Winnipeg’s penalty kill did a tremendous job keeping Nashville off the board, especially during a stretch of five-on-three time in the second period with the Jets leading 2-0. Special teams is always a point of focus in the National Hockey League, but the penalty kill was an area that the Jets wanted to see some improvement after finishing 13th last season.
It’s at 95.5 percent heading into the sixth game of the season.
“The big thing for me is trying to be one step ahead of the power play. Anticipating where the next play is going to be,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “The other areas for me is we’ve been stingy on the entries and we’ve done a better job of shared clears. When we do have the opportunity of getting those pucks down the ice, we’ve done a good job of allowing us to get a change and get fresh legs out there.”
Winnipeg will make a change to their line-up, as Brad Lambert will make his season debut on a line with Alex Iafallo and Vladislav Namestnikov.
“I think we can play fast. Obviously a couple great players that I’m playing with, which is great,” said Lambert after the morning skate. “It helps that I’ve played with them in the past. It helps a lot to have chemistry from those earlier times.”
The 21-year-old Lambert has six NHL games on his resume, with five coming last season. He earned his first point in his NHL debut on April 18, 2024 against the Vancouver Canucks.
“There are definitely not as many nerves, but still the first game of the season so there are a bit of nerves,” said Lambert. “I’m a little more calm, I know what to expect, and just go out there and play and have fun.”
As for the Flames, they fell 6-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday and have dropped five in a row since a season-opening shootout win over Edmonton.
The tilt with Winnipeg will open a short two-game home stand for the Flames, who are searching for their first win at Scotiabank Saddledome this season. Calgary has had their struggles offensively to start the season. In 2024-25, they finished 29th in the NHL in goals with 220, and have 10 through six games this season.
“When you get a wounded dog, it’s one of two things. Either they bite you or they put the tail between their legs, and I don’t think they’re going to do the tail part,” Arniel said of the Flames. “We have to make sure we bite back. It’s something we’ve talked about in the past, something we’ve run into in the past, just being ready to go from the drop of the puck.”
Of course, that’s a trend that can change at any moment. The Jets know they’ll be facing a motivated Flames squad, so the focus on that 60-minute effort remains critical.
“I think we’re improving every day,” said Logan Stanley. “Obviously we didn’t like our start against Dallas, so just continuing to build every day, and obviously we’re not satisfied. And we have an end goal that we’re trying to reach so just trying to get better every day.”
Puck drop is set for 8:30 pm CT.
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