Hellebuyck sets Jets wins mark, defeats Flames

WINNIPEG -- Connor Hellebuyck made 23 saves to set the Winnipeg Jets wins record with a 4-1 victory against the Calgary Flames at Bell MTS Place on Thursday.

It was Hellebuyck's 153rd win, passing Ondrej Pavelec for most in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers history.
"[The record] means a lot," Hellebuyck said. "I care a lot about this organization, they've given me my shot, and I care about the guys in front of me. It's a testament to all the guys that I've played with. We just keep racking up wins, and it's really exciting and I'm really glad I get to share it with these guys. A lot of guys have been with me from the beginning, and I'm looking forward to the future now."
The Jets won the final two of the three-game set against the Flames in Winnipeg.
"You saw [Hellebuyck] upset after [the loss Monday]," Jets forward Adam Lowry said. "He's a competitor. He wants to win every night. We appreciate that he gives us a chance night in and night out. He's the backbone of our team."
Mason Appleton scored twice, and Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele also scored for the Jets (7-3-1). Mathieu Perreault had three assists.

"[Appleton] has been awesome to play with, to be honest," Perreault said. "He forechecks really hard, he's a really fast player, and he talks a lot on the ice. He makes things easy for his linemates. He's just a great player, and I've been enjoying playing with him and Lowry the last few games.
"Tonight, it feels like everybody was in the right spot at the right time, and if we weren't, then [Hellebuyck] was making the big saves. All in all, it was a great game."
Jacob Markstrom made 23 saves for the Flames (4-5-1).
Andrew Mangiapane gave Calgary a 1-0 lead at 19:04 of the first period.
"I think we started the game good," Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson said. "The second period, we just don't play together. We don't get the puck out when we should and we're not clean. We're just kind of throwing it away and not playing as a unit of five out there in the second period, and it cost us one or two goals."

Appleton tied the game 1-1 at 3:31 of the second period. Connor scored on a breakaway to give the Jets a 2-1 lead at 13:59 before Scheifele made it 3-1 at 19:09.
"A lot of the goals tonight we self-inflicted. We left [Markstrom] out to dry," Flames coach Geoff Ward said. "Standing beside a guy on the first one. There were mistakes by us. Really, we've got to get back to being committed to play to what our identity is and committed to the defensive details in our hockey game.
"We're soft in a lot of areas of the hockey game. Let's start there. We've got to raise our compete level."
Appleton scored into an empty net at 18:38 of the third period for the 4-1 final.
NOTES: Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau's season-opening point streak ended at nine games (six goals, five assists). It is the longest such streak by a Flames player since 2013-14, when Jiri Hudler had 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in Calgary's first nine games. … Jets defenseman Dylan DeMelo left the game after blocking a shot midway through the first period. … The Jets are 3-1-1 in their past five games. ... Scheifele has four points (two goals, two assists) during a three-game point streak. … Pionk has an assist in three straight games.