Right On The 'Mark'

Jacob Markstrom was simply spectacular.

Sensational.

Sublime.

Insert any similar synonym here. 

The Flames netminder stopped 35 shots - while Andrew Mangiapane scored a pair of goals and added an assist, and Elias Lindholm tallied the winner and three points - as Calgary opened the season with a 5-3 victory over the visiting Jets Wednesday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson also scored for the Flames, while Jonathan Huberdeau finished with a pair of helpers.

With 1:31 left to play in the game, Mangiapane - who had opened the scoring in the tilt - sent a beautiful pass from behind the net to Lindholm who put it home shortside in short order as the C of Red shot out of their seats in celebration. 

Huberdeau hit a post trying for the empty-net with time ticking down but Mangiapane was there to put it home with 6.1 ticks left and seal the deal.

Calgary was outshot in the game but their PK was excellent, going 4-for-4, and they had 25 blocks in the contest. They also won 61% of the faceoffs (more stats below).

The Flames honoured Assistant GM Chris Snow, who passed away recently after a lengthy battle with ALS, with a tribute before the game, his wife Kelsie and kids Cohen and Willa doing the ceremonial faceoff.

The Markstrom Show started early when he stoned Gabe Vilardi and then stood tall on Mark Scheifele's rebound offering.

The Flames had a Grade-A look not long after on a 2-on-1, but Connor Hellebuyck came across to stop newcomer A.J. Greer's shot off a feed from Adam Ruzicka.

New Flames captain Mikael Backlund - who received a hero's welcome in the pregame season-opening ceremony - was whistled for holding at 3:20 putting the visitors a man up.

But Markstrom came up huge on the ensuing powerplay, stopping a cross-ice one-timer from Vilardi, then turning aside Alex Iaffolo's shot from the slot.

The Flames went on their first PP at 8:53, the best crack a diving pass from Huberdeau to the backdoor where Matt Coronato tried to stuff it home but was denied.

Just 10 seconds after that minor expired, they went back on the powerplay again and made good, Ruzicka's point shot going off the skate of Jets defenceman Neal Pionk's skate and out to Mangiapane, who wired it home at 12:29. Dillon Dube got the other helper.

The Jets tied it up at 14:48 when Kyle Connor beat Markstrom on Winnipeg's 12th shot of the frame.

Weegar put Calgary back ahead with 2:10 to play in the first, firing a long-distance wrister through traffic - that included Greer trying for a tip on the doorstep - that beat Hellebuyck farside. Nikita Zadorov and Walker Duehr picked up assists.

Backlund was sent off for tripping 50 seconds into the middle stanza, but the Flames killed it off.

Markstrom then made an absolute 10-beller not long after it expired, stopping Connor's one-timer from the low slot.

Iaffolo later spun and deflected Dylan DeMelo's shot high, farside past Markstrom at 11:19 to knot things up again.

After Markstrom made two more stellar point-blank stops on a Jets powerplay, Andersson restored the lead with a shorthanded marker - skating into the Winnipeg zone all alone as a trailer, taking a pass from Lindholm and snapping one high blocker at 13:49.

Winnipeg ended the second with another powerplay - 18 seconds carrying over to the third - and Markstrom was again front-and-centre, robbing Cole Perfetti on a rebound attempt by kicking out his right pad just as time expired, the fans 'ohhhhhhhing' in unison at the save. 

Scheifele scored with 5:43 left in the third from a tight angle, perfectly placing a shot bar down over Markstrom's left shoulder before the Flames salted it away.

The Lineups:

The trios, d-pairings and goalies to start the game:

FORWARDS

Jonathan Huberdeau - Elias Lindholm - Dillon Dube

Yegor Sharangovich - Nazem Kadri - Matt Coronato

Andrew Mangiapane - Mikael Backlund - Blake Coleman

A.J. Greer - Adam Ruzicka - Walker Duehr

DEFENCEMEN

Noah Hanifin - Rasmus Andersson

Nikita Zadorov - MacKenzie Weegar 

Jordan Oesterle - Chris Tanev

GOALIES

Jacob Markstrom - starter

Dan Vladar

They Said It:

The Numbers Game:

Shots: CGY 37, WPG 22

Powerplay: CGY 1-3, WPG 0-4

FO%: CGY 61%, WPG 39%

Blocked shots: CGY 25, WPG 14

Hits: CGY 15, WPG 12

Stats from NHL.com

Up Next:

The Flames head out on a five-game road trip that kicks off against Sid The Kid and the Pens on Saturday at 5 p.m. MT.