The Ducks could not solve one of the league's best defenses tonight in a 6-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre.
The loss, Anaheim's fourth in a row, dropped the club to 23-41-3 on the season and 0-3-0 heading to the finale of a four-game midwestern road trip.
Trade deadline pickup Tyler Toffoli scored twice for the Jets, who improved to 42-19-5 on the season, first in the Central Division. Nate Schmidt, Kyle Connor, Dylan DeMelo and Mason Appleton also scored. Backup netminder Laurent Brossoit earned his fifth career NHL shutout with saves on all 22 Anaheim attempts.
John Gibson made 32 saves in his 40th start of the season for the Ducks.
Still missing from the Ducks lineup were forwards Trevor Zegras, Leo Carlsson, Mason McTavish and Max Jones.
Despite a flurry of chances in the Anaheim zone in the opening minutes of action, all answered by a sharp Gibson, the best scoring opportunity of the early first period came off the stick of Frank Vatrano - a power-play bullet from the top of the circles that rang the post behind Brossoit and kicked into the corner.
Anaheim's leading goal scorer, Vatrano remains one shy of clinching first career 30-goal season.
Instead the Jets would finally break through the game's first goal when Kyle Connor tipped home defenseman Dylan DeMelo's point shot.
Connor has 12 goals in 17 career games against the Ducks. This season, he's scored 28 goals in 50 appearances, good for 10th in the NHL in goals per game.
Schmidt doubled the Winnipeg lead in the middle frame on a fortunate bounce for the home side, a shot that hit off both Gustav Lindstrom and Pavel Mintyukov before bouncing into the net.
Anaheim would have a couple of good looks at answering right back on a power play of its own a few minutes later, but Brossoit stood tall with a couple of big stops to preserve Winnipeg's two-goal lead after 40 minutes.
DeMelo made it 3-0 Jets early in the third period, beating Gibson with an unchecked slap shot from the top of the right circle.
Toffoli extended the lead to five with a pair of goals scored 2:58 apart, his first two goals as a Jet.
Appleton capped the scoring with five seconds to play.
The Ducks conclude a four-game road trip Sunday in St. Louis.
