Kyle Connor’s 3rd goal the difference as Ducks lose in Winnipeg

November 18, 2022

The Ducks’ Trevor Zegras, right, celebrates after scoring the tying goal during the third period of their game against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

Ducks goaltender John Gibson saves a shot by the Winnipeg Jets’ Sam Gagner, bottom left, during the first period on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) saves a shot by the Ducks’ Sam Carrick, left, during the first period on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

The Ducks’ Troy Terry (19), Cam Fowler (4) and Dmitry Kulikov (29) celebrate Terry’s goal against the Winnipeg Jets during the first period on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

The Winnipeg Jets’ Neal Pionk (4) checks the Ducks’ Mason McTavish during the first period on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

The Ducks’ Mason McTavish (37) and Sam Carrick (39) celebrate after Troy Terry’s (19) goal against Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) during the first period on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

The Winnipeg Jets’ David Gustafsson, center, can’t get his shot past Ducks goaltender John Gibson, left, as Mason McTavish defends during the first period on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

The Winnipeg Jets’ Dylan Samberg, right, defends against the Ducks’ Jakob Silfverberg during the first period on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

Ducks goaltender John Gibson saves a shot by the Winnipeg Jets’ Kyle Connor, bottom, during the second period on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

The Winnipeg Jets’ Kyle Connor, right, shoots the puck through an opening in the crowd and scores during the second period of their game against the Ducks on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

The Winnipeg Jets’ Pierre-Luc Dubois (80), Sam Gagner (89) and Kyle Connor (81) celebrate after Connor’s goal during the second period of their game against the Ducks on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

The Winnipeg Jets’ Mark Scheifele (55), Kyle Connor (81) and Pierre-Luc Dubois (80) celebrate after Connor’s goal against Ducks goaltender John Gibson (36) during the second period on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

Ducks goaltender John Gibson, center, saves a shot by the Winnipeg Jets’ Pierre-Luc Dubois, right, during the second period on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

Ducks goaltender John Gibson saves a shot by the Winnipeg Jets’ Kyle Connor during the second period on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

The Winnipeg Jets’ Kyle Capobianco, right, and the Ducks’ Dmitry Kulikov collide along the boards during the third period on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

The Winnipeg Jets’ Kyle Connor celebrates his go-ahead goal against Ducks goaltender John Gibson for a 2-1 lead during the third period on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

The Winnipeg Jets’ Kyle Connor, left, celebrates his go-ahead goal against Ducks goaltender John Gibson for a 2-1 lead during the third period on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

The Ducks’ Trevor Zegras, left, scores the tying goal against Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck during the third period on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

The Winnipeg Jets’ Adam Lowry (17) celebrates after Kyle Connor, not shown, scores the go-ahead goal past Ducks goaltender John Gibson during the final minute of the third period on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

The Winnipeg Jets’ Kyle Connor, right, celebrates after he scored the go-ahead goal past Ducks goaltender John Gibson with 53.5 seconds left in the third period on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Connor scored all three Winnipeg goals, and the Jets held on to win, 3-2. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

The Winnipeg Jets’ Mark Scheifele (55) and Kyle Connor (81) celebrate after Connor’s third goal of the game gave them a 3-2 lead during the final minute of the third period against the Ducks on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

Winnipeg Jets fans celebrate after Kyle Connor scored his third goal of the game to give them a 3-2 lead during the final minute of the third period against the Ducks on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

Former Winnipeg Jets star Teemu Selanne, center front, waves to the crowd during a ceremony where he and Teppo Numminen were inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame prior to a game against the Ducks on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

Former Winnipeg Jets star Teemu Selanne gives a thumbs-up during a ceremony where he and Teppo Numminen were inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame prior to a game against the Ducks on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

Former Winnipeg Jets forward Teemu Selanne, second from left, waves to the crowd during a ceremony where he and Teppo Numminen, second from right, were inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame prior to a game against the Ducks on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

Former Winnipeg Jets Teppo Numminen, center right, and Teemu Selanne, center left, prepare to drop a puck during a ceremony where they were inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame prior to a game against the Ducks on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

Former Winnipeg Jets Teppo Numminen, third from left, and Teemu Selanne, second from left, attend a ceremony where they were inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame prior to a game against the Ducks on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

The jersey numbers of former Winnipeg Jets Teppo Numminen and Teemu Selanne are inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame during an unveiling ceremony prior to a game against the Ducks on Thursday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

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WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Kyle Connor completed a hat trick with 53.5 seconds left to give the Winnipeg Jets a 3-2 victory over the Ducks on Thursday night.

Connor converted a pass from forward Mark Scheifele, snapping a shot past goalie John Gibson.

The Ducks’ Trevor Zegras, who had knotted the score at 2-2 with 5:17 left, blamed himself for the game-winner.

“We played 59 good minutes,” he said. “I make a bad play on the wall and miss my guy going to the front of the net and the game’s over. I would say it’s kind of on me. There were some good things, some bad things. It’s getting old, for sure.”

Connor Hellebuyck stopped 29 shots for the Jets (10-4-1).

Troy Terry also scored for the Ducks (5-11-1), and Gibson made 29 saves.

Zegras had tied it at 2-2 just 28 seconds after Connor gave Winnipeg a 2-1 edge. Adam Henrique set up Zegras, who lifted the puck up over Hellebuyck.

“It’s really heartbreaking,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. “We played a really solid team road game. We stood right in there, swinging, with one of the better teams in the league right now. And we had a missed puck play and a missed assignment (in) the last minute and it cost us.”

The Jets knotted the score at 1-1 on the power play 12:32 into the second period. With Ducks defenceman Dmitry Kulikov in the box for tripping, Connor pounced on a Pierre-Luc Dubois rebound at the side of the net and sent the puck over Gibson’s shoulder and into the net.

The Ducks opened the scoring midway through the first period. During a delayed penalty on Winnipeg’s Neal Pionk, Terry fired a shot from inside the blue line that eventually bounced past a screened Hellebuyck.

The Ducks have yet to win a game in regulation this season.

NOTES

The Jets inducted Teemu Selanne and Teppo Numminen into their Hall of Fame in a jersey-unveiling ceremony before the game. Selanne had 147 goals in 231 games with the Jets in four seasons before being traded to the Ducks in late 1996. Numminen played eight seasons in Winnipeg before moving to Phoenix with the franchise and played another seven years there.