Jets blank Ducks, forge three-way tie for first in Central

Laurent Brossoit made 21 saves, Tyler Toffoli scored twice and the Winnipeg Jets moved into a three-way tie for first place in the Central Division with a 6-0 victory over the visiting Anaheim Ducks on Friday night.

It was Brossoit's second shutout of the season and fifth of his career. Dylan DeMelo had a goal and an assist, Josh Morrissey had three assists and Kyle Connor, Nate Schmidt and Mason Appleton also scored for Winnipeg, which completed a three-game series sweep of the Anaheim this season and defeated the Ducks for the ninth straight time at home. Nikolaj Ehlers added a pair of assists.

With the win, joined Colorado and Dallas atop the Central with 89 points. The Jets, however, have a game in hand on the Avalanche and two games in hand on the Stars.

John Gibson finished with 32 saves for Anaheim, which lost its fifth straight game, getting outscored 27-5 in the process.

Winnipeg took a 1-0 lead at the 16:20 mark of the first period on Connor's 28th goal of the season. DeMelo got the primary assist with a wrist shot from above the right circle which Connor redirected inside the near post with his waist-high stick about halfway toward the goal.

The Jets made it 2-0 midway through the second period with a power-play goal by Schmidt, whose wrist shot from the top of the right circle pinballed off the skates of the Ducks' Brett Leason and Pavel Mintyukov inside the far post for his second goal.

Winnipeg then broke the game open with three goals in the span of just over six minutes early in the third period. DeMelo got the first at the 4:59 mark when he crept in from the right point and blasted a slap shot that squirted under Gibson's right arm.

Toffoli, obtained at the trade deadline from New Jersey, followed with his first goal with the Jets with a wrist shot from the left circle past Gibson's glove side. A little less than three minutes later, Toffoli scored his 28th goal on the power play with another wrist shot from the left circle through traffic and past Gibson's glove side.

Appleton finished the scoring with a power-play goal with 5.5 seconds left, one-timing a shot from the bottom of the left circle.