ANAHEIM, Calif._Each time the Anaheim Ducks grabbed the lead, the Winnipeg Jets responded almost immediately.
The nip-and-tuck affair ended in a tie after 60 minutes and even an overtime period wasn't enough to break the stalemate.
No one scored through four shootout rounds, until finally, Adam Henrique was called on to dazzle with the same nifty moves he's put on display since he debuted with the Ducks on Dec. 1.
And Henrique delivered again, streaking like a ball of fire down the middle of the ice at Connor Hellebuyck and then twisting his back to the net before he lifted the puck over the goalie's left shoulder, sending the 17,174 in attendance at Honda Center into a frenzy for the 4-3 win.
It was a badly needed second consecutive victory in a season when winning streaks have been hard to come by. Suddenly, the Ducks will be in a position to win a third straight game for just the third time all season when they emerge from the all-star break.
"It's all about points right now and it's all about getting wins and making sure that we stay with the pack," said coach Randy Carlyle, whose Ducks are tied for the final Western Conference playoff spot with three other clubs.
"We know the situation we're in, we're going to have to win our fair share of games to qualify for the playoffs and we need to garner points every chance we get."
The Ducks had to carve out the victory with backup goalie Ryan Miller pressed into duty with 6:40 remaining in regulation after John Gibson exited with a lower-body injury.
If the veteran was cold _ and he must have been considering he somehow didn't face a single shot in either regulation or overtime _ it was impossible to tell.
Miller stood tall and denied all five Jets skaters in the shootout, becoming just the fifth goaltender in the last 40 years to record a victory without making an official save.
"It's not ideal (to appear late in relief), but it's kind of what's expected," said Miller. "You try to make a difference and I was happy to do that tonight for sure."
The Jets opened the scoring in the first period after captain Ryan Getzlaf mishandled the puck and Patrik Laine pounced for the takeaway and a quick wrist shot for his 22nd of the season.
More than three minutes later, Henrique capitalized when Laine made a mistake of his own.
The third-line center burst into the zone, ripped the puck from Laine, then brushed off a hook from the trailing player and let loose with a top-shelf wrister to tie the game at 1 at the 6:48 mark.
"Really ever since I've been here I've felt great about my game," said Henrique, who's riding a six-game point streak. "I feel like I'm creating opportunities; confident with the puck all over the ice, and things just seem to come as of late."
Nick Ritchie added a second-period deflection goal on a Henrique wrist shot about two minutes later to give the Ducks the lead, but it was short-lived.
The Jets quickly responded with the game-tying goal two minutes and 11 seconds later.
When the third period rolled around, it was the Ducks leading again after Ryan Kesler out-battled Mathieu Perreault then slung it from the corner, and the puck somehow slipped in top shelf.
But here were those pesky Jets again, the same ones who lead the Central Division behind an all-star goalie, captain Blake Wheeler's 54 points and a young crop of quick, physical skaters. They tied the game 21 seconds later with a Jack Roslovic goal after yet another uncharacteristic Getzlaf turnover.
"It's alarming when you score a goal and then they let the opposition back into it right away," Carlyle noted, "the first shift after the goal."
The Ducks won't have to be alarmed for a while. They head into the break following an impressively played game against one of the best teams in the league, but they will have to hold their breath as they wait to see the status of their No. 1 goalie.
