WINNIPEG - The Jets dumped the Flames 5-2 in pre-season action Monday night.
Sean Monahan and Matthew Tkachuk - who both missed the team's last pre-season game for precautionary measures - scored for the Flames, while Eddie Lack turned aside 29 of 34 shots he faced.
Patrik Laine had the hot hand for Winnipeg, scoring twice, while Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers and Dustin Byfuglien also tallied. Steve Mason made 26 saves.
FLAMES FALL TO JETS
The Jets went four for five on the powerplay while the Flames were unable to capitalize on four of their own man-up opportunities.
"We worked hard," said Monahan. "They capitalized on their powerplays. And, I mean, our powerplay was not very good. So I think special teams was a big factor tonight. But I thought we competed pretty hard tonight and guys worked hard and stepping up for each other and that kind of stuff is good to see right now."
Scheifele opened the scoring in the game with Brett Kulak in the box for tripping. Laine snapped one from the left faceoff circle that Lack stopped but the rebound spun into the slot where Scheifele swooped in and wristed it into the open side of the cage before Lack could get back into position.
Just over three minutes later with the Flames short-handed again, Laine made good from almost the same spot, wiring a one-timer after a cross-ice pass from Blake Wheeler.
Monahan got the Flames on the board when he showed off his silky smooth mitts, grabbing a long Spencer Foo breakout pass that was just behind him, tapping it around his skates and back onto his stick as he crossed the blueline on a partial breakaway and beat Mason high, glove side.
"That's an incredible play," said Foo. "Obviously he's an incredible player and special players do things like that sometimes."
Tkachuk rounded out the scoring in the opening frame. Michael Stone grabbed a loose puck around centre after the Jets had cleared their zone, and tapped it up to Tkachuk who circled back into Winnipeg territory and amid a pack of players, wristed one low that beat Mason.
At the end of the period, Juuso Valimaki was called for a holding penalty that drew a crowd after JC Lipon appeared to take a run at the Flames 2017 first-round pick. Ryan Lomberg ended up fighting Lipon, while Luke Gazdic and Byfuglien got mixed up along the boards.
Just 23 seconds in the second stanza with Valimaki in the box, Laine scored another powerplay one-timer, this time after Scheifele's shot from the high shot was stopped by Lack but the rebound squirted over to Laine who stepped into it, going high, stick-side past him.
Laine was denied his hat-trick goal a short time later right on the doorstep, but Ehlers cleaned up, knocking in a loose puck that was sitting in the paint.
Gazdic and Byfuglien did end up dropping the gloves, getting into a quick scrap near the end of the second period.
Marek Hrivic left the game at 15:43 mark of the third period after taking a high hit from Jacob Trouba, who got a match penalty for an illegal hit to the head. Garnet Hathaway and Trouba fought after the play.
Byfuglien rounded out the scoring with a late powerplay in the third period.
"I thought we played hard in a lot of areas against a good hockey club," said Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan. "You look at speciality teams a little bit the difference here tonight. We got exposed in some areas but, you know, the effort, the togetherness there, the guys sticking up for one another ... that stuff was apparent. I'm not critical of our effort, we just have to clean up a few things."
The Flames continue pre-season play Thursday night in Vancouver (8 p.m., TV: Sportsnet, Radio: Sportsnet 960 The FAN).
