WINNIPEG – Coming off a disappointing loss on Saturday and losing their top scorer who is out with a concussion made for an interesting story line Monday in Winnipeg as the Jets played host to the Calgary Flames, a team they need to pass to grab a wild card spot in the Western Conference.
The Flames beat up on the Jets in Calgary last month and the home squad was looking for revenge.
It was also Heritage Night at the MTS Centre as the Jets were sporting the Jersey’s they wore in the Heritage Classic so it was a big night for them.
With rookie sensation Patrik Laine out of the line up the Jets were looking for some added scoring punch . Dustin Byfuglien stepped up and had a monster game.
Byfuglien opened the scoring in the first period with a classic rush as he cut in wide and toe dragged around the Flames defence and went top shelf over goalie Chad Johnson who had no chance with Byfuglien bearing down towards the net.
“They seemed to just have a little extra out there, I don’t know what it was,” Johnson said. “They came pretty hard at us, got pucks deep. They used that momentum there and they just had a little extra, a little more want at the end of the night.
“They played really good defensively. It was hard to get good looks on shots on Hellebuyck, and when we did have anything, he was making the save. I just thought they played harder, and that’s pretty much all it came down to.”
It was Big Buff’s sixth of the season from Nik Ehlers and Drew Stafford.
One was all they needed as Connor Hellebuyck was perfect in the pipes as he stopped 28 shots to record his second shutout of the year and fifth of his young career.
“The guys were blocking a lot of shots, but shots are fun and that game was fun,” Hellebuyck said. “The way the guys were playing in front of me made it even more fun because they were controlling the shots and making it easy on me. Any shutout is nice. I don’t care how they come.”
WATCH: All Flames vs. Jets highlights
Blake Wheeler added his 12th as he stole the puck off a Calgary miscue and buried the insurance marker to give the Jets a 2-0 win.
“It’s frustrating. Definitely not what I planned on happening,” said TJ Brodie who lost the puck leading to the goal. “But at the end of the day, it’s over with. The more you think about it, the more it affects you. It’s time to move on.”
Byfuglien also had six thunderous hits on the game and was stepping up all game including a big open ice hit on rookie Matthew Tkachuk of the Flames.
“We looked a little sloppy, like we didn’t execute as well as we did in the past. We certainly didn’t do that today. I thought they defended well though, so maybe it can be a little bit of that. At the end of the day, we didn’t execute some plays, and they did and won,” Calgary head coach Glen Gulutzan said.
The Jets will look to get over the elusive 500 mark in the standings for the first time since early November when they host the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night.
Chris Thorburn got back in the line up and Drew Stafford moved up to the team’s top line in Laine’s absence.
“That’s where I’m naturally comfortable, that’s where I play,” Stafford said. “I know that I can produce and contribute in that role, so that’s pretty much how it is for me.”
The Jets recalled rookie forward Chris Tanev from the Manitoba Moose earlier in the day.
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