Winnipeg 3, Calgary 2
When: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, January 3, 2023
Where: Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Referees:
Peter MacDougall, Garrett Rank
Linesmen:
Devin Berg, Justin Johnson
Attendance:
14130
By Field Level Media
Sam Gagner broke a deadlock late in the third period to give the host Winnipeg Jets a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames in a hard-battled game Tuesday night.
Josh Morrissey and Brenden Dillon also scored for the Jets, who boast a three-game winning streak despite having a plethora of players out due to injury. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made 33 saves in an excellent goaltending duel.
Nikita Zadorov and Mikael Backlund replied for the Flames, who twice erased a deficit but couldn't do it a third time, while goalie Jacob Markstrom stopped 22 shots.
With overtime looming, Gagner gave the Jets their third lead of the night with 5:40 left on the clock. Gagner set up shop for a deflection and perfectly tipped Ville Heinola's point shot for his seventh goal of the season.
Calgary pressed in the final minute, but couldn't solve Hellebuyck in a frantic push in a close affair. His biggest stop was on a point-blank chance by Jonathan Huberdeau.
After a scoreless, tight-checking opening period, Dillon finally opened the scoring with 5:10 remaining in the second, which snapped a 38-game goal drought that dated back to late last season. Dillon, despite being a defenseman, went to the front of the net as Dylan DeMelo fired a point shot that ricocheted off his knee and into the net.
Zadorov evened the count with 59.5 seconds remaining in the period. The defenseman joined an odd-man rush, took a feed from Tyler Toffoli and scored on a five-hole shot for his fifth goal of the campaign.
Morrissey put the Jets ahead a second time with 9:38 remaining in the third period. After his shot was blocked, the defenseman tracked the puck in the slot and ripped a top-shelf tally for his seventh goal of the season.
But Backlund drew the game even again 96 seconds later. Taking advantage of a broken play, he completed a backhand deke for his eighth marker of the season.
Earlier in the day, the Flames announced that forward Brett Ritchie was to visit a specialist for an injury suffered on New Year's Eve.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Calgary |
|
Winnipeg |
|
Mikael Backlund 1 |
Points |
Brenden Dillon 1 |
|
Mikael Backlund 1 |
Goals |
Brenden Dillon 1 |
|
Elias Lindholm 1 |
Assists |
Kyle Connor 1 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Jacob Markstrom .880 |
Save Percentage |
Connor Hellebuyck .943 |
|
Jacob Markstrom 22 |
Saves |
Connor Hellebuyck 33 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Calgary
|
35 |
2 |
0-2 |
4-4 |
10 |
31 |
| Winnipeg
|
25 |
3 |
0-4 |
2-2 |
6 |
26 |
Upcoming Games
-
Winnipeg will play their next game at home against Tampa Bay. The Jets have a W/L % of .583 after a win and .714 after a loss.
-
Calgary will play their next game at home against NY Islanders. The Flames have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .429 after a loss.
For more information, contact us