Dube scores again, but Jets rally over Flames
Byfuglien nets OT winner as Winnipeg regulars top Calgary prospects in preseason action, 4-3
WINNIPEG — Bryan Little tied the game late in the third and Dustin Byfuglien’s second goal of the night came in overtime as the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Calgary Flames 4-3 on Friday in preseason play.
The Flames had dominated for much of the night.
Brett Pollock, Dillon Dube and Alan Quine scored for the Flames (1-3-1), while Blake Wheeler had the other goal for the Jets (2-1-0).
The odds should have been tilted in Winnipeg’s favour, with the preseason debut of forwards Wheeler — last season’s top scorer — Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor, as well as 2017-18 Vezina runner-up Connor Hellebuyck in goal.
But rust was evident as the Jets struggled on their first power-play opportunity early in the opening period, which included about 30 seconds of a 5-on-3. They struck out on another man advantage later in the period.
It was the Flames, with a prospect-heavy lineup, who scored first when Pollock flipped one over Hellebuyck’s shoulder for his first goal of the preseason in his second game.
Dube, the former Kelowna Rocket who has been red-hot in the preseason, capitalized on Calgary’s first power play of the game, also a 5-on-3, with a wrister at 3:36 of the second period.
Wheeler finally found a hole in Tyler Parson’s glove at 6:53, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
Parsons, with only one pro season under his belt, was solid in his third preseason appearance for Calgary.
But he had help, with the Jets managing only 11 shots by the end of the second to 23 for the Flames. The Flames outshot the Jets 14-3 in the second period alone.
Quine extended Calgary’s lead once more with his wrister through traffic at 11:21 of the middle frame, making it 3-1.
Byfuglien gave fans something to cheer about before the period ended with a sharpangle shot that narrowed the lead once more at 16:34.
Netminder Jeff Glass made his preseason debut for the Flames in the third period and gave up the tying goal at 18:59, when a perfectly placed Little slammed one in from right in front of the net.
Tavares scores 1st goals at home as Toronto downs Buffalo
TORONTO — John Tavares scored his first two goals on home ice with the Maple Leafs as Toronto defeated the Buffalo Sabres 5-3 in preseason play on Friday night.
Ron Hainsey, Pierre Engvall and Chris Mueller also scored for the Leafs. Curtis McElhinney stopped all 20 shots he faced after replacing Garret Sparks, who made nine saves.
Andrew Oglevie, C.J. Smith and Tage Thompson replied for the Sabres. Linus Ullmark made 27 saves in taking the loss.
The teams will play an exhibition rematch tonight in Buffalo.
Tavares then made it 3-1 with his third of the preseason at 3:42 of the first period, finishing off a sequence he started in the Toronto zone. The star centre fed a stretch pass to Mitch Marner, who dropped it back to Timothy Liljegren. The rookie defenceman blasted a one-timer at Ullmark, and Tavares was there to bury the rebound upstairs.
Tavares — who signed a seven-year, US$77-million contract with the Leafs on July 1 after nine seasons with the New York Islanders — later rounded out the scoring into an empty net with 43.2 seconds left on the clock.
Tavares and Marner lost their regular winger in the second period when Zach Hyman left with a bone bruise. It initially looked like he had taken an innocent-looking shot by teammate Rasmus Sandin off the skate, but Leafs coach Mike Babcock said afterwards Hyman suffered a hip pointer from a crosscheck and will be out a few days.
Apart from Tavares, Marner, Hyman and Hainsey, other veterans in the lineup for Toronto included Morgan Rielly, Nazem Kadri and Connor Brown.
Buffalo iced a less-experienced group, but did have Vladimir Sobotka, Zemgus Girgensons and highly-touted rookie Casey Mittelstadt.
Auston Matthews, Patrick Marleau, Frederik Andersen and Jake Gardiner are among the Toronto veterans expected to dress tonight, while Buffalo’s lineup should include Jack Eichel, Carter Hutton and Rasmus Dahlin, the No. 1 pick at June’s NHL draft.
Elsewhere Friday, Tavares’ former team, the Islanders, edged the Philadelphia Flyers in overtime with Ryan Pulock’s power-play goal a minute into the extra frame being the only time New York led in the game.