The puck had a mind of its own as the Calgary Flames fell to the undefeated Winnipeg Jets Saturday night by a score of 5-3.

It’s a Team Game – The Calgary Flames got a lot of fortunate bounces in this game. Then again, so did the Jets. It all started when Mikael Backlund clapped a shot from the goal line off Winnipeg goaltender Eric Comrie in the first minute. Nikolaj Ehlers then bounced one in off Rasmus Andersson’s skate 1:28 later to tie it up. The Jets would take momentum – the Flames first two powerplays basically gifted that to them. Calgary would start to surge back with strong 5v5 play throughout the 2^nd and 3^rd period. Dustin Wolf then went superman while facing a 90 second 5-on-3. Too many penalties would be their undoing though as Cole Perfetti would get the go-ahead goal through traffic on a late powerplay. The Flames never quit – and Connor Zary dazzled – but the result was not what they were searching for.

Corsi King – Both teams traded shots with each other all game long – in these games if someone finishes with a lower percentage it’s not an immediate sign of subpar play rather just an effect of the games low. Issues only arise when there’s consistency in getting outmatched. MacKenzie Weegar (51.28 CF%) and Daniil Miromanov (49.07 per cent) had a great shift in the third where they kept firing pucks and kept possession alive for over a minute. They also got hemmed in at times too. The only line that clearly won their minutes was the Flames 4^th line – and they barely played a factor. I will say Ryan Lomberg (63.55 per cent) always gets noticed multiple times a game – never take him out of the lineup.

Taken By Chance – Mikael Backlund (60.11 SCF% || 77.34 HDCF%) always leads somewhere – although the high danger chances tonight were largely driven by Connor Zary (60.11 per cent || 77.34 per cent). The Flames number 47 is snakebitten as I’ve ever seen anyone in the show, and he still has seven points in eight games. The points are going to start to come fast and furious if he keeps this up. Also shout out to Rasmus Andersson (46.18 per cent || 56.37 per cent) for continuing to be a baller. The Ras stare is fully cemented as one of the best unique celebrations – and he does it with respect as evidenced him checking with the lady he stared at, making sure she was good, before he skated away.

xGF% – Martin Pospisil (68.40 per cent) belongs at center in my opinion. His amazing abilities on the forecheck make him a highly effective winger, but with the current makeup of Flames pivots he’s much more valuable in the middle. Huberdeau (72.60 per cent) is the primary beneficiary of his play style – and they are meshing pretty well. Had been asking for Anthony Mantha (75.60 per cent) to show up again after a few nights off and he did so in a big way. Was very good at getting open and getting off some hard shots that found their way towards the net.

In The Crease – Dustin Wolf’s excellent overall statistics are going to be damaged because of a bad bounce off the glass, but I really doubt he cares. In the third period the Jets found themselves with a 90-second 5-on-3 powerplay where Wolf was excellent. His athleticism and swiftness from post-to-post, all while in control of where he stops, is some of the best I’ve seen at the position. It earned him a standing ovation from the crowd. It was something that could have given the Flames their final push towards momentum, but the stripes got in the way and called something questionable on Kadri, which then lead to the eventual game winner. 1.45 expected goals against faced at 5v5 with just the one bouncing off Andersson’s skating getting behind him.