Ducks continue determined push for playoffs with solid 3-1 win over Jets

By Canadian Press on March 11, 2026.

WINNIPEG — The Anaheim Ducks are in the middle of a fierce battle for top spot in the Pacific Division, but they aren’t letting the standings distract them from their ultimate goal.

With the intensity of the stretch drive ramping up, the Ducks (36-25-3) took another step toward securing their post-season berth with a 3-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre Tuesday.

“A month ago, it was a different situation, then we go on a run and now we’re in first in the Pacific,” said veteran forward Alex Killorn, who had a goal and an assist in the win.

“You try not to think about it too much, but it’s just one of those things that it’s so tight, every game is so important. Points are so important that you need to get them when you can.”

Anaheim’s rise to the top of the division has been largely powered by a youth movement, with the Ducks boasting an NHL-leading 100 goals this season from players 22 and younger. Forwards Cutter Gauthier (32 goals, 57 points), Leo Carlsson (21, 52) and Beckett Sennecke (20, 51), all of whom are 22 years old or younger, and have carried a lot of the offence for Anaheim this season.

However, against a desperate Jets club on Tuesday, it was the team’s veterans who carried the torch.

Ryan Poehling, who also had a goal and an assist, provided the spark along with Killorn, with the Ducks playing a more defensive game in order to shut down Winnipeg’s top scorers and halt the Jets’ momentum.

“This has been one of our most complete games when you look at the three periods,” Killorn said. “A lot of games we’ve been down and had to come back. We were down here tonight but for a majority of the game we played the right way. It was a great game for our team.”

Killorn acknowledged the heavy lifting the younger players have done this year, noting that it’s nice when the veterans can “chip in and help out” on nights when they need the extra scoring. For Poehling, the blend of veteran leadership and young talent is a major reason why the Ducks find themselves fighting for top spot in the Pacific.

“It’s a ton of fun. Just watching these young guys play hockey, it’s so special,” Poehling said. “At such a young age, to be this good, is hard to come by, and we have so many of them. For me, to just watch them and learn from them, but also show them the ropes on how to play the right way sometimes, I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.“

Head coach Joel Quenneville, drawing on the experience of more than 1,800 career NHL games behind the bench and three Stanley Cups, has made sure his group stays grounded. The Ducks are just three points up on the Vegas Golden Knights and three points up on the Edmonton Oilers.

“We want to do one thing: we want to make the playoffs. That’s our priority,” Quenneville said. “We don’t want to look past our next opponent. Teams that might look like they have a tough time getting into the playoffs, those teams are playing loose and they can beat anybody. So, there are no easy games.”

That was echoed by another young star in Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal. The 25-year-old Dostal picked up his 13th win in his last 15 appearances on Tuesday, providing a steadying presence for a team with championship aspirations.

“We do our best, but we’ve got to focus for every single game because our main goal is to get to the playoffs, and that would be a cherry on top,” Dostal said of the division race.

Meanwhile, for the Winnipeg Jets, Tuesday’s 3-1 defeat was a harsh blow to their post-season hopes.

A battered Winnipeg roster had been playing well since returning from the Olympic break, picking up points in six straight games (4-0-2) and riding a three-game win streak to stay alive for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2026.

Jeff Hamilton, The Canadian Press