Kyle Connor's late third-period goal proved decisive as the Winnipeg Jets withstood a furious Flames rally to claim a 3-2 win Friday at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Jonathan Huberdeau and Mikael Backlund scored for Calgary, who erased a 2-0 deficit in the third period in their final preseason tuneup of the fall.
The visitors held a 1-0 lead through 20 minutes, going in front on a backhand effort from Nino Niederreiter with 5:11 left on the clock.
Calgary’s best chance of the opening frame came in the early stages. Nazem Kadri intercepted a breakout pass in neutral ice, strode into the Winnipeg zone and unleashed a wrist shot from the high slot that beat goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, but clanked off the right post.
Shots on goal were 7-7 in period one.
The Jets went ahead 2-0 with 4:01 to play in period two, thanks to a Colin Miller point shot.
The middle frame was low-event hockey, with both sides combining for 12 shots on goal. The best chance for the locals came on an early Flames powerplay, when Connor Zary toe-dragged around a defender and let go a snapshot from the left circle that was parried aside by Hellebuyck.
But in period three, the home team came to life.
And they remembered to tip their server.
Huberdeau got the locals on the board 1:04 into the period, deflecting Daniil Miromanov’s point shot past Hellebuyck to cut the deficit in half.
