Monday night we saw the Calgary Flames host the Winnipeg Jets for the first game of the season between these two Canadian rivals. A game that was likely overshadowed by the Toronto Blue Jays, the Canadian MLB team that played in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS).
The Flames came into this game on a five-game losing streak after winning their first game of the season against the Edmonton Oilers, while the Jets came into the game on a four-game winning streak.
Summary of the game
The game started with the Flames and Jets trading power play opportunities in the first five minutes of the game. Throughout the remainder of the period, the Flames would have two more chances with the man advantage. However, both Connor Hellebuyck and Dustin Wolf held their ground, stopping a total of 17 shots to keep the match scoreless going into the first intermission.
The Flames closed on their third opportunity on the power play to start the second period. They then got a fourth, before giving the Jets their second and third chances to play a man ahead. However, none of these opportunities came to fruition and the match remained level at zero halfway through the match.
After killing both penalties, the Flames opened the scoring shortly afterwards with Rasmus Andersson’s second goal of the season, which came with a rocket shot from the point. The goal was assisted by Adam Klapka and Ryan Lomberg and nearly coincided with the Blue Jays closing out Game 7 of the ALCS, potentially allowing some fans to tune in before the game’s first goal.
The Flames held onto this one-goal lead into the final 20 minutes. However, the Jets finally broke the ice on their fifth power play opportunity of the game, following Jonathan Toews’ first goal of the season and first NHL goal since April 2023. Nino Niederreiter assisted on the goal, marking his fourth straight game with a point, along with Neal Pionk recording his first point of the season with an assist.
The game was decided after Mark Scheifele’s goal, where he received the puck in his own zone from Josh Morrissey. He gave it to Kyle Connor in the neutral zone and would get it back from Connor on a two-on-one for a backdoor tap-in with less than five minutes to play.
The loss makes it six straight for the Flames, and with the 2-1 win, the Jets have now won five in a row. The Flames return to action on Wednesday against the Montreal Canadiens, while the Jets host the Seattle Kraken on Thursday.
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