Veteran-laden Winnipeg Jets squad beats visiting Calgary Flames in pre-season tilt

Posted on October 2, 2024 by Peggy

Nino Niederreiter scored twice and Gabriel Vilardi had three assists leading the Winnipeg Jets to a 5-2 win over the Calgary Flames in a pre-season game Wednesday night.

Niederreiter broke a 2-2 tie with a go-head goal at 6:28 of the third period.

Nikolaj Ehlers had a goal and assist and Simon Lundmark and Kyle Connor also scored for Winnipeg. Mark Scheifele added a pair of assists.

Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck made 17 saves in his second pre-season start for Winnipeg.

Winnipeg iced mostly a veteran lineup, while the Flames were evaluating players on their roster bubble. Martin Frk and Justin Kirkland scored for Calgary.

Expected regular-season starter Dustin Wolf made 22 saves in his third pre-season appearance for the Flames. Meanwhile veteran defenceman Tyson Barrie, who signed a professional tryout contract with Calgary, played a team-high 21 minutes 24 seconds in his fourth pre-season game.

A group of men on hockey gear hug. — Winnipeg Jets’ Nino Niederreiter, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Dylan DeMelo celebrate Niederreiter’s goal against the Calgary Flames during first period NHL pre-season action in Winnipeg on Wednesday. (John Woods/The Canadian Press)

The game was tied 2-2 after the first period and stayed that way heading into the third.

Frk’s tip of Jake Bean’s shot from the point put the visitors on the scoreboard first at 8:04 of the opening period, but the Jets responded with two quick goals.

Winnipeg’s work on the power play this week paid off when Ehlers beat Wolf at 10:47.

Niederreiter made it 2-1 at 12:21 when he lifted a backhand shot past Wolf.

But Kirkland made Winnipeg pay for a turnover and beat Hellebuyck with two minutes left in the opening period. Lundmark gave the Jets a 4-2 lead at 14:17 of the third period and Connor scored on Wolf just over two minutes later.

Both teams conclude their pre-season schedules with a rematch Friday in Calgary.