Lindholm scores late in third, Flames spoil Dubois' debut with Jets

CALGARY -- Elias Lindholm's power-play goal broke a tie with 1:42 left in the third period, and the Calgary Flames spoiled Pierre-Luc Dubois' debut with the Winnipeg Jets with a 3-2 win at Scotiabank Saddledome on Tuesday.

Dubois, a center, was traded by the Columbus Blue Jackets to the Jets for forwards Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic on Jan. 23. Dubois did not have a shot on goal and was minus-1 in 13:10 of ice time. It was his first game since Jan. 21.
"I think as the game got underway and as the minutes kept going down, I felt better and better," Dubois said. "I think the legs, the head and the hands for me are three things that there's a little adjustment and as the game went on, I felt like I was reading plays faster. I was reading positioning faster where in the first period or so, I thought it took me a little bit too long to read. So, I think practice and video and games, slowly it'll come back."
Lindholm gave the Flames a 3-2 lead when his shot hit Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey and got past goalie Connor Hellebuyck.
"I tried to go for [Sean Monahan]'s stick for a little tip," Lindholm said. "I think it hit the [defenseman] there off the skate and just went five-hole. That was a lucky bounce, but we'll take those."
Andrew Mangiapane scored, and Jacob Markstrom made 25 saves for the Flames (6-5-1).
"I think we're slowly getting better and better," Lindholm said. "Today I think we played our best 60-minute game so far. Hopefully it can keep going this way and keep getting better every game. Obviously we'd like to create a little more and have more shots, but hopefully that will come."

Nikolaj Ehlers scored two goals, and Andrew Copp had two assists for the Jets (7-4-1), who were denied a third straight win. Hellebuyck made 26 saves.
It was Winnipeg's fourth consecutive game against Calgary; each team won twice.
"I thought we played a pretty good game," Copp said. I don't think we were clicking on all cylinders by any means, but they're a good team. It was a tight game; just kind of one bounce one way or the other at the end.
"We'll bounce back. [It's a] tough way to lose, but I don't want that to distract from who we can be in the good spurts in the game and what we think we're building towards."

Ehlers scored on a wrist shot from the left circle for a power-play goal to give the Jets a 1-0 lead at 3:23 of the second period.
Mangiapane tied it 2:08 later on Mikael Backlund's rebound to make it 1-1 at 5:31.
Byron Froese deflected Juuso Valimaki's point shot by Hellebuyck to give the Flames a 2-1 lead at 13:34 of the second period.
It was Froese's first NHL goal since March 6, 2018; he played with Stockton of the American Hockey League last season.
"I've been waiting for this for two years now, so when I got the opportunity, I knew I didn't want to pass it up and squander it," the forward said. "I'm just trying to do everything I can to take advantage and to help out the team."
Winnipeg tied it 2-2 when Ehlers finished a 2-on-1 with Mark Scheifele at 15:45 of the second period.
Ehlers leads the Jets with eight goals in 12 games.
"He's gifted," Copp said. "We're trying to put him in good situations where he's going to be really successful. Pushing the [defense] back, let him kind of use his speed, use his dynamic playmaking ability."
NOTES: Morrissey played his 300th NHL game. … Scheifele extended his point streak to four games (two goals, three assists). … Mangiapane has two goals and two assists during a three-game point streak. ... Backlund has scored four points (one goal, three assists) in his past two games.