The Winnipeg Jets have defeated the Calgary Flames in 2019 Heritage Classic after an exhausting fight, which brought and overtime. Eventually, the Jets’ Bryan Little scored a game-winner that concluded the game. The final result was 2-1 for the nominal hosts in this match.
The event took place at Mosaic Stadium, the new home of the CFL team, Saskatchewan Roughriders. Some 33,000 spectators made a fantastic atmosphere, and they sure had a lot of interesting to see this Saturday night.
Flames’ head coach Bill Peters was thrilled with his experience, and although his team lost the game, he had nothing but positive feelings about this game.
“Well, the experience was outstanding,” Peters said. “If you ever get a chance to be a part of one, do it. You ever as a fan get a chance to attend one, I would definitely not deprive myself of the opportunity to do that.”
Little, himself, had a huge motive to prove himself in this one. Back in 2016, his Jets played against the Montreal Canadiens and lost 3-0. Little didn’t appear in that one due to injury, which forced him to sit at the sidelines and watch the game.
“I had this circled on the calendar,” said Little.”Definitely lived up to everything.”
With 3:04 into the overtime, Little redirected Kyle Connor’s pass into the Flames’ net, sealing this spectacle. Truth to be told, the Jets were a better side in this event and deserved the win earlier. But their goalie David Rittich made 43 saves, setting a regular-season record for an outdoor game, and keeping Calgary in this one.
The Flames were the first to reach a lead, when Elias Lindholm executed on a power-play for his team, sending a one-timer following Johnny Gaudreau’s assist. It was with 5:13 left into the second.
The third period saw the massive pressure of the Jets, who allowed just 4 shots towards their net while making 15 on the other side. Eventually, it was Josh Morrissey who tied the game at 15:49 of the last sequence. He scored a power-play goal after a slap shot from the left point. It was a first power-play score for the Jets who previously missed 13 opportunities to net with a player more on the ice.
During the overtime, Flames didn’t have a single shot on Connor Hellebuyck’s goal. Winnipeg’s goalkeeper had 29 saves in this triumph.
The severe conditions didn’t affect the players on the ice at all, although it was pretty rough at some points of the game. The wind was reaching up to 40 km/h, while the overall temperature went down to -10 degrees Celsius.
“It was like playing hockey in the old days.
“It feels right,” Flames Matthew Tkachuk said. “It feels like that’s how hockey should be and how legends of the past grew up playing.”
His Flames are preparing for a four-game road trip, which starts against the Hurricanes this Tuesday. After that, they have three more road games vs. Predators, Blue Jackets, and the Capitals.
Meanwhile, the Jets also have to play away from home for a while. Their hosts will be the Ducks, Sharks, and the Golden Knights.
