McTavish scores in NHL debut in Ducks victory against Jets

ANAHEIM -- Mason McTavish had a goal and an assist in his NHL debut, and the Anaheim Ducks defeated the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 in the season opener for each team at Honda Center on Wednesday.

"I couldn't have dreamed it any better," McTavish said. "The big win, the goal, so it's definitely one I'll never forget."
Kevin Shattenkirk, Adam Henrique and Rickard Rakell scored, and John Gibson made 33 saves for the Ducks, who went 2-for-5 on the power play and 5-for-5 on the penalty kill.
Kyle Connor scored, and Connor Hellebuyck made 18 saves for the Jets.
"I liked our power play, the chances that we got, and the mentality of putting the puck to the net," Jets coach Paul Maurice said.

McTavish, selected with the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, didn't know he was playing until about three hours before the game, when Max Jones was a late scratch because of flu-like symptoms.
McTavish scored off a rebound on his first shot to give the Ducks a 2-0 lead at 13:20 of the first period and become the youngest player in their history to score (18 years, 256 days).
The goal was initially disallowed because a whistle had blown, but video review confirmed McTavish's original shot completely crossed the goal line as the culmination of a continuous play where the result was unaffected by the whistle.
"I kind of got to score two goals, I guess," McTavish said. "Celebrated twice anyway."
The Ducks were heavily pressured at the start, but Gibson made seven of his 15 saves in the first period during a penalty kill that began at 2:11.
"His focus is two things," Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. "He wants to stop the puck, and he wants to win. ... I believe the second part is highly contagious."
Shattenkirk gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead at 6:11 of the first period on a shot from alongside the boards just outside the right circle and into the far side of the net.

Connor cut it to 2-1 on a wrist shot off the rush from the right circle at 3:48 of the second period.
Anaheim killed four straight penalties before getting its first power play. Henrique deflected in a shot from Cam Fowler with five seconds left on the penalty for a 3-1 lead at 13:20.
Rakell, playing his 500th NHL game, scored a power-play goal off a deflection to make it 4-1 at 6:20 of the third period.
The Ducks were last in the NHL in power-play efficiency last season at 8.9 percent, the lowest since it became an official NHL statistic in 1977-78.
"We get a couple goals on the power play that we're not used to," Eakins said. "That pumps us along. The kid gets his first goal, which is awesome, 'Gibby' has an unbelievable night. There's a lot of great, feel-good things, and the guys are obviously fired up."
Winnipeg forward Cole Perfetti, the No. 10 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, had one hit playing 9:49 in his NHL debut.
"It's a little different than how you dream about it as a kid," Perfetti said. "You dream about scoring your first goal and winning, but at the end of the day you're playing in the NHL. It's something I've worked hard for my entire life."
NOTES: Forward Mark Scheifele, who led the Jets with 63 points (21 goals, 42 assists) in 56 games last season, served the final game of a four-game suspension for charging Montreal Canadiens forward Jake Evans in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Second Round on June 2. ... Defenseman Nate Schmidt had three shots and was plus-1 playing 23:59 in his Jets debut after being acquired in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks on July 27. … Forward Evgeny Svechnikov made his Jets debut after signing a one-year, two-way contract on Wednesday. He had one shot in 6:43 of ice time. ... McTavish is the youngest forward and second-youngest player in Ducks history to appear in a game. Defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky was 18 years, 248 days on Jan. 21, 1995 against the original Winnipeg Jets. … Ducks forward Benoit-Olivier Groulx made his NHL debut. The second-round pick (No. 54) in the 2018 NHL Draft had two shots and two hits in 14:30. ... Henrique's goal was his 400th NHL point. He has 199 goals and 201 assists in 711 games in 12 seasons with the Ducks and New Jersey Devils. … Isac Lundestrom and Jakob Silfverberg each had two assists for Anaheim.