ANAHEIM, Calif. — Ondrej Pavelec made 40 saves, Evander Kane had a short-handed goal and an assist in his return from a four-game injury absence, and the Winnipeg Jets ended the Anaheim Ducks’ 10-game home winning streak with a 3-2 victory Tuesday night.
Blake Wheeler and Andrew Ladd also scored for the last-place Jets, who also handed Anaheim its first regulation loss at home this season after a 20-0-2 start at Honda Center.
Bryan Little had two assists as Winnipeg hung on for its fourth consecutive win since coach Paul Maurice replaced Claude Noel.
Cam Fowler and Nick Bonino scored for the NHL-leading Ducks, who hadn’t lost at home since Dec. 3. Anaheim has won 19 of 22 overall, but has lost two of its last three games.
Anaheim was just the fourth NHL team in 40 years to earn a point in its first 22 home games to start a season. The Ducks were the only NHL team that hadn’t lost in regulation at home this season.
Jonas Hiller yielded three goals on 11 shots and was pulled late in the second period of his second straight loss after a 14-game winning streak.
Frederik Andersen stopped 10 shots in relief, but the NHL-leading Ducks began the week leading up to Saturday’s outdoor game by overlooking the Jets for two mediocre periods. Anaheim faces the Los Angeles Kings at home on Thursday and again at Dodger Stadium on the weekend.
With yet another win for Maurice, Winnipeg relinquished sole possession of last place in the Central Division, pulling even with Nashville at the bottom of the table.
The Ducks were back home after a road trip that began with a loss in Chicago, snapping their eight-game winning streak. They returned to welcome a Winnipeg Jets team into Anaheim for the first time since 1996. The erstwhile Atlanta Thrashers hadn’t visited Honda Center since Oct. 15, 2010.
Fowler scored a goal in his second straight game just 3:59 in, ripping a slap shot off Zach Bogosian’s stick on a power play. But Wheeler evened it moments later, putting a stoppable shot past Hiller’s glove for his 18th goal, and Ladd scored late in the period by pouncing on a loose puck.
Anaheim struggled on two power plays in the second period, and Hiller got yanked when he fanned on a quick shot by Kane, who had been out since Jan. 7 after injuring his hand in a fight with Tampa Bay’s Eric Brewer.
After Andersen relieved Hiller, the Ducks dominated the third period and finally scored when Bonino followed Jakob Silfverberg’s rebound in the slot and scored his 16th goal.
NOTES: Before the game, Anaheim sent D Sami Vatanen down to its AHL affiliate in Norfolk. Vatanen, who will play for Finland in Sochi next month, didn’t have to clear waivers for the Ducks to make the move. … Anaheim scratched F Dustin Penner, a Manitoba native. He had suited up for the last five games. … With Kane’s return, Winnipeg scratched F James Wright, who had missed just one game all season.