Jets’ 2 third-period goals are enough to beat Flames – Hockey Writer – Winnipeg Jets
Monday night saw the Calgary Flames host the Winnipeg Jets in the first game of the season between the two Canadian rivals. This game may be overshadowed by the Toronto Blue Jays, a Canadian MLB team participating in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS).
The Flames enter the game on a five-game losing streak after winning their first game of the season against the Edmonton Oilers, while the Jets enter the game on a four-game winning streak.
game review
The game began with the Flames and Jets trading power play opportunities in the first five minutes of the game. In the remaining time, the Flames got two more chances with the personnel advantage. However, Connor Hellebuyck and Dustin Wolf both stepped up and stopped a combined 17 shots to keep the game scoreless going into the first intermission.
The Flames ended their third power play opportunity early in the second quarter. Then they got a fourth and then the Jets got their second and third chances to play man. However, these chances did not bring any results and the two sides were still tied at 0 midway through the game.
After eliminating both penalties, the Flames opened the scoring not long after with Rasmus Andersson’s second goal of the season, this one coming from the Rockets. The goal, assisted by Adam Klapka and Ryan Lomberg, came almost simultaneously with the Blue Jays closing out Game 7 of the ALCS, which may have some fans tuning in before the game’s first goal.
The Flames entered the final 20 minutes with a one-goal lead. However, the Jets finally broke the deadlock on their fifth power play opportunity of the game, with Jonathan Toews scoring his first goal of the season and first NHL goal since April 2023. Nino Niederreiter had an assist on the goal, his fourth straight game scoring, and Neal Pionk also had an assist on the goal, his first of the season.
The game ultimately came down to a goal from Mark Scheifele, who took the ball from Josh Morrissey and into his own area. He passed the ball to Kyle Connor in the neutral zone and got it back from Connor on a backdoor catch on a two-on-one with just under five minutes remaining.
The loss gave the Flames their sixth straight win, and with the 2-1 victory, the Jets have now won five in a row. The Flames will face the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday, while the Jets will face the Seattle Kraken on Thursday.
