Artyom Levshunov scored the first goal of his career 1:37 into overtime, lifting the Chicago Blackhawks past the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 Thursday night at United Center. Connor Bedard and Patrick Kane set up the winner, capping a night in which Chicago built a three-goal lead before Winnipeg clawed all the way back.
The Blackhawks jumped out front with three goals in the first period, two of them coming 21 seconds apart late in the frame. Winnipeg answered with goals in each of the first three periods, the last one coming from Alex Iafallo 5:39 into the third to tie it at 3-3 and force extra time.
Takeaways From Blackhawks’ Win Over Jets
Chicago’s fast start carried the game early
The Blackhawks scored three times in the opening 17 minutes. Connor Bedard opened the scoring on a wrist shot at 8:11, assisted by Kane and Tyler Bertuzzi. Frank Nazar made it 2-0 at 15:10, and Ryan Donato added a third goal just 14 seconds after Winnipeg’s Neal Pionk had pulled the Jets within one. Chicago finished the period up 3-1 despite being outshot in the game overall.
Winnipeg chipped away for three periods straight
The Jets did not go away. Pionk’s slap shot in the first period, Kyle Connor’s wrist shot 4:44 into the second and Iafallo’s third-period tip-in each trimmed the deficit, with Pionk factoring into three of Winnipeg’s four scoring plays. The Jets outshot Chicago 34-28 for the game but could not solve goaltender Spencer Knight when it mattered most in regulation.
Special teams and depth mattered in a tight final
Both teams scored once on the power play, Chicago going 1-for-4 and Winnipeg 1-for-3. The Blackhawks also blocked 15 shots to Winnipeg’s eight, a difference that helped offset a 26-20 edge for Winnipeg in giveaways committed by Chicago. The extra-skater overtime goal from Levshunov, a defenseman, showed the Blackhawks getting contributions from across the lineup rather than just their top forwards.
Player Of The Game: Connor Bedard
Connor Bedard finished with a goal and an assist for two points, scoring the game’s opening goal and then setting up Levshunov’s overtime winner alongside Kane.
Blackhawks Vs. Jets By The Numbers
Winnipeg held a 34-28 edge in total shots on goal but Chicago countered with 15 blocked shots to the Jets’ eight. The Blackhawks won the power-play battle in frequency with four chances to Winnipeg’s three, though both sides converted at similar rates, Chicago at 25% and Winnipeg at 33.3%. Chicago goaltender Spencer Knight stopped 31 of 34 shots for a .912 save percentage, while Winnipeg’s Stuart Skinner finished at .857 on 28 shots against. Faceoffs were even at 27 apiece for each team.
What It Means
The loss dropped Chicago to 3-5-0, while the Jets fell to 4-1-2. Winnipeg sits third in the Central Division with 10 points; Chicago is eighth with six. Chicago leads the season series 1-0.
Don't stop here
Every Score. Every Story. One Home.
Breaking sports, entertainment and news from across the Total Apex network, updated all day.
Get the Full Story →
