The Winnipeg Jets have concluded the 2025-26 pre-season with a come-from-behind victory in Calgary over the Flames.
Falling behind 4-1 in the early stages of the second period, Winnipeg battled back with three-straight goals from forwards, before winning the game in the shootout.
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Entering the game without Adam Lowry, Dylan Samberg and Jonathan Toews due to injury, the Jets concluded Friday’s affair down two more players, as Cole Perfetti (lower-body) and Dylan DeMelo (upper-body) did not finish the game due to injuries suffered in action.
Photo by Sergei Belski/USA Today
Connor Hellebuyck once again allowed more goals than expected, in which initially looked like another Jets loss, but his offence came alive in the game’s second half, helping propel Winnipeg to a 2-3-1 record through its six exhibition games.
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The Jets’ 5-4 win saw 11 different players earn points, with newcomer Gustav Nyquist being the only Jets player in the contest to factor in on multiple goals.
Haydn Fluery, Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley each found points from the blueline, while Cole Perfetti, Tanner Pearson, Cole Koepke, Morgan Barron, Vlad Namestnikov, Parker Ford and Alex Iafallo also produced up front.
Hellebuyck allowed four goals on 29 shots faced, while Dustin Wolf turned aside 31 of the 35 shots that were directed his way.
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After Calgary had pulled ahead 2-0 through the halfway mark of the first period, Fleury’s point shot found its way past Wolf, cutting the home team’s lead in half. But back-to-back goals from Joel Hanley and Nazem Kadri put the Flames up 4-1 just three minutes into the second period.
Nyquist then scored before setting up Iafallo for a goal that made the game 4-3. With just over seven minutes left, Ford redirected a point shot from Stanley, tying the game at fours.
Overtime solved nothing, before a seven-round shootout was needed to find a winner. The teams exchanged four goals, before Pearson’s eventual winner. His shot was initially saved by Wolf, but the puck shot up the sky and bounced off Wolf’s second effort and trickled through him and over the goal line for the game-winner.
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Next up for Winnipeg is final cuts and opening night on October 9. The Jets will host the Dallas Stars on that night in a rematch from their second round postseason matchup from last spring. Team formation is expected by Monday or Tuesday.