anaheim and nine points behind a playoff spot entering Thursday’s game. They escaped with a decisive comeback win over the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday, winning 3-2 with no lead before Cole Perfetti’s overtime goal.
Kyle Connor and Gabriel Vilardi each scored Wednesday and Mark Schiefele assisted on both goals. The three forwards again played on the same line, as Jets coach Scott Arniel said, “We knew we needed their offense to come down from here.”
“They were really good from the beginning… with the chemistry they had,” Arniel said. “But what I liked about (Connor) is he’s one of our best chasers. He’s one of the guys that pours into that line and helps us defend. He’s a really solid two-way player for us.”
Scheifele has 9 points (2 goals, 7 assists) and Connor has 7 points (3 goals, 4 assists) in his six-game point streak.
Gauthier has a three-game point streak and leads the Ducks in goals (26) and points (50).
Since backup Petr Mrazek suffered a season-ending hip injury in early January, Lukas Dostal has gone 9-3-0 with a .912 save percentage in 12 games. The Ducks could continue to play Czech Olympic starter Dostal on Friday or give Ville Husso his first action since Jan. 26.
Connor Hellebuyck is expected to return to the Winnipeg lineup on Friday after a superstar performance on the U.S. Olympic gold medal-winning team. The Jets started Eric Comrie against Vancouver to give Hellebuyck some extra rest after his busy Olympic schedule.
Leo Carlsson and Beckett Sennecke scored twice as the Ducks beat the Jets 4-1 in their first meeting of the season on Nov. 9 in Anaheim.
–Field level media
