Connor Bedard’s first goal of the season helped Chicago build an early cushion, but it was rookie defenseman Artyom Levshunov who delivered the finish, scoring 1:37 into overtime for a 4-3 Blackhawks win over the Winnipeg Jets at United Center on Thursday.
Key takeaways
- Levshunov buried Bedard’s pass from the slot in overtime to give Chicago a 4-3 victory.
- Bedard scored on the power play in the first period after missing Chicago’s opening six games following shoulder surgery.
- Patrick Kane recorded two assists and reached 895 career assists, moving past Phil Housley for the American-born all-time lead.
- Neal Pionk posted a goal and two assists as Winnipeg erased a two-goal deficit before overtime.
- Spencer Knight stopped 31 shots for the Blackhawks, while Stuart Skinner made 24 saves for the Jets.
Chicago’s first-period push
The Blackhawks moved to 3-5-0 by striking three times in a wide-open first period. Bedard opened the scoring at 8:11 with a power-play wrist shot from the slot. Kane worked the puck from near the goal line on the right side and found Bedard in space for the forward’s first goal of the campaign.
Bedard had been sidelined for the first six games after offseason shoulder surgery. He returned with an assist in Tuesday’s 5-3 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins, then found the net for the first time against Winnipeg.
Kane’s helper carried added weight. It was his 895th career assist, putting him ahead of Phil Housley atop the assist list for United States-born players.
Frank Nazar made it 2-0 at 15:10. Playing in his first game since serving a two-game suspension for his illegal hit on New York Islanders center Bo Horvat on Oct. 8, Nazar collected a long rebound near his own blue line, broke free and beat Skinner with a wrist shot.
Winnipeg answered quickly when defenseman Pionk hammered a slap shot from the right point at 16:57. Chicago restored its two-goal edge 14 seconds later as Ryan Donato carried the puck in from the right boards, cut into the left circle and beat Skinner on the short side.
Jets force extra time, Levshunov ends it
The Jets, now 4-1-2, continued to push after the intermission. Kyle Connor scored on the power play at 4:44 of the second period, taking Mark Scheifele’s feed in the right circle and slipping the puck through Knight to pull Winnipeg within one.
Pionk helped produce the equalizer at 5:39 of the third. His shot from the right point changed direction off Alex Iafallo’s right leg and found the net, tying the game 3-3.
That set up overtime, where Bedard turned provider again. He fed Levshunov as the defenseman entered the slot, and Levshunov finished past Skinner to close out Chicago’s comeback from a blown lead.
Knight’s 31 saves held up for the Blackhawks after Winnipeg’s third-period push. Skinner faced 28 Chicago shots in defeat, while Pionk’s three-point night was not enough to extend the Jets’ strong start.
