Without Josh Morrissey, the Winnipeg Jets had a void in their lineup against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night.

Anaheim handed the Jets their first regulation loss of the season in the 5-1 contest. Winnipeg’s power play that was red hot to start the season was an ice-cold 0-for-4, and it emphasized just how much the Jets missed Josh Morrissey in the game.

The Jets started with a ton of energy and speed, but Anaheim maintained their pace over the full game and capitalized on Winnipeg’s mistakes.

Winnipeg didn’t get burned just once in the transition game; they were burned three times by Anaheim’s fourth line.

Former Manitoba Moose Jeff Malott notched two assists to help the Ducks secure the win.

Malott helped Judd Caulfield with his first NHL goal, and even helped retrieve the puck for Caulfield.

It must’ve been bittersweet for the now 30-year-old Malott, a player who’s extremely familiar with Canada Life Centre.

Malott’s linemates, Caulfield and Tim Washe, each had a goal and an assist. It’s not every game a team gets that amount of production from its fourth line, but Anaheim found a way to utilize their speed to torch the Jets’ defenders.

“(They) had a special night. They scored a couple off the rush, almost had a third one off the rush, had a couple shifts in the third with good possession and cycle time,” Joel Quenneville said about his fourth line. “We couldn’t ask for anything more. That was a special night for those guys,” Quenneville added.

Judd Caulfield’s first NHL goal opened the scoring at 14:41 in the first period. Malott’s almost breakaway was jammed in by Caulfield, who flew into the net alongside the puck.

Caulfield spoke about how great it felt to get his first NHL goal, and added that his linemates helped give him that opportunity to score.

The Grand Forks, North Dakota-born NHL player had family drive just north of the border to watch him play his fourth career NHL game.

“It was super special with the family here,” Caulfield said.

“It was as close as we’re going to get, and it was (good) to have a nice little lineup on the schedule to have a Friday night game. It was super special to have them in the stands. I don’t think my grandma’s been to a game in a while, and it was nice to have my parents and my wife’s family here as well, and my siblings. It was great to have that support. They have supported me for so many years.”

Caulfield had around 10 family members in attendance to watch his first multi-point NHL game.

Washe added to Anaheim’s lead at 5:20 in the second period, driving play and creating a 2-on-1 rush with Malott after Caulfield’s pass got through the neutral zone.

Similar to the second period, Sam Colangelo added to Anaheim’s lead early in the third frame after he knocked in Beckett Sennecke’s pass that found him near the crease.

When it seemed like Winnipeg was out of the game, Kyle Connor scored his sixth goal of the season to make it a 3-1 game with 10:36 left.

“We had a lot of chances there in the second to change momentum, and unfortunately we weren’t able to get one,” Connor said about the game Anaheim played against the Jets.

Mikael Granlund scored at 14:06 to make it 4-1, and with the net empty, Nikita Nesterenko made it 5-1with 41 seconds left to play, and many fans at Canada Life Centre headed for the exits.

“We weren’t getting inside,” Arniel said about his team’s complete game performance.

This led to a more tense game for Winnipeg, and as Anaheim kept scoring, Winnipeg continued to feel the pressure.

Arniel said at one point that it felt like the Jets were scrambling after Anaheim’s goal.

“I thought we did a really good job of getting pucks to the goal line and then going from there. In the second period, we didn’t do that quite as well. So, just some mental things that happened. Obviously, some physical things as well. Not an excuse; everybody does it, but the five (games) in eight (days), there were some things there mentally that you could see kind of caught up for us.”

Anaheim accomplished exactly what it set out to do against Winnipeg: bounce back after a loss to the Edmonton Oilers and hand the Jets their first regulation defeat of the season.

For Winnipeg, the loss offers a reminder of how quickly things can unravel when mistakes in transition meet an opponent capable of making them pay. The Ducks’ fourth line set the tone, while the Jets’ power play failed to provide the response it had delivered earlier in the season.

Head coach Scott Arniel pointed to the demanding schedule as a possible factor, with Winnipeg having played five games in eight days.

“Not an excuse; everybody does it, but the five (games) in eight (days), there were some things there mentally that you could see kind of caught up for us,” Arniel said.

The Jets now have an opportunity to regroup. With no game until Tuesday’s matchup against the Minnesota Wild, Winnipeg will have several days to rest, reset, and address the mistakes that proved costly against Anaheim.

The loss doesn’t erase the strong start Winnipeg put together, but it does give the team plenty to work on before its next test.