Bruins vs Red Wings

For additional insight into the Western Conference First Round series between the Anaheim Ducks and Winnipeg Jets, NHL.com has enlisted the help of Frederic Chabot to break down the action. Chabot will be checking in throughout the series.

Chabot was the goaltending coach for the Edmonton Oilers from 2009 to 2014. He played in the NHL for five seasons, spending time with the Montreal Canadiens, the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Los Angeles Kings.

For the second straight game, the Winnipeg Jets took a lead into the third period against the Anaheim Ducks. For the second straight game, the Ducks prevailed after a third-period comeback, winning 2-1 on Saturday to take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-7 Western Conference First Round series.

"Anaheim was the better team for most of the game," Chabot said. "They have three lines playing well and their special teams have been very good.

"Without [goaltender Ondrej] Pavelec's performance this would not have been a one goal game."

ANAHEIM -- Winnipeg Jets forward Mathieu Perreault returned to the lineup for Game 2 of the Western Conference First Round against the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday at Honda Center.

Perreault was a game-time decision because of a lower-body injury sustained at the end of the regular season. He sat out Game 1, but took pregame line rushes with left wing Adam Lowry and right wing Lee Stempniak.

Perreault had 18 goals and 23 assists in 62 regular-season games for the Jets. He had 43 points in 69 games for Anaheim in 2013-14.

For additional insight into the First Round series between the Anaheim Ducks and Winnipeg Jets, NHL.com has enlisted the help of Frederic Chabot to break down the action. Chabot will be checking in throughout the series.

Chabot was the goaltending coach for the Edmonton Oilers from 2009 to 2014. He played in the NHL for five seasons, spending time with the Montreal Canadiens, the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Los Angeles Kings.

The Winnipeg Jets took the lead into the third period against the Anaheim Ducks in Game 1 of their best-of-7 Western Conference First Round series Thursday, but the Ducks were able to regain their composure and score three times in the third period to win 4-2.

WINNIPEG -- The Winnipeg Jets needed Drew Stafford's offense in February and March when they were dealing with injuries in their lineup, and they will need him to continue to produce in April in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

On March 14, the Jets were fighting to retain their hold on a wild card in the Western Conference. That night, Jets coach Paul Maurice debuted a line against the Tampa Bay Lightning. First-line center Bryan Little's recovery from an upper-body injury had slowed, and left wing Mathieu Perreault had already been out a month with a lower-body injury.

Maurice decided to put right wing Blake Wheeler and center Mark Scheifele together with Stafford on left wing. Against the Lightning, who were tied for the NHL lead in home wins at the time, the Jets won 2-1 on third-period goals from Wheeler and Stafford.

Not much went wrong for the Anaheim Ducks this season. They won the Pacific Division for the third consecutive season and finished as the top seed in the Western Conference with 109 points and 51 wins.

Anaheim hasn't advanced to the Western Conference Final since 2007, when they won the Stanley Cup. Last season, the Ducks were the top seed in the West but lost in the second round to the Los Angeles Kings; but this team is much improved and will win the Stanley Cup this time.

Playoff teams need to win close games, and the Ducks have proven they can do that. Anaheim was 33-1-7 in one-goal games this season.

"We certainly want bigger and better things for our group," coach Bruce Boudreau said April 1 after the Ducks defeated the Edmonton Oilers to win the division. "We know it’s not going to be easy, but that's what we're striving for. … I'll be happy, believe me, if we win our last playoff game."

The Winnipeg Jets qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs as the second wild card team from the Western Conference, but that won't stop them from making noise in the coming weeks and months.

The city of Winnipeg hasn't seen a playoff team in 19 years, since 1995-96 when the original Winnipeg Jets lost in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, so you can expect the fans to provide a huge boost. The MTS Centre is already regarded as one of the more intimidating buildings in the NHL. The Jets should be able to feed off the crowd and take care of business at home, where they were 23-13-5 during the regular season.

"For all those people back home, it's a great night for them," coach Paul Maurice said after the Jets made the playoffs. "And they're going to get to see some really exciting hockey."

ANAHEIM -- One of the questions the Anaheim Ducks had to answer this season was whether Rickard Rakell was ready for the role as third-line center. Two months into the season, Rakell wasn’t so sure himself.

Rakell found himself in close competition with William Karlsson, whose dazzling start turned heads and made Rakell a scratch six times in the first 16 games. Rakell was reassigned to the American Hockey League in early December, and the two-game stint there was a turning point.

Rakell not only grabbed the third-line role but has proven he can be an effective two-way player who can be a difference-maker in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"I kind of got my confidence back and kind of figured out what kind of player I want to be and just do the things that I’m good at, like playing with puck control and protecting pucks and trying to make plays for my teammates," Rakell said.