Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/jets-beat-flames-in-shootout- 470305203.html

Jets douse Flames in playoff-like contest Hellebuyck makes 30 saves in regulation, Little and Wheeler score in shootout

By: Mike McIntyre

CALGARY — It was a marquee Hockey Day in Canada matchup between the country’s best team and the country’s hottest team. Not surprisingly, it went right down to the wire. And then some.

In the end, the edged the 2-1 in a shootout Saturday to snap a two-game slide and get back in the win column. Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler scored in the skills competition while Connor Hellebuyck turned away both Calgary shooters.

"You know what, that kind of looked like playoff hockey a little bit. I thought we played a really good game — we had our legs under us. I thought we did what we needed to do, the details were there," said Hellebuyck, who stopped 30 of 31 shots during the game.

Winnipeg improves to 27-13-7 and will look to make it two in a row tonight at Bell MTS Place. Calgary (25-16-5) had its seven-game win streak snapped, but still have points in eight straight.

Wheeler was asked following the game if this grind-it-out-and-be-patient kind of style is the key to long-term success for his club.

"You nailed it, man. That’s the biggest thing for our team," Wheeler said.

"I don’t think it’s necessarily a personnel thing or talent thing with us anymore. It’s being OK playing that game. We haven’t had to do it a whole lot here the last seven years. We’ve played four playoff games. So, we’re trying to figure it out on the fly. Our coaching staff is doing an incredible job preparing us."

"It was a good step in the right direction. Only a couple of guys were losing their minds on the bench, so that’s growth. We only snapped a couple of sticks. It’s new for us. This is new territory. I’m not talking about where we are in the standings, the winning. But winning games like that and being OK playing games like that. Even if we lost in or a shootout, it’s still a point and those add up at the end of the year."

Both teams were coming off of bye weeks, but appeared to quickly shake off any rust, showing plenty of jump and energy.

Calgary opened the scoring 8:17 into the game with the teams playing 4-on-4 hockey. Winnipeg turned the puck over while trying to break out of its end and Troy Brouwer pounced, setting up teammate TJ Brodie, who ripped a shot past Hellebuyck.

The Flames appeared to make it 2-0 later in the opening frame, as Hellebuyck was unable to corral a seemingly harmless shot that ended with Brouwer poking in the rebound. But Winnipeg challenged the play, claiming interference.

After several minutes of review, the was waved off. Replays showed Calgary forward Matthew Tkachuk making contact with Hellebuyck, pushing him out of position about a second before the shot went in.

"I probably would have made the save, to be honest," Hellebuyck said. "I was held down, I can’t move, I can’t do anything, I can’t rotate, I can’t really prepare myself for the rebound. So, it was the right call."

Winnipeg seemed to draw some momentum from the play, stringing together several good shifts near the end of the period.

"That’s a big game changer," forward Mathieu Perreault said. "I kinda saw it right away. As soon as I saw the replay I told (coach Paul Maurice) to look at it and then they called it. So it was a good bounce for us, and then we were able to take over from there and play a great game."

Maurice laughed following the game when told of Perreault’s comments.

"Oh, yeah, it’s all Matty. Matty makes the calls on the bench. We’ll see where Matty is the next one that goes against us," Maurice said. "I was challenging either way, for the time-out effect, if I thought it was close. But I don’t know how comfortable coaches are in thinking they know what the call is going to end up being when you make that call, to be honest."

The momentum carried over to the second, with Nikolaj Ehlers being robbed in the opening minute by Mike Smith.

The Jets tied it just past the midway mark, as Little’s shot was redirected by Perreault through the pads of Smith for his 14th goal of the season. Ehlers drew the other assist. Perreault had made a beautiful entry into the offensive zone on the play to set it all up.

"(Little) just threw it back in on net and I just was able to get my stick on it. It kind of fooled the goalie, I guess. I didn’t even see it go in. I think our line had some great shifts, great chances," Perreault said.

Rookie Jack Roslovic nearly put the Jets ahead, ringing one off the post on the power play. He was inches away from his first career NHL goal and point.

There were some predictable sloppy moments in the game as well, including a Wheeler giveaway on the same man-advantage, which gave Mark Jankowski a partial breakaway. Wheeler ended up taking a slashing in his rush to cover up the mistake.

Hellebuyck had to be sharp as the period wore on, swatting aside a Flames two-on-one rush and then another close call where a Calgary shot struck Little in the face and nearly went in.

Ehlers was denied again in the opening seconds of the third period, as Smith gloved away his one-timer.

"Sometimes, they don’t go in, and they didn’t today," Ehlers said. "I think, besides too many turnovers, I played a good game today, our whole team did. Our line created a lot of chances. We got our two points. That’s all that matters."

Both teams settled into a more defensive style as the game wore on, clearly hoping to at least secure a point by playing it safe and getting it to extra time.

"You just have to stick with it," Perreault said. "Some nights, it’s frustrating; everybody wants to get in the offensive zone and get chances. But you just can’t get frustrated, just stick with it. A 1- 1 game like this, that’s the kind of game we’re going to have to play down the stretch and if we get in the playoffs."

Ehlers called it a "great experience" for the young players on the team not to panic and suddenly open the game up.

"You just gotta play the game. We’ve done the right thing, I’d say, 90 per cent of this season. And we’ve played the way we’ve wanted to and everybody has stuck to the system. And we did that again (Saturday). It’s easy because you want to help the team win," Ehlers said of keeping things low-risk.

"Before the break, we lost two in a row. You know, I kinda want to say we reset and got back at it. We had a good start (Saturday), got the two points. We don’t feel any pressure. We’re playing the game that we want to play, and we’ve done that for almost all the games this year. It feels good. We just have to keep this going." https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/jets-penalty-killing-at-season-best-but- still-a-work-in-progress-470315913.html

Jets' PK within striking distance of league's top tier

By: Mike McIntyre

CALGARY — It’s still a work in progress, but Winnipeg’s penalty killing has taken some significant strides lately — including a perfect four-for-four effort Saturday against the Flames.

The Jets are now up to a season-best 81.8 per cent efficiency, which has the team knocking on the door of being among the top 10 in the NHL.

"In games like this, you need that. We weren’t getting the calls going our way and we had to kill a few more than we’d like to. You’ve still got to find a way to win a hockey game. The guys going out there, including our goaltender, did for the most part a really good job of keeping them to the outside, getting in shot lanes — that’s what a penalty kill looks like," Blake Wheeler said Saturday.

Goalie Connor Hellebuyck credited the players in front of him for getting in shot lanes and being in prime position to keep danger at bay.

"They’ve been battling very hard. Working hard in front of me, and I think we have the chemistry now where they know where I need to see pucks. And they’re staying in the right spots, and when the puck does come they’re battling extremely hard and clearing out the rebounds," Hellebuyck said.

Coach Paul Maurice said there’s still plenty of room for improvement, but believes the team is trending up in that department.

"Our PK’s been good. I haven’t felt, even in the games that we’ve given up a goal, that we’ve been that far off it. Connor was a real important part of that. That’s where he had to do his heaviest work. But it’s getting better," Maurice said.

Overtime redemption has to wait Winnipeg has been a disaster in overtime so far this season, going 0-6 in games decided in the 3-on-3 format. So everyone was choosing to look at the glass as being half-full after surviving the five minutes and getting Saturday’s game to a shootout.

"We didn’t lose in it. So it’s a step in the right direction. We’ve talked about it a little bit. With the amount of skill we have and the amount of ice out there, it should be a real advantage for us playing three-on-three," Wheeler said following the game. The Jets do have a 2-1 record now in shootouts.

"I like our odds in a shootout. We have a lot of skilled players," said Hellebuyck, who thought his teammates passed the latest overtime test with flying colours.

"I think we held the puck a little bit more and made them make those pressure decisions on when they should change, when they should attack and when not to. It really helps winning that first faceoff. That’s where you get the momentum going. I thought the guys did the right things," he said.

Maurice said he didn’t see as much risk-taking Saturday from his squad.

"I didn’t think either team had a whole lot going in that 3-on-3. You rarely see scrums, and there were about four of them. There are some places in it I still think we can better. We got it from wide-open, trade chances, down to scrums. Now, I’d like to get a little more action. There’s more there," he said.

Enstrom reaches milestone Defenceman Toby Enstrom played in his 700th career game Saturday, all with the same franchise. He sits third all-time behind Bryan Little and Chris Thorburn for the turned Winnipeg Jets.

Enstrom, 33, has fallen down the depth chart a bit, but remains an important part of their defensive puzzle. He played 16:36 Saturday with a shot on goal and three blocks. That was the second-least among blue-liners. Only Dmitry Kulikov, at 14:19, played less.

Shortening the bench Winnipeg’s fourth-line hasn’t been quite the same since Mathieu Perreault moved up the lineup following the injury to . And Maurice certainly hasn’t been deploying it the same way either.

The trio of Matt Hendricks, Marko Dano and Jack Roslovic saw limited even strength action Saturday. Hendricks did get some penalty killing time, while Roslovic was used on the power play.

Hendricks played 8:26, Roslovic had 7:08 and Dano a team-low 5:58.

Winnipeg Sun http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/jets-nip-flames-in-shootout

Playoff mode already

By Paul Friesen

CALGARY, Alta.–Nobody will mistake it for a Picasso, but in Paul Maurice’s world, the way the Winnipeg Jets won, Saturday, wasn’t far from a work of art.

NHL playoff-style art, that is, with all its imperfections.

The Jets tossed two points up on the canvas in a 2-1 shootout win over the Flames that could have easily gone off the edges, proving once again that patience is everything and drawing pretty pictures ain’t where it’s at for this team, as talented as it is.

“It’s going to be tight games, just like that,” Maurice said of the race to the playoffs. “You’ve got to be real comfortable in that.

“So we get into that playoff mode now.”

With both teams coming off five-day breaks, it wasn’t expected to be a clinic in play-making. More of a dump, chase and grind, with the occasional colourful offensive burst thrown in.

“We got into a game in Chicago that was similar to that,” Maurice said. “And I don’t know that we handled it poorly, but we seemed frustrated.

“This was a real good upgrade from that. We seemed pretty composed on the bench.”

I guess that view is relative.

“Only a couple of guys were losing their minds on the bench, so that’s growth,” Blake Wheeler said. “We only snapped a couple of sticks.”

That might be the hardest part of keeping this team on track: reeling in the desire to score a ton of goals.

“It’s new for us,” Wheeler said. “This is new territory. I’m not talking about where we are in the standings… but winning games like that and being OK playing games like that. Even if we lost in overtimes or a shootout, it’s still a point and those add up at the end of the year.”

It could have easily gone the other way, Saturday, if not for an overturned goal that would have made it 2-0, Calgary, just 12 minutes in.

Flames pest Matthew Tkachuk had caused Winnipeg’s Matt Hendricks to bump into goalie Connor Hellebuyck before Troy Brouwer put the puck in the net.

“That’s a big game-changer,” Mathieu Perreault said. “I kinda saw it right away. As soon as I saw the replay I told Paul to look at it.”

The way Mike Smith was playing in the Flames net, a two-goal lead would have been hard to overcome.

“It’s 2-0, that’s tough the first 10 minutes after a break,” Wheeler said. “When you make it back to 1-0, it’s almost like you scored a goal yourself. Matty Perreault was pretty adamant. Maybe some of us swayed Paul to challenge that.”

Maurice said he was going to challenge the goal if it was at all close, just to give his team the benefit of a timeout.

The coach wasn’t at all convinced he was going to win the review.

“I don’t know how comfortable coaches are in thinking they know what the call is going to end up being when you make that call, to be honest,” he said.

If we’re honest, it was borderline, although you wouldn’t know it by listening to Hellebuyck.

“I probably would have made the save to be honest,” he said. “I was held down, I can’t move, I can’t do anything, I can’t rotate, I can’t really prepare myself for the rebound.”

Like art, it’s in the eye of the beholder, I guess.

Given their reprieve, the Jets kept scribbling away and were finally rewarded midway through the second period, when Perreault tipped Bryan Little’s innocent-looking backhand past Smith.

The stared each other down from that point, on, Smith in particular keeping things even, his most frustrated victim, Nik Ehlers.

“Sometimes they don’t go in, and they didn’t today,” Ehlers said, allowing himself a grin because of the result. “You just gotta play the game. We’ve done the right thing I’d say 90 percent of this season. Great experience for us, to stick with it and not open the game up.”

A far better experience than, say, winning 6-4, I suggested.

“One hundred percent,” Ehlers said.

Even the overtime was relatively tame.

“We didn’t lose in it,” Wheeler said, knowing full well his team is 0-6 in OT. “So it’s a step in the right direction.”

The captain put an exclamation point on the day with the clinching shootout goal, about the only thing that was Picasso-like on this afternoon.

Sunday, it’s back to the canvas for another lesson. http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/skol-day-for-wheeler

"Skol" day for Wheeler

By Paul Friesen

Blake Wheeler has two big games, Sunday.

A Minneapolis native, Wheeler is a die-hard Minnesota Vikings fan, and the Vikes kick off the NFC Championship against Philadelphia, with a berth in their home Super Bowl on the line, just before the Jets host Vancouver.

Wheeler is hoping the team vanquished the demons of its playoff past with that miraculous, last- play win over New Orleans last weekend.

“I’ve been through a lot with them,” Wheeler said. “I watched it with my five-year-old, and all he knows is the Vikings do miraculous things. I grew up, they did miraculous things, but it was always the opposite.”

Wheeler was 11 when the Vikings lost a heart-wrenching conference championship in overtime to Atlanta, one of several oh-so-close moments in franchise history.

The Jets played in St. Paul last week, and TV cameras caught Wheeler joining the crowd in the Vikes’ “Skol” cheer.

A day later, the “Minneapolis Miracle” happened.

“You go through your ups and downs with them. I remember 1998 watching that game and crying the rest of the day. That’s just how much the state of Minnesota loves the Vikings. So I’m no different.

“It was a great moment.” http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/five-keys-to-jets-vs-canucks-2

Five keys to Jets vs Canucks

By Paul Friesen

Winnipeg Jets vs , 7 p.m., Bell MTS Place; TV: Sportsnet; Radio: TSN1290

THE BIG MATCHUP

Trouba/Morrissey vs Brock Boeser The Vancouver forward is in the race for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie, and the Jets will likely match their top defence pairing against the University of North Dakota product. Boeser has been among the league leaders in goals scored per 60 minutes all season, and went on an eight-goals-in-10-games run while top centre Bo Horvat’s been out.

FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME

BO, OR NO BO Horvat was going to be a game-day decision for the Canucks. That’ll trump any other decision head coach Travis Green makes, Sunday. When Horvat broke his foot in early December — he had 10 goals and 10 assists in 28 games — the Canucks were 14-10-4. Without him, they were 2-11-2, going into a Saturday evening tilt in Edmonton.

QUICK RECOVERY The back-to-back factor might not be as big an issue, given both teams just had their five-day breaks. But it’s still a thing. The Jets played Saturday afternoon in Calgary, so they’ve had more time to recuperate than the Canucks, who were in Edmonton Saturday night. Advantage, Winnipeg – if they can jump on it.

WHO’S IN GOAL? Head coach Paul Maurice said he’s consider playing Connor Hellebuyck in this back-to-back, because of the afternoon-evening combination. Because of the uncertainty surrounding Steve Mason, Maurice will at some point have to decide if he’s going to give Michael Hutchinson another shot. Hutchinson has been on a mission all season to prove the Jets wrong for sending him down to the farm.

DRAW SOME PENALTIES Forcing opponents into some penalties by using their speed should always be a priority for the Jets. Maybe more than usual on this night, because Vancouver’s penalty killing units rank near the bottom of the league. With Winnipeg’s power play running like a Swiss watch on home ice this season, special teams alone could win this game.

ENJOY HOME COOKING This is the Jets’ first home game since Jan. 7, and they play two more on the road after this. With five straight home wins and a 16-3-1 mark, overall, at Portage and Hargrave, continuing to dominate there will go a long way to keeping the Jets at or near the top of the Central Division.

Canadian Press https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/bryan-little-blake-wheeler-score-in-shootout- as-winnipeg-jets-edge-calgary-flames/article37674690/

Bryan Little, Blake Wheeler score in shootout as Winnipeg Jets edge Calgary Flames

BY DARREN HAYNES

A potent display in the shootout and a critical coach's challenge by Paul Maurice helped Winnipeg pick up two big points on Saturday afternoon.

Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler scored in the shootout as the Jets won 4-3 over the Flames to snap Calgary's seven-game winning streak.

Little opened the shootout with a wrist shot inside the goal post on Mike Smith. After Mark Jankowski and failed to score on Connor Hellebuyck and Smith denied Patrik Laine, Wheeler clinched it on a deke to his forehand.

"A big win coming off two losses," said Mathieu Perreault, who scored the lone Jets goal in regulation. "We needed to bounce back and we did."

Winnipeg was on a 6-0-1 tear before they limped into the bye-week last Saturday on back-to- back losses. The Jets opened the day in second place in the Central Division, one point back of Nashville and even in points with St. Louis.

"It's huge," said Hellebuyck, who made 30 saves. "We've been in the situation a lot this year and we've been on the wrong side of it, so to be on the right side of it and get the good feeling off the break is going to help us carry the momentum."

The Flames appeared to take a 2-0 lead midway through the first period when Troy Brouwer banged in a loose puck. However, Maurice issued a coach's challenge and upon review, it was overturned due to goaltender interference as Matthew Tkachuk had pushed Matt Hendricks into Hellebuyck.

"That's a big game-changer," said Perreault. "We were able to take over from there and play a great game."

The reversal surprised Flames coach Glen Gulutzan.

"I didn't see it the same way. It was called a goal on the ice. He made the first save after the contact, the puck was loose, I don't know if he could have got to it, even after contact," said Gulutzan.

TJ Brodie scored for Calgary (25-16-5), which is back in action at home on Monday night against the .

Winnipeg (27-13-7) flies home to play host to Vancouver on Sunday night.

Playing a major role in Calgary scrapping out a point was Smith, who stopped 33 shots.

"We didn't play our best today, that's for sure, but we ended up getting a point against a really good team," said Smith. "That's a positive coming out of a game like that where maybe you don't feel like you played your best but you find ways to get points and that's important down the stretch."

The post-bye week rust was evident early with missed passes and sloppy play. Calgary was last in action on Sunday and the Jets had been off since last Saturday.

Calgary opened the scoring at 8:17 when Brodie sent a wrist shot past Hellebuyck for his first goal in 44 games.

Winnipeg tied it on its 22nd shot at 10:47 of the second. Getting the puck in the slot, Little's backhand from 20-feet out was tipped by Perreault through Smith's pads.

Calgary's record in games resolved in three-on-three is 6-1 compared to 0-6 for Winnipeg.

"We didn't lose in it, so it's a step in the right direction," Wheeler said about extra time.

Calgary Sun http://calgarysun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/calgary-flames/flames-stalwart-goalie-smith-stars-in- post-bye-shootout-loss

Flames stalwart goalie Smith stars in post-bye shootout loss

By Wes Gilbertson

Mike Smith’s four little cowpokes, it seems, have embraced the Stampede City spirit.

For the past three months and change, the 35-year-old puck-stopper has countless times carried the Calgary Flames on his back.

And during the four-day bye in their schedule?

“The kids did some bull-riding,” Smith said with a grin. “And I ended up being the bull.”

For the first time since ’s acrobatic era, the Flames — and their red-clad supporters — don’t have to worry about what sort of performance they’ll get from their goaltender.

Smith proved that yet again in Saturday’s 2-1 shootout loss to the Winnipeg Jets at the Saddledome, delivering 34 saves and doing his darnedest to extend the Flames’ season-best winning streak to eight straight.

Didn’t happen, but you can’t blame that on the backstop.

“Oh man, he made some highlight-reel ones today, eh?” said Flames rearguard Michael Stone post-game. “We probably gave up a few too many Grade-As. They didn’t capitalize, but it wasn’t for lack of putting it where they wanted to. Smitty made those saves.”

You never know what you’re going to get after a bye, but it probably shouldn’t come as a shock — even a mild surprise, really — that Smith was the Flames’ finest perfomer in a Hockey Day in Canada matinee against the Jets.

Ho-hum.

Stop us if you’ve heard this before.

“The rest is nice, especially with playing so much,” Smith said after his 39th start of the season, the second-highest total in the league. “If you let (the break) affect you, you can bring yourself down. I think it’s mental. Did I feel the best I’ve felt all year? No. But you never feel good all the time, so I think that’s the biggest thing of maturing as a player is to figure out how to play well when you’re not feeling maybe your best or you’re a little bit rusty.

“For me, it’s just about doing what I’ve done all year. Just try to be consistent, and it was no different coming out of a four-day break. I just wanted to be solid in there for this team.”

He was.

Smith’s finest work came only eight seconds into the final frame, a grand-theft glovery on a point-blank one-timer from winger Nikolaj Ehlers. Smith snared the low shot and then raised his trapper high above his head, signalling to an appreciative crowd that there was nothing to fret about.

“Just try to make yourself big, find a way to get your glove there and put a little something else on it,” Smith said of that save-of-the-day candidate. “Just to, you know, let ’em know you’re there.”

Other dandy denials included a pad-save on Ehlers in the middle stanza and a beauty blocker as defenceman Dmitry Kulikov unloaded from the slot in the third.

With just over two minutes remaining in regulation, Jets blueliner Jacob Trouba snuck behind his Flames counterparts, but Smith kicked away his attempt.

Mathieu Perreault was credited with Sunday’s lone marker for the Jets, who arrived in Calgary as the third highest-scoring squad in the NHL’s Western Conference.

Perreault’s second-period strike was a deflection of Bryan Little’s backhander, coming on the 23rd shot of the afternoon for the out-of-towners.

Little wired a wrister just inside the left post in the first round of the shootout and Jets captain Blake Wheeler clinched the victory with a dizzying deke.

“I think the guys just feed off his preparation and his focus,” said Flames goaltending coach Jordan Sigalet of Smith, acquired this summer in a swap from the Coyotes. “You can see it before the game. You can see it during the game. He doesn’t get rattled. He gets mad, but he doesn’t let it affect his game. That goes to the room, especially when you have a bit of a younger group … For a veteran goalie like that to be back there, it’s a confidence-booster.”

And not just a confidence-booster for the skating staffers.

“It’s that feeling to know that you have a chance to win every night. And then there’s another feeling there that there’s a chance he can steal you a game, too,” said Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan. “He has both those things in his pocket — consistency and the ability to steal you a game. When you have that in net … You sleep pretty good at night when you have No. 1 goalie like that.”

Makes you wonder, doesn’t it, how far this bull can carry the Flames?

“When it’s crunch-time, he is one of the best there is at rising in those games,” Stone said. “I think you’ve seen that all year. In the big games, he’s always been one of our best players, if not our best player.” http://calgarysun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/calgary-flames/flames-seven-game-streak-snapped- with-shootout-loss-to-jets

Flames seven-game streak snapped with shootout loss to Jets

By Kristen Odland, Postmedia

There was rust, yes.

There was some sloppiness, for sure.

And if you looked really closely, you might have even seen beach sand on the Scotiabank Saddedome ice on Saturday afternoon.

But despite a game that left a lot to be desired — somewhat expected after a five-day CBA- mandated hiatus for both squads — the Calgary Flames were able to snag a point but saw their seven-game win streak snapped with a 2-1 shootout loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

“They were a couple of degrees better than us most of the night,” Gulutzan said. “I thought they had the better, quality chances. That’s how I saw the game.”

The Flames (25-16-5) received another standout performance from goaltender Mike Smith, who faced 35 shots from the high-powered Jets (27-13-7) including some prime scoring chances in overtime.

Johnny Gaudreau was kept off the scoresheet for the first time since the start of the win streak which began on Dec. 31 against the .

From there, the Flames beat the L.A. Kings and the at home before rattling off four straight on the road against the , the , the and the .

And, of course, you might remember Gulutzan tossing his composite into the stands during a practice after the Kings game on Jan. 4 which sparked the spree.

At any rate, his club has points in nine of the last 10 games dating back to a 3-2 shootout loss against the host San Jose Sharks.

Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler scored in the shootout while Mark Jankowski and Sean Monahan were denied by Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who sits second in the NHL with 24 wins.

“We’re not going to be sitting here two months from now and going, ‘Man, this is easy.’ We need points every night,” said Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan. “We’ve gotta manufacture points. March 20 or whatever the date is, it’s going to be tight in the standings.

“We’ll take points where we can get them. But we have some work to do this week to get ourselves going again.”

In the final two minutes of regulation, Smith denied a give-and-go between Mathieu Perreault and Jacob Trouba. Trouba, with Travis Hamonic chasing him, cut into the net, but Smith shut the door.

Eight seconds into the third, Smith flashed the glove on Nikolaj Ehlers, who was trying to be opportunistic on a one-timer feed by Perreault. No doubt, the save will be on Saturday’s highlight loop because Smith’s timing was impeccable. Five minutes later, he made a blocker save on Dimitri Kulikov on another one-timer.

Considering the quality of goaltending in the clash, it’s no doubt the game was a low-scoring affair.

The Calgary side hit the scoresheet early, 8:17 into the first period on a four-on-four when TJ Brodie took advantage of a broken play and pinched in, finding the back of the net. It was the defenceman’s first goal in 44 games.

But the Flames were still tasked with killing off Sean Monahan’s holding penalty, a weird call when he bear-hugged Wheeler as the two lost their balance. At the time, the Jets were killing a too-many men penalty.

The home side leaned on Smith again in the second period, especially early in the frame when he denied Ehlers, who’d been set up by Dustin Byfuglien.

The Jets tied it with 9:13 remaining in the middle frame when Bryan Little went five-hole on Smith. Meanwhile, Perreault was tying up Hamonic, which created a partial screen on the Flames netminder.

The closest the Flames came to scoring in the second period was when Mark Jankowski was sprung for a short-handed breakaway. The 23-year-old missed, but he drew a slashing penalty from Wheeler with just 16 seconds left on a Flames penalty kill (Hamonic was off for tripping).

The Flames cruised into a powerplay, but nothing came of it, and their man-advantage unit was stymied after going three straight games with power-play goals.

With 7:34 to go in the first period, it looked like Troy Brouwer crashed and banged his way to the Flames second goal of the game, a team effort with Matthew Tkachuk and .

But after the Jets challenged goalie interference, the referees overturned the call and the replay showed that Tkachuk had driven Matt Hendricks into Hellebuyck’s crease. Still 1-0.

“I didn’t like it … I didn’t see it the same way,” Gulutzan said of the call. “It was a called goal on the ice, and he made the first save. After the contact, the puck was loose, and I don’t know if he could have got to it even after the contact was made with Chucky and their player. I thought, for sure, sitting on the bench it would be a goal.”

Interesting because the Jets out-chanced the Flames (12-3 according to NaturalStatTrick.com) and out-shot them 15-9.

In the end, the Flames were out-shot for the fifth straight game (35-31).

“We weren’t very sharp at certain points,” said Flames captain Mark Giordano. “But it felt like it was a scrambly game both ways. Those are the nights where you try to grind through and get that extra one.”

And hope your goaltender stands tall.

Up next?

The Buffalo Sabres limp into town Monday (7 p.m., Sportsnet West/Sportsnet 960 The Fan) after Saturday’s 7-1 loss to the . Then, the Flames brace for a back-to-back against the on Wednesday (8 p.m., Sportsnet 360/Sportsnet 960 The Fan) and a road clash against the (7 p.m., Sportsnet West/Sportsnet 960 The Fan).

NHL.com https://www.nhl.com/news/winnipeg-jets-calgary-flames-game-recap/c-295122924

Jets deny Flames eighth straight win Use shootout to end Calgary's streak; Hellebuyck makes 30 saves by Aaron Vickers / NHL.com Correspondent

CALGARY -- The Winnipeg Jets ended the Calgary Flames' seven-game winning streak with a 2-1 shootout win at Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday.

TJ Brodie scored, and Mike Smith made 34 saves for the Flames (25-16-5), who had not lost since Dec. 29.

"At the end of the day, that point that we picked up is huge," Flames forward Micheal Ferland said. "Obviously it [stinks] that our streak is snapped, but as a group, we know how big points are right now and we're happy we got that point."

Mathieu Perreault scored the tying goal in the second period for the Jets (27-13-7), who ended a two-game losing streak. Connor Hellebuyck made 30 saves.

"We played [confident]," Perreault said. "It was a big win coming off two losses. We needed that bounce back and we did. It was good."

Bryan Little shot by Smith's glove, off the post and in in the first round of the shootout, and Blake Wheeler scored around Smith's left pad in the third. Hellebuyck stopped Mark Jankowski and Sean Monahan.

"We've been in the situation a lot this year and we've been on the wrong side of it, so to be on the right side of it and get the good feeling off the break is going to help us carry the momentum," Hellebuyck said.

Brodie put the Flames up 1-0 with his first goal in 44 games at 8:17 of the first period. His two other goals this season were scored Oct. 7 against the Jets.

Troy Brouwer appeared to extended the lead to 2-0 at 12:26 when he scored on a rebound, but the Jets successfully challenged the goal should be disallowed for goaltender interference.

"It's huge anytime you get a goal called back," Hellebuyck said. "I probably would've made the save, to be honest. I was held down. I can't move. I can't do anything. I can't rotate and really prepare myself for the rebound there, and it sat there for a few seconds."

Perreault tied the game 1-1 when he tipped Little's backhand from the high slot at 10:47 of the second period. Perrault has six points (four goals, two assists) in his past five games.

Jets forward Jack Roslovic hit the post on the power play at 12:24, between two Hellebuyck saves on . Hellebuyck made a blocker save on Gaudreau's shot on a 2-on-1 at 11:55, and another with 2:17 remaining in the period.

"We could have won that game," Ferland said. "[Smith] did a good job, he kept us in there in the beginning of the game. We didn't have the start we wanted, but we stuck with it."

Smith made a glove save on Nikolaj Ehlers' one-timer eight seconds into the third period, and a blocker save on Dmitry Kulikov in the slot at 4:18. Smith also made a right-pad save on Jacob Trouba at 17:29.

"Sometimes they don't go in, and they didn't today," Ehlers said. "I think besides too many turnovers, I played a good game today and the whole team did. Our line created a lot of chances. We got our two points. That's all that matters."

Goal of the game Little's goal in the first round of the shootout.

Save of the game Hellebuyck's save on Gaudreau at 11:55 of the second period.

Highlight of the game Smith's save on Ehlers eight seconds into the third period.

They said it "That kind of looked like playoff hockey a little bit. There was lots of grinding. We played a really good game and had our legs under us. We did what we needed to do. The details were there." - - Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck

"We didn't play our best today, that's for sure, but we ended up getting a point against a really good team, and that's a positive coming out of a game like that where maybe you don't feel like you played your best but you find ways to get points, and that's important down the stretch, getting points every game." -- Flames goaltender Mike Smith

Need to know It was the longest winning streak for Calgary since 10 straight from Feb. 21-March 13 last season. … Each team was coming off its break. The Flames last played Sunday, and the Jets last played last Saturday. … Jets defenseman Tobias Enstrom played his 700th NHL game. He is the third player to reach that mark in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers history, along with Chris Thorburn (718) and Little (709). … Flames forward Jaromir Jagr (lower body) missed his sixth straight game.

What's next Jets: Host the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday (8 p.m. ET; SN, NHL.TV) Flames: Host the Buffalo Sabres on Monday (9 p.m. ET; SNW, MSG-B, NHL.TV)

Sportsnet.ca http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/flames-thoughts-rusty-calgary-gets-streak-snapped/

Flames Thoughts: Rusty Calgary gets streak snapped

By Derek Wills

The Calgary Flames‘ season-long seven-game winning streak was snapped on Saturday, when they dropped a 2-1 shootout decision to the Winnipeg Jets at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Hockey Day in Canada.

RESTED BUT RUSTY Fresh off of their five-day break, the Flames were well rested going into Saturday’s game against the Jets. With that said, they looked a little rusty, especially in the first period. On the flip side, the Jets, who had a six-day break between games, had plenty of jump from the drop of the puck, looking sharp from start to finish and deserved to pick up two points.

GAME-CHANGING COACH’S CHALLENGE Already leading 1-0 on T.J. Brodie’s third goal of the season and first in 44 games dating back to Oct. 7, when he scored twice in a 6-3 victory over the Jets in his team’s home opener, the Flames appeared to take a 2-0 first-period lead on a goal by Troy Brouwer. But Jets bench boss Paul Maurice challenged the goal, which was overturned. Here’s the explanation from the NHL’s Situation Room:

“After reviewing all available replays and consulting with NHL Hockey Operations staff, the Referee determined that the actions of Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk caused Winnipeg’s Matt Hendricks to contact Hellebuyck before the puck crossed the goal line, preventing him from doing his job in the crease. The decision was made in accordance with Rule 78.7 which states “The standard for overturning the call in the event of a ‘GOAL’ call on the ice is that the Referee, after reviewing any and all available replays and consulting with the Toronto Video Room, determines that the goal should have been disallowed due to ‘Interference on the Goalkeeper,’ as described in Rules 69.1, 69.3 and 69.4.”

After watching multiple replays from multiple angles on Sportsnet, I didn’t think the call on the ice would be overturned. I was wrong. Truth be told, I don’t think the call should have been reversed. Tkachuk bumped Hendricks outside of the blue paint. Hendricks lost his balance, wound up on one leg and grazed his own goaltender, which may or may not have impacted Hellebuyck’s ability to get across the crease to stop Brouwer’s shot. Tough call for Brouwer, Tkachuk and the Flames but a great challenge by Maurice.

BROKEN RECORD Another game, another fantastic performance by Flames goaltender Mike Smith. The Jets were the better of the two teams on Saturday and probably would have won by multiple goals if not for Smith, who was selected as the game’s second star in a losing cause. Even though he surrendered two goals on three shots in the shootout, the Flames probably wouldn’t have picked up a point without a superb effort from their goaltender. The Flames have been searching for a No. 1 goalie since Miikka Kiprusoff called it quits.

As good as Johnny Gaudreau has been (and he’s been really, really good), in my opinion, Smith has been the team’s most valuable player this season and has given the Flames elite-level goaltending. With all due respect to Marc-Andre Fleury, Smith, not the Golden Knights netminder – who has missed most of the season due to injury – should be in between the pipes for the Pacific Division at the 2018 NHL All-Star Game.

YOU CAN’T WIN ‘EM ALL The bye week didn’t come at a great time for the Flames, who swept a three-game homestand and then a four-game road trip to go into their five-day break as the hottest team in the NHL. The Flames weren’t surfing the same tidal wave of momentum coming out of the break that they were when they went into it with seven consecutive victories. Glen Gulutzan’s group was far from being at its best on Saturday, but it still managed to pick up an important point against a very good Jets team, that with the shootout win, moved into first place in a deep Central Division that doesn’t have one bad team.

With the point, the Flames, who were 11 points out of second in the Pacific going into their game against the Kings on Jan. 4, moved past the Sharks and into sole possession of second in the division going into Saturday night’s games. If you’re a glass-half-empty kind of guy or gal, the Flames’ seven-game winning streak was snapped on Saturday. If you’re a glass-half-full type of person, the Flames stretched their season-long point streak to eight games and continued their climb up the standings.

DON’T SLEEP ON THE SLUMPING SABRES While the Flames have big games against Pacific Division rivals Kings and Oilers on their schedule before next weekend’s all-star break, they can’t get ahead of themselves by looking past Monday’s contest versus the Sabres. With 12 teams fighting for eight playoff spots in the Western Conference, every single point is important, so leaving one or two of them on the table versus a Sabres squad that sits dead last in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference and ahead of only the Coyotes in the NHL’s overall standings is something the Flames can’t afford to do.

After getting blown-out 7-1 on home ice by the Stars on Saturday, I suspect the Sabres will at least put up a good fight against the Flames on Monday.

TSN.ca https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/button-jets-have-all-elements-you-need-to-have-success~1308598 (VIDEO LINK)

Button: 'Jets have all elements you need to have success'

The Jets pulled off a shootout win over the Flames on Saturday and Craig Button says he is impressed with Winnipeg's attributes and believes the team has what it takes to be very successful. www.winnipegjets.com https://www.nhl.com/jets/news/little-scores-shootout-winner-as-jets-edge-flames/c-295120954 (

Little scores shootout winner as Jets edge Flames Perreault tallies lone goal in regulation; Hellebuyck stops 30 in 2-1 win by Jamie Thomas @JamieThomasTV / WinnipegJets.com

CALGARY, Alberta - In their first game after the five-day player break, the Winnipeg Jets faced a great challenge on the road in Calgary to take on a Flames team that had won seven straight.

The Jets put forth a gritty, playoff-type effort and outlasted the Flames 2-1 in a shootout on Saturday afternoon at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mathieu Perreault had the Jets' lone goal in regulation with his 14th of the year midway through the second period, while Bryan Little scored the shootout winner, as the Jets improved to 27-13-7 on the season.

"I liked our game today," said Head Coach Paul Maurice. "Aside from coming off the break, we were patient. I thought we were really good in the first (period) in terms of control and the flow of the play. I thought we had five A-plus chances; real good chances."

The Jets were the better team for most of the afternoon. Flames netminder Mike Smith was brilliant for the home team, stopping 34 of the 35 shots he was peppered with - many of the dangerous and high-quality variety. Jets captain Blake Wheeler was happy with the way his teammates battled and didn't get overly frustrated with not being able to score through the first half of the contest.

"It was a good step in the right direction," he said, adding with a laugh: "Only a couple of guys were losing their minds on the bench and that's growth."

At 8:17 of the opening period with the teams skating 4-on-4, T.J. Brodie grabbed a loose puck off the boards, faked a pass and fired a shot that hit Dustin Byfuglien and went past Connor Hellebuyck on the blocker side for a 1-0 Flames lead.

Brodie has three goals this season, all of them coming against Winnipeg.

Just over four minutes later, Brodie fired a harmless shot from the boards that Hellebuyck had problems handling. Troy Brouwer had two rebound attempts with the second finding the back of the net for what looked to be a 2-0 Calgary lead. The Jets immediately challenged the play, saying that Hellebuyck was interfered with by Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk. After a lengthy discussion the call was reversed, giving the Jets a break kand eeping it a one-goal game - clearly changing the momentum.

"I was challenging either way for the time out effect," Maurice said when asked if he was sure it was interference. "I don't know how comfortable coaches are in thinking they know what the calls going to end up being when they make that call, to be honest."

Added Wheeler, on the boost it gave the bench: "It's 2-0, that's tough in the first 10 minutes. When you make it back to 1-0, it's almost like you scored a goal yourself. Great job again by (Jets Video Coach) Matty Prefontaine. Matty Perreault was pretty adamant about it, too."

The Jets finally got to Smith halfway through the middle frame. Nikolaj Ehlers drew two Flames to him at the far side and slipped a pass through to Little, who was left alone in the slot. Little's backhand shot was tipped home by Perreault, through the pads of Smith to make it 1-1 at 10:47.

The goal was initially credited to Little but was later changed to Perreault during the second intermission.

Early in the third, Smith was back to his usual tricks, robbing Dmitry Kulikov with an incredible blocker save only four minutes in. The defenceman snuck in from the point and Perreault - camped out behind the net - found him wide open between the hash marks, awaiting the one- timer.

The teams then headed to overtime and neither side came up with a clear-cut chance in the 3- on-3 format, forcing a shootout.

Little started things off skating right up the middle and his shot went off the post and in, which turned out to be the deciding goal. Wheeler also scored for the Jets and Hellebuyck denied both Mark Jankowski and Sean Monahan.

Winnipeg is now 2-1 in the shooutout this season.

"It was a great game," Perreault said. "It was a slow start for the first five minutes, but then we got going and it was a great team game."

The Jets will face the Vancouver Canucks at Bell MTS Place on Sunday night - a team they have already beaten twice in 2017-18.

- Jamie Thomas, WinnipegJets.com https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/postgame--connor-hellebuyck/t-277437442/c-56860503

POSTGAME | Connor Hellebuyck

Connor Hellebuyck’s comments following a 2-1 shootout win over the Flames https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/postgame--blake-wheeler/t-277437442/c-56860203

POSTGAME | Blake Wheeler

Blake Wheeler’s comments following a 2-1 shootout win over the Flames www.moosehockey.com http://moosehockey.com/news/recap-jan2018/

Game Recap: Texas 5 at Moose 1

By Daniel Fink | Published: January 20, 2018

Manitoba Moose (26-10-3-2) vs. (22-15-4-2)

Saturday, January 20, 2018 – Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, MB

Scoring Summary 1 2 3 F Texas Stars 2 0 3 5 Moose 1 0 0 1

Shots By Period 1 2 3 F Texas Stars 9 9 14 32 15 15 9 39

Special Teams PP PK PIM Texas Stars 1/3 3/3 6 Manitoba Moose 0/3 2/3 6

Goaltender SummaryGoaltender MIN SA SV Texas Stars Mike McKenna 60:00 39 38 Manitoba Moose Jamie Phillips 57:36 31 27

Goal Summary P TIME TM GOAL ASSIST ASSIST STR SCORE 1 0:17 TEX Jason Dickinson (15) Curtis McKenzie (18) Austin Fyten (3) ES 1-0 TEX 1 8:13 TEX Colin Markison (4) Travis Morin (35) Shane Hanna (2) ES 2-0 TEX 1 17:45 MB Tucker Poolman (1) Mason Appleton (24) Nic Petan (23) ES 2-1 TEX 3 1:14 TEX Curtis McKenzie (21) Brent Regner (14) Brian Flynn (13) PP 3-1 TEX 3 13:01 TEX Greg Rallo (1) Austin Fyten (4) Tommy Thompson (3)ES 4-1 TEX 3 17:08 TEX Jason Dickinson (16) Brent Regner (15) EN/SH

Game Story The Manitoba Moose (26-10-3-2) finished off a six-game home stand against the Texas Stars (22-15-4-2) at Bell MTS Place on Saturday. After winning 4-0 the night before, Texas kept rolling with a goal just 17 seconds into the contest off the stick of Jason Dickinson. The Stars added to their lead at the 8:13 mark when Colin Markison picked the top corner. Manitoba picked up the pace from there and got on the board with 2:15 left in the period on a Tucker Poolman wrist shot from the line to put the score at 2-1 through 20 minutes.

Manitoba kept up the pressure, pumping 15 shots at Mike McKenna in the Texas net. Despite numerous close calls, the Moose couldn’t pull themselves even with the Stars. Moose newcomer Garrett Meurs had a pair of chances in quick succession, nearly tucking away the puck on a scramble in front and followed it up with a good look that McKenna turned aside. Jamie Phillips turned away all nine shots he faced in the period to keep the Moose within a 2-1 score.

Texas started the third period on the power play and made good on the opportunity 1:14 into the frame. Curtis McKenzie’s shot popped up and over Phillips, and though the goaltender lunged back and snagged the puck with his glove, it crossed the line to put Texas ahead 3-1. Penalties proved costly to the Moose who would be forced to kill off two more Texas power plays in the first half of the period, eating up valuable minutes. The Stars went on to add two more goals to their total with former Moose Greg Rallo scoring at the 13:01 mark, followed by Jason Dickinson hitting an empty netter from his own zone for a shorthanded goal with 2:52 remaining.

Quick Hits *Tucker Poolman scored his first AHL goal. *Garrett Meurs made his Moose debut, registering three shots on goal. *Attendance was announced at 5,245.

Quotable Head Coach Pascal Vincent on new additions Elgin Pearce and Garrett Meurs – “I liked them. I thought they were giving the team a lot of energy. Harkins knows the system, but for the other two guys… Pierce a little bit more because he was here in camp so we had to refresh his memory… I thought Garrett was really good, he was on the puck, he was winning battles, he was supporting the puck, making good decisions with the puck, I liked him.”

Forward Jansen Harkins on his time in Jacksonville – “Obviously I want to be up here and play with the big club, and hopefully the Jets one day. You don’t want to go down, that’s kind of the bottom line. At the end of the day, it was a good opportunity for me to play some more minutes. The coaches down there are great with me and the team and all the guys who are really good guys so I had a fun time in general.”

What’s Next? Moose fans won’t see their team on the ice at Bell MTS Place until Feb. 15 as Manitoba will be on the road for the next nine games. The trip starts in Belleville on Jan. 24. Tune in to all the games at moosehockey.com/listenlive and through the Moose App with select games airing on TSN 1290 starting 15 minutes before puck drop.