Nikolaj Ehlers scores twice to lift Jets over Flames 3-2 in NHL pre-season action
Speed can make all the difference in hockey and one of the Winnipeg Jets' fastest forwards continues to prove that.
Using his impressive speed, Nikolaj Ehlers scored two goals, including the game-winner, to lead the Jets to a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday in a pre-season NHL game before 14,937 fully-vaccinated fans at the Canada Life Centre.
"Yeah, it's always nice scoring, whether it's pre-season or regular season or playoffs, it feels the same," said Ehlers, who his teammates call "Fly."
"I knew that I would have my chances, but I like that they went in tonight."
When Ehlers is flying, it is contagious, said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey.
"We talked tonight about playing fast and obviously, I'll give my opinion, when Nikky is playing fast, he's at his best and shooting the puck kind of coincides with that," said Morrissey, who scored the first goal of the game. "I thought our first period was really good and overall, we were trying to play fast and shoot the puck, and I think it just turns our pace up a little bit.
Ehlers snapped a 2-2 tie on a power play at 9:14 of the third period.
With Flames defenceman Nikita Zadorov off for interference, Ehlers took a pass from rearguard Nate Schmidt near the blue line and quickly fired a wrister that beat Calgary goalie Dan Vladar. In the first period, Ehlers scored on an end-to-end run, slapping a shot over Vladar's left shoulder from the top of the face-off circle.
"When Fly is doing that, it's dangerous every time," said Morrissey. "When you're watching him, whenever he shoots, especially when he's in full stride, there's a chance that it's going in.
"We talk about Schmidty (Nate Schmidt), his energy, Fly's energy, the energy we have there as a group, it's infectious. It makes you want to be a shooter and try to have that excitement to score as well."
Ehlers had several chances to get the hat trick but missed on a breakaway and lost his stick after his teammates tried to set him up for an empty-net goal.
Vladar stopped 37 shots for the Flames.
Although it looked like Calgary had tied it with Vladar pulled from the net, it was called off due to a high stick after a video review.
"We knew they were gonna come hard and they did," Vladar said. "I think we just battled our way through it. It wasn't one of our best games, but we still battled our way through it. We made it kind of tight and obviously, we scored at the end. It didn't count, though."
Connor Hellebuyck made 16 saves in net for the Jets (2-2-1).
Forward Andrew Mangiapane, on the power play, and forward Glenn Gawdin both scored in the second period for Calgary (2-4-1).
"It didn't go our way tonight, but I don't think we should be putting ourselves in those positions, starting off behind early on," Mangiapane said. "They're a good team. They were fast on us. We weren't really breaking the puck out too well at the start."
The Jets, who had just lost back-to-back games on the road to Edmonton and Vancouver, snapped their two-game losing streak.
It was the first of a home-and-home series, with the Jets facing the Flames in Calgary on Friday. It was also Winnipeg's last home pre-season game.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 6, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.