The Calgary Flames started their current winning streak with a road victory over the Winnipeg Jets.
The Flames must duplicate that feat to continue their run whey they finish a quick two-game sojourn back in Winnipeg on Sunday.
Thanks to their 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, the Flames are riding a three-game spree that has pulled them three points back of the Los Angeles Kings for third spot in the Pacific Division.
“We played pretty well, 58 minutes were pretty good,” defenseman Rasmus Andersson said of his team’s victory over the Wild. “Obviously a little loose in the end, but overall, pretty happy with our game. Big two points.”
The Flames reach Winnipeg riding a resurgence of confidence. They also are playing with a more balanced attack of late.
Martin Pospisil scored for the first time in 26 games and Clark Bishop scored in the NHL for the first time since Dec. 7, 2018.
“It means a lot. Anytime you can score and help the team win, it’s a good feeling,” said Bishop, who skated in his second NHL game this season. “To come out on top, it’s even better.”
Moreover, Andrei Kuzmenko — who snapped a 28-game slump the last time the Flames were in Winnipeg — is coming off a two-goal outing against the Wild. Kuzmenko, who scored 39 goals as a rookie with Vancouver in 2022-23, doubled his goal total for the season to four.
“He was moving his feet, and when he’s moving his feet, he’s around the puck,” coach Ryan Huska said of Kuzmenko. “And when he’s around the puck, he’s very strong on it.”
The Western Conference-leading Jets are riding a strong wave or their own.
Winnipeg is 6-2-1 in its past nine outings following a 5-2 win over the Utah Hockey Club on Friday,
Mirroring a story for the Flames, the Utah victory featured a struggling player snapping a slump in a big way, with Cole Perfetti netting his first career hat trick. He went into the clash without a goal in 14 games.
“Just trying to focus on the input, on the small things, on doing every little detail as best as I can, and then the play is going to develop for you,” Perfetti said. “And when it’s your night, (it) kind of just bounces your way. Haven’t had those bounces lately, but just trying to be consistent with my game. And you get rewarded eventually.”
“It’s awesome, because you see there’s growth,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said of Perfetti. “When guys buy in to what you’re preaching, and him recognizing, not getting farther away from the net but staying close … that’s how you have a winning hockey club.”
A winning club that will be looking for revenge against the Flames in their third and final meeting of the season. Calgary claimed a 3-1 victory in Winnipeg just over a week ago; the Jets won the first game 5-3 on Oct. 26.
“I thought (Flames goalie Dustin Wolf) saw a lot of what was coming at him,” Arniel said of the Jan. 18 loss. “We can do a better job of screening him and taking away his vision and that might help us get those numbers up.”
–Field Level Media
