The Jets have been keeping their season-opening winning streak alive. They extended the streak to eight games straight after heading to Calgary on Saturday, October 26th, securing a 5-3 victory against the Flames. Nikolaj Ehlers, Kyle Connor, Dylan Samberg, Cole Perfetti, and Mason Appleton all scored five goals for Winnipeg. Mikael Backlund, Rasmus Andersson, and Nazem Kadri all scored three goals for Calgary. The Jets head home to the Canada Life Centre to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs to try to extend their season-opening win streak to nine games straight.
Winnipeg Jets Lineup:
Connor – Scheifele – Vilardi
Perfetti – Namestnikov – Ehlers
Niederreiter – Lowry – Appleton
Barron – Kupari – Iafallo
Morrissey – DeMelo
Samberg – Pionk
Stanley – Miller
Comrie
Hellebuyck
Calgary Flames Lineup:
Sharangovich – Kadri – Kuzmenko
Huberdeau – Pospisil – Mantha
Zary – Backlund – Coleman
Lomberg – Kirkland – Klapka
Weegar – Miromanov
Bahl – Andersson
Hanley – Pachal
Wolf
Only 28 seconds into the first period, Mikael Backlund gave the Flames a 1-0 lead from just below the left circle when he roofed a sharp-angled shot over Eric Comrie’s right shoulder. Winnipeg responded fast – Nikolaj Ehlers tied it to 1-1 at 18:09 on the power play when he intended to send over a backdoor pass to Gabriel Vilardi from the right post, however, it deflected five-hole off Rasmus Andersson’s skate. Kyle Connor struck late in the opening frame with 2:23 left on the clock to give the Jets their first lead of the night with a short-handed goal. He fended off Blake Coleman’s backcheck during a 2-on-1 rush, received a pass from Adam Lowry, who got the puck from Neal Pionk and drove up into Calgary’s zone to pass it to Connor, who then shot high over a sprawling Dustin Wolf for a 2-1 lead.
Rasmus Andersson tied it to 2-2 late in the middle frame at 2:32 when he banked a shot off Eric Comrie’s mask, just above the goal line. Andrei Kuzmenko stole the puck when he intercepted a pass going to Rasmus Kupari, waiting for Andersson to enter the Flames’ zone, then sending the puck to him.
Early into the third, Dylan Samberg put the Jets back in front 3-2 at 18:59 after an attempted shot that bounced back, going to Mason Appleton, who sent it to Samberg. After passing the puck, and then getting it back after a faked shot, Samberg fired a one-timer that hit off the end glass from the right point. It bounced back over the net and deflected in off Dustin Wolf’s back. At 15:41, Nazem Kadri tied it to 3-3 from the high slot with a wrist shot. Cole Perfetti scored a power-play goal to break the tie with just a little time remaining in regulation with a shot from the right face-off circle under Wolf’s blocker… Mason Appleton struck Calgary’s empty net at 1:14 for a 5-3 final.
Adam Lowry on the Jets and their eighth win straight: “It feels pretty good. We’ll definitely take the wins for sure. Looking back on the structures and areas of our game, we still want to improve… It’s important. We found ways to win in different ways. Tied at the end of a road trip 2-2 going into the third, and we find a way to score early in the third… they get it right back, then we find a way to capitalize on the power play.”
Notes:
– Kyle Connor and Mason Appleton both recorded a goal and an assist… Neal Pionk, Adam Lowry, and Nino Niederreiter all picked up two assists.
– Kyle Connor has recorded 10 points (six goals, four assists) during his season-opening eight-game point streak.
– Neal Pionk: one goal and eight assists, and Nikolaj Ehlers: four goals and four assists – both have extended their point streaks to five games.
– Eric Comrie made a total of 26 saves for Winnipeg.
– The Jets are the ninth team in NHL history, as well as the fourth Canadian team, to record a winning streak of at least eight games to start off a season.
– The eight-game win streak is tied for the longest in Winnipeg history… The Jets have yet to allow more than three goals a game and have scored at least four goals in five games.
– Scott Arniel is the first coach in NHL history to win his first eight games with a team.
– Dustin Wolf made a total of 30 saves for Calgary.
– Rasmus Andersson: four goals and six goals in eight games – the first Flames defenseman to pick up 10 points prior to his 10th game of the season since Mark Giordano in 2013-14.
– Yegor Sharangovich made his return after missing the first seven games of the season due to a lower-body injury… he was minus-1 in 19:23 of ice time.
