In a game in which the Winnipeg Jets dominated the shot clock, they never grabbed the lead in a 5-3 loss in Calgary to open their 2023-24 season Wednesday night.
With the Jets having some tired legs after an icing, Elias Lindholm broke a three-all tie with just 1:32 remaining and the Flames added an empty-netter for the season opening victory.
The Jets badly outshot the Flames 37-22, but got stymied by goalie Jacob Markstrom in starting the campaign with a hard luck loss.
“We certainly played well enough to at least get a point out of there,” said Jets head coach Rick Bowness. “It just didn’t go our way tonight, a couple of things. The power play looked really, really good. Markstrom was outstanding for them.
“But I really liked the way we played and if we play like that, we’re going to win a lot of hockey games.”
Kyle Connor, Alex Iafallo, and Mark Scheifele scored for the Jets in a losing cause.
“We can’t dwell on the result too much and just keep building,” said Scheifele. “Obviously it sucks to lose. We want to win, but you got to take the positives out of that tonight and keep building.
“That’s what the season is all about. It’s about growing and getting better every game and we just got to take another step.”
Connor tied an NHL record by scoring in the season opener for the sixth straight season, becoming just the fourth player in NHL history to do so.
“It’s a cool stat, I guess,” said Connor. “Just preparation I do in the off-season, pre-season, training camp.
“As a group, I think we were really prepared for this game and personally, I was ready for the challenge, and felt great out there.”
The Jets power play went 0-for-4 while giving up a shorthanded marker but they generated a ton of quality chances.
“We had some great looks,” Bowness said. “The power play did what it’s supposed to do, create chances and give your team some momentum. And it did both of those.”
The Jets got off to a hot start, controlling the first ten minutes thanks in part to a power play but they were unable to get one past Markstrom.
After Winnipeg killed off a penalty of their own, Josh Morrissey was called for delay of game for sending the puck over the glass, and this time the Jets couldn’t get the kill.
A rebound bounced right to Andrew Mangiapane who buried it past Connor Hellebuyck to open the scoring at the 12:29 mark.
But just over two minutes later, Connor tied the game when his wrist shot from the slot trickled through Markstrom.
Calgary regained the lead with just over two minutes to play in the first when MacKenzie Weeger sent a wrister on goal from the point and it beat Hellebuyck through a screen.
Winnipeg had a serious edge in shots on goal, 15-8, but trailed 2-1 on the scoreboard through 20 minutes.
That score went unchanged until the 11:19 mark of the second when a Dylan DeMelo point shot was deflected high over the shoulder of Markstrom by Iafallo, playing in his first game as a member of the Jets.
Not long after, the Jets earned their third power play of the night and put all kinds of pressure on Markstrom, but the Flames goalie continued to stand his ground and allowed his team to take the lead thanks to a shorthanded goal.
Rasmus Andersson jump-started a breakout after swatting down a puck with what may have been a high stick but it went uncalled. Moments later, Lindholm found a streaking Andersson in the Jets end, and the blueliner beat Hellebuyck with a clean wrister to put the Flames ahead for the third time.
Markstrom made several more high-quality saves on a fourth Winnipeg power play as the second period expired. The Jets held a 28-14 edge in shots on goal and a 63-31 edge in shot attempts through 40 minutes but trailed 3-2.
All that pressure finally paid off with less than six minutes left after Morrissey made a great play at the Calgary blue line to keep the puck in. Morrissey found Scheifele in close and the newly-signed centreman wired a perfect shot off the post and in to even the score.
But with less than two minutes left, the Jets fourth line got caught out on a long shift and iced the puck, leading to the game-winning goal.
Calgary won the ensuing faceoff and the tired Jets lost track of their checks, leading to Mangiapane getting the puck from behind the Winnipeg net to a wide-open Lindholm in front for the winner with 1:32 remaining.
Winnipeg wasn’t able to generate much with the goalie pulled and Mangiapane put the nail in the coffin with an empty-netter with seven seconds left in the third.
Markstrom finished the night with 34 stops to earn the win while Hellebuyck turned aside 17 shots in defeat. Calgary also won 61 per cent of the faceoffs in the victory.
The Jets will now return to Winnipeg to play their first home game of the season Saturday afternoon against Florida. Puck drop is slated for 3 p.m. with pregame coverage starting at 1 p.m. on 680 CJOB.
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