Ehlers, Niku power Jets to preseason overtime win in Calgary

CALGARY -The Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames didn't dress all their big stars on Monday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome but the fans were still treated to a high scoring affair.
The Jets gave up a two-goal lead late in the third before Nikolaj Ehlers scored 31 seconds into overtime on a 2-on-1 to give the visitors a 5-4 win.
Ehlers played on the right wing alongside Jack Roslovic and Brendan Lemieux and it seemed to spark the Danish forward who ended the night with two goals on six shots on goal.
"I've been told and like I said in my first two games I had two shots," said Ehlers. "Today I had ten attempts. it's not just about shooting the puck but having that mentality about looking for a lane, and if you don't see anyone to pass it to who is wide open, get the puck to the net and see what happens."

Paul Maurice was hoping to see Ehlers take more shots on goal and it looked like the message got through to Ehlers who scored 29 times last season.
"He's got that kind of shot, he just needs the repetition," said Maurice. "He'll beat goalies, he always has. He knew on that 2-on-1 that he was the shooter. If he saw something better that he liked we are fine with him making plays but if it's even on that we want him shooting the puck."
Winnipeg didn't bring Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine and Dustin Byfuglien to Alberta. Meanwhile, the Flames didn't dress Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan or James Neal.
The opening goal of the game came at 6:48, when the Flames caught the Jets on a line change. Andrew Magniapane skated down the left side and before he went behind the net, he found Juuso Valimaki in the high slot, the Finn wired home the 1-0 goal.

Just 1:19 after that, the Flames made it 2-0 when Ryan Lomberg wristed a low shot under Laurent Brossoit's pads.
With the opening period winding down, Ben Chiarot whipped a pass over to Sami Niku and he skated in untouched to the left faceoff dot before going off the far post and in to cut the deficit to one.
Ehlers evened things up in the second period, 13 seconds after Derek Ryan got called for holding Adam Lowry. The Jets won the faceoff, Josh Morrissey slid the puck over to Ehlers who took it off his skate and shot a low laser that went through the screen of Brendan Lemieux and past Flames goaltender Mike Smith.
Niku's second of the night gave the Jets the lead for the first time with 4:40 remaining in the middle frame. His wrist shot from the point hit Foo and changed direction before going into the net to make it 3-2 Winnipeg, a lead they would take into the final frame. The Finnish defenceman said he's starting to feel more comfortable as time goes by.
"Of course it's always nice to score goals," said Niku. "I scored two but it wasn't that good (of) a game for me, I can play much better.
"When you look at Sami Niku, what's exciting and I know he scored two, I get that," explained Maurice. "Where he was here a year ago we liked him then, but in one year's time he's moving differently on the ice, (he's) a little stronger, a little more confidence. His reads are better in his own end. Yes, he can play better, he can move the puck quicker but he's going to be able to do that."

C.J. Suess doubled the Jets lead at the 3:39 mark of the third tapping in a seeing eye pass from Jacob Trouba.
It looked like the Jets would be leaving Calgary with the win, but Flames captain Mark Giordano cut into Winnipeg's with 5:35 remaining. Dillon Dube found Giordano and he walked in untouched sniping a shot past Brossoit.
Calgary tied it up at four when Brossoit made an error trying to clear the puck up the middle and Morgan Klimchuk made him pay. The Flames forward jumped on the turnover and went high glove side on Brossoit who was scrambling back into his net and it was 4-4 with just over four minutes left on the clock.
But the Jets made sure to leave Calgary with a win, as Ehlers' second goal of the night sealed a victory - and two straight victories to close out the second set of back-to-back games the Jets have faced this preseason.
The Jets who are now 4-1 in the preseason will head back on the road Wednesday as they go to St. Paul to face the Minnesota Wild.