The Winnipeg Jets rode a trio of first-period goals and 29 saves from goaltender Laurent Brossoit to claim a 3-2 home-ice victory over the Calgary Flames Tuesday night.
Thanks to goals by Trevor Lewis, Derek Forbort and Nikolaj Ehlers, Brossoit, who was drafted by the Flames in 2011, won for the second time this season in big part because of a 16-save third period — the biggest a stop on Johnny Gaudreau in the final seconds — while the visitors pushed mightily for the equalizer.
The Flames won 4-3 in a shootout on Monday in the first of the three consecutive meetings in Winnipeg. They’ll finish this mini-series Thursday in Winnipeg.
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Lewis opened the scoring with a short-handed marker 6:40 into the clash. Mason Appleton intercepted Milan Lucic’s soft pass and brought the puck deep into the offensive zone before he spied Lewis heading to the slot. Lewis quickly sent a top-corner shot over the glove of Flames goalie David Rittich for his first goal of the season.
Then, Forbort, a former Flames defenseman, doubled the lead 30 seconds later. Taking advantage of another Calgary turnover, the Jets raced up ice and Forbort was sent down the wing with the puck before he ripped a high shot for his first tally of the campaign.
The barrage of goals didn’t end there. Matthew Tkachuk put the Flames on the board 35 seconds later with his fourth goal of the season. While enjoying an odd-man rush, Tkachuk drove to the net and redirected a cross-ice pass from Dillon Dube to light the lamp.
However, Ehlers restored Winnipeg’s two-goal lead at the 13:32 of the opening frame. The Jets’ forecheckers won the battle deep in the Calgary zone before sending the puck to the point, and Ehlers deflected Dylan DeMelo’s point shot into the net for his sixth goal of the season.
Needing a jolt of life, the Flames received one when Tkachuk scored his second of the game before the midway point of the final frame. After he was stopped on a partial breakaway and Gaudreau rang a rebound offering off the crossbar, Tkachuk put home the loose puck with 9:07 remaining in regulation. With his assist, Gaudreau extended his point streak to start the season to nine games.
Rittich stopped 25 shots for the Flames.
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–Field Level Media