It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.
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Dustin Byfuglien scored the game victor with 88 seconds left in the third period as the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Calgary Flames 3-1 Friday night at MTS Centre.
“It’s so unusual for a man that big to do what he can do at a high rate of speed”, said Jets head coach Paul Maurice.
Byfuglien forced a turnover, took a pass and went around Flames defenceman Dennis Wideman and beat Karri Ramo with a sharp-angle, low shot. A great individual effort by Byfuglien which capped off a fantastic game for number 33. “We can’t be playing 40-minute games”, left winger Mason Raymond told reporters after Calgary allowed four or more goals for the second time in three contests. The Flames look to make a quick turnaround after suffering a 3-1 loss at Winnipeg on Friday in which it allowed three unanswered goals, including two in the final 88 seconds of the third period.
Calgary scored 3:38 into the first period when Sam Bennett’s wrap-around bounced off Pavelec to Backlund in front of the net and he flipped the puck in for his first goal of the season. Former Jets forward Michael Frolik had the other assist.
The Flames didn’t have a shot on goal for more than 20 minutes, ending the slump at 11:06 of the third. The Flames held a one goal lead until the midway point of the second period. “The feeling going back home is we can still get a lot better”, center Bryan Little, who helped turn around Tuesday’s game with a shorthanded tally, told reporters.
Puck drop at 8:00.
“My skate just slipped, taking the post away”, Ramo said of Byfuglien’s goal.
That goal was challenged by Bob Hartley to see if Byfuglien was offside, but the goal stood after review.
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Right winger Blake Wheeler scored into an empty net at 19:07 to seal the win in the home-opener for Winnipeg (4-1-0).
