Jets edge Flames, extend season-opening winning streak to 8 

CALGARY -- Cole Perfetti scored a power-play goal with 3:44 remaining, and the Winnipeg Jets extended their season-opening winning streak to eight games with a 5-3 victory against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday.

Perfetti gave the Jets a 4-3 lead with a shot under Dustin Wolf's blocker from the right face-off circle. The goal came less than three minutes after Winnipeg failed to convert on a 5-on-3 power play that lasted for 1:30.

"Before I got it I knew I was going to shoot," Perfetti said. "Their guy kind of came across as the screen I think, so kind of just tried to get it on net. We were just joking, [Kyle Connor] was buttering [Wolf] up for me because he was hammering one-timers at him on the 5-on-3, and then all I had to do was throw an off-speed changeup on him and that was, I guess, what got him. A little lucky, but it was great."

Connor and Mason Appleton each had a goal and an assist, and Neal Pionk, Adam Lowry and Nino Niederreiter each had two assists for the Jets (8-0-0), who are the ninth team in NHL history, and the fourth Canadian team, to record a winning streak of at least eight games to begin a season. Eric Comrie made 26 saves.

"It feels pretty good,” Lowry said. "I think we'll definitely take the the wins for sure. Looking back on the stretch, there are areas of our game we still want to improve and there's areas of our game we really like. I think it's important we find ways to win in different ways. It's nice to bank these points early and hopefully we can continue this roll."

Mikael Backlund, Rasmus Andersson and Nazem Kadri scored, and Wolf made 30 saves for the Flames (5-2-1), who have lost three of four.

"I think we were better or outplayed them in big moments 5-on-5," Andersson said. "It was just ... 5-on-5 I thought we were the better team, honestly, and it was just too many penalties. Yeah, frustrating. Frustrating for sure."

Backlund gave Calgary a 1-0 lead just 28 seconds into the first period when he roofed a sharp-angled shot over Comrie's right shoulder from below the left circle.

Nikolaj Ehlers tied it 1-1 at 1:51 with a power-play goal. His intended backdoor pass for Gabriel Vilardi from the right post deflected five-hole off the skate of Andersson.

Connor put Winnipeg ahead 2-1 at 17:37 with a short-handed goal. He fended off Blake Coleman's backcheck on a 2-on-1 rush, took a pass from Lowry, and shot high over a sprawling Wolf.

Connor has 10 points (six goals, four assists) during a season-opening eight-game point streak.

Andersson tied it 2-2 at 17:28 of the second period when he banked a shot in off the side of Comrie's mask from just above the goal line.

Dylan Samberg put Winnipeg back in front 3-2 at 1:01 of the third period. His one-timer from the right point hit off the end glass, bounced back over the net and deflected in off Wolf's back.

"I haven't had one like that," Wolf said. "The instant reaction is he shoots it wide and the puck is coming out on the other side. I'm not sure how it bounced off and came back. Unfortunate for sure. Hate to see them."

Kadri tied it 3-3 at 4:19 with a wrist shot blocker side from the high slot.

After Perfetti scored his power-play goal, Appleton shot into an empty net at 18:46 for the 5-3 final.

"It's pretty awesome," Perfetti said. "The guys are excited, guys are happy. To be able to come on the road and get all three games too, that's a great trip for us. We're just going to try to keep this going. We're feeling good, we're playing great and the mood is really good. There's nothing better than winning."

NOTES: Scott Arniel is the first coach in NHL history to win his first eight games with a team. ... The eight-game winning streak is tied for the longest in Jets history. ... Winnipeg has yet to allow more than three goals in a game and has scored at least four in five games. ... Pionk (one goal, eight assists) and Ehlers (four goals, four assists) each extended his point streak to five games. ... Andersson (four goals, six assists in eight games) is the first Flames defenseman since Mark Giordano in 2013-14 to get 10 points prior to his 10th game of a season. ... Calgary forward Yegor Sharangovich was minus-1 in 19:23 of ice time in his return after missing the first seven games of the season because of a lower-body injury.