Lindholm, Flames recover to defeat Jets in season opener

CALGARY -- Elias Lindholm scored the go-ahead goal with 1:32 remaining in the third period and had two assists for the Calgary Flames, who recovered for a season-opening 5-3 win against the Winnipeg Jets at Scotiabank Saddledome on Wednesday.

Lindholm gave the Flames a 4-3 lead on a setup from Andrew Mangiapane below the goal line. Mangiapane scored into an empty net at 19:53 for the 5-3 final.

"I think a lot of people could have put that one in, but it was a great pass and I just have to put that one high and it worked," Lindholm said.

Mangiapane had two goals and an assist, and Jonathan Huberdeau had two assists. Jacob Markstrom made 34 saves for Calgary.

Flames coach Ryan Huska, promoted from assistant June 12 following the firing of Darryl Sutter, won in his NHL head-coaching debut.

"It was a big game for us. Big two points," Mangiapane said. "I think there was good resiliency to come back and not get away from the game there. It was a big win for us as a group. Just to kick off the season with a win is huge."

Kyle Connor tied an NHL record by scoring in his sixth straight season opener, and Alex Iafallo scored in his Jets debut. Connor Hellebuyck made 17 saves.

"I think we battled really hard, showed a lot of compete, did a lot of good things out there, put a lot of good pucks at the net," Connor said. "You play that game in this league, you're going to win more times than not. I think you take away the positives from that game and move on."

Mangiapane gave Calgary a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal at 12:29 of the first period. Adam Ruzicka's initial shot was blocked, and Mangiapane shot a loose puck in the slot by Hellebuyck's glove.

Connor tied it 1-1 at 14:48 with a wrist shot from the high slot that squeezed between Markstrom's glove and pad.

"He's a fantastic hockey player," Winnipeg forward Mark Scheifele said. "He's a guy I get to see firsthand in the summer how much preparation goes in and how hard he works. He puts in so much hard work. It's no shock he does that year after year. He's an amazing player and a big part of this team."

MacKenzie Weegar put the Flames back ahead 2-1 at 17:50, scoring on a wrist shot from the right point through traffic.

Iafallo tied it 2-2 at 11:19 of the second period when he tipped a Dylan DeMelo point shot by Markstrom's blocker.

Iafallo was acquired alongside forwards Gabriel Vilardi, Rasmus Kupari and a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings for forward Pierre-Luc Dubois on June 27.

Rasmus Andersson gave Calgary a 3-2 lead at 13:49 with a short-handed goal after he shot by Hellebuyck's blocker from the high slot on an assist from Lindholm.

Andersson's goal came 12 seconds after Markstrom stopped Scheifele's one-timer from the slot.

"‘Marky’ was awesome," Mangiapane said. "He's a big part of the team. When you see him dialed in like that, it's awesome to see. I think shots were probably 12-2 to start the game or something like that and he was standing on his head to keep us in it throughout the whole game. It was a big game for him and we're going to need a lot more of those from him."

Scheifele tied it 3-3 at 14:18 of the third with a shot short side over Markstrom's glove.

"I thought we played a really solid game," Scheifele said. "Markstrom made some pretty unbelievable saves. He held them in there. But a lot of good things. I think we've got to be positive here. It's the first game, and first game really with our entire lineup. We played a solid game. We can't dwell on the result too much, but keep building."

NOTES: Connor tied the NHL's longest goal streak in season-opening games, joining Cam Atkinson of the Columbus Blue Jackets (2014-15 to 2019-20), Yvan Cournoyer of the Montreal Canadiens (1973-74 to 1978-79) and Mud Bruneteau of the Detroit Red Wings (1940-41 to 1945-46). ... Vilardi had seven shots in 21:04 of ice time in his Jets debut. ... Scheifele has a franchise-best nine goals in season openers (12 games). ... Mangiapane is three goals away from 100 in the NHL. ... Scheifele and Hellebuyck each signed a seven-year, $59.5 million contract on Monday (average annual value of $8.5 million).