Chibrikov Records Pair of Points as Jets Drop Contest
Jets Young Stars Classic Recap: Winnipeg 2 vs. Calgary 4
Quick Hits
• Nikita Chibrikov posted two points (1G, 1A) in the loss
• William Stromgren scored twice for the Flames in the win
• Elias Salomonsson scored his first of the tournament
Game Story
The Winnipeg Jets (1-2-0) clashed with the Calgary Flames (2-1-0) on Monday morning at South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton, British Columbia for their third and final game of the 2023 Young Stars Classic. The Jets were coming off a 3-2 shootout victory against the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday afternoon.
Calgary opened the scoring at the 14:38 mark of the first period. Jaden Lipinski won an offensive zone draw and got the puck over to William Stromgren. The forward quickly rifled a shot up and past Thomas Milic for his first of the tournament. Winnipeg knotted up the score a couple minutes later. With the Jets on a five-on-three power play, Nikita Chibrikov (2nd Round, 2021) sent the pass to Elias Salomonsson (2nd Round 2022), who whipped a shot past Calgary netminder Connor Murphy. Thomas Milic (5th Round, 2023) ended the frame with eight stops, while Young registered 16 saves of his own. Winnipeg took a 1-1 tie into the dressing room and led 17-9 in shots on goal.
Calgary pulled ahead 5:14 into the second stanza. Sam Honzek gathered up the puck at the blue line and lifted the disc on goal. The shot through traffic handcuffed Milic and allowed Lipinski to swat home the rebound for his second point of the contest. Winnipeg tied the game near the halfway point of the contest. With the Jets on the power play, Chibrikov stole the puck out of a scrum, walked to the front of the net and beat Murphy in tight with a quick release. The halfway point of the game also signaled a goaltending change, as Domenic DiVincentiis (7th Round, 2022) replaced Milic in the crease. The latter ended with 11 saves on 13 shots. The Flames made a goaltending move of their own and brought in Jari Kykkanen in place of Murphy. Calgary responded with a five-on-three power play tally shortly after to reclaim the lead. Adam Klapka beat DiVincentiis with a quick tap-in after the Flames used the extra space in the offensive zone. Winnipeg took to their dressing room down by a score of 3-2 and trailed in shots by a count of 26-24 after 40 minutes of play.
Calgary added some late insurance with under three minutes to go in the third. Lipinski found Stromgren, who beat DiVincentiis for his second of the contest. Winnipeg attempted a late push to get within a goal, but fell short as time expired to close out the contest. Milic was hit with the loss and ended with 11 stops, while Murphy claimed the win for Calgary.
Quote:
Winnipeg Jets Forward Nikita Chibrikov
“Game by game I’m feeling more comfortable. The first game was hard, we had a long flight and lots of travel. I’m getting a better anticipation for the North America speed and style on ice. The second and the third games were not bad for me, I just tried to my best for the team.”
