Flames Visual Recap Preseason Game 8: Calgary victorious over Jets in their final preseason game

Finally, the Calgary Flames’ preseason schedule is complete. Playing against the Winnipeg Jets in the second half of a home-and-home, the Flames sought for redemption in front of their fans after dropping the first game in Winnipeg. They did exactly that with a solid 3–1 victory over the visitors, and did so with several standout performances.

The game opened up as well as it could have for the Flames, as an early tripping call against Neal Pionk turned into an early power play goal by Andrew Mangiapane before the game was even a minute old. For a team that historically struggles to start the game on time, it was a welcomed sight to see the Flames get on the board so soon.

With under seven minutes to go in the opening frame, Sean Monahan doubled Calgary’s lead with a net-front goal in vintage Monahan fashion. He’s looked significantly better returning from injury so far, and getting onto the scoreboard is exactly what a healthy Monahan does best.

With Matthew Tkachuk getting rest and Blake Coleman suspended, the Flames’ first line consisted of Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, and Elias Lindholm, and let it be known that the line was buzzing all night. If the preseason is to be used as an indicator of the regular season, then perhaps the best thing the Flames have going for them is their top-six.

The second period was kept scoreless thanks to the play of Jacob Markstrom and Connor Hellebuyck, but the Flames had several instances of creating good scoring chances in high-danger zones. The Flames entered the third period tested with holding down a 2–0 lead.

Seven and a half minutes into the final frame, the Jets finally got on the board courtesy of Logan Stanley. However, just over a minute later, Elias Lindholm restored the two goal lead. Rasmus Andersson collected his third point of the game on this goal, albeit all secondary assists.

Throughout the game, the Flames did a good job at getting into the slot and turning shot attempts into scoring chances. At 5v5, they were highly effective with their chances while keeping Winnipeg’s offence at bay. Overall, it was one of Calgary;s best preseason showings—with an incomplete roster at that. They’ll look to translate this into regular season play soon enough.

Calgary has over a week off from game action now, and the first game of their 2021–22 campaign is set against the Edmonton Oilers on October 16 at 8 PM MST.

Game visualisations from tonight’s game are below.