These are some tough times for the Chicago Blackhawks.
Kyle Connor had a pair of goals as the Winnipeg Jets handed the struggling Blackhawks their eighth straight loss on Tuesday. The Jets scored three times less than six minutes apart in the opening period on their way to a 6-3 victory over the Hawks at Bell MTS Place.
Connor, Mark Scheifele, and Tyler Myers scored first period goals as the Jets bolted out to an early three-goal lead before the Blackhawks had even registered a shot on net. It took the Blackhawks more than 17 minutes to record their first shot of the game.
“I think we just got to our game right away,” said Jets forward Brandon Tanev.
“Making it difficult for them to get out of their zone, and putting pucks to the net, and I think we did a good job of rolling four lines, and ultimately playing fast, and getting pucks to that net.”
RELATED: Winnipeg Jets getting healthy, send Nelson Nogier back to Manitoba Moose
“We came out ready, right from the start,” Connor said. “And it showed on the scoreboard. Just the way we were on pucks, playing through guys, and playing hard to play against.”
Connor scored again early in the second period as the Jets’ power play connected for the second of three times in the game, giving the Jets a commanding four-goal lead.
After getting dominated in the first 20 minutes, Chicago turned the tables on the Jets in the second. The Hawks clawed their way back in the game by scoring three straight times, but Mathieu Perreault’s fourth goal of the season with a little over eight minutes remaining ended any chance of a comeback.
Tanev added an insurance marker into the empty net with just five seconds left in the game.
The Jets were expecting a big push back from the Blackhawks in the second stanza, after the shots were 15-5 in the Jets’ favour in the initial 20 minutes.
“Not expecting it to be 12-nothing by the end of the game,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “They’re going to push back. We gave up a bit, the two rush, but didn’t love the third. Other than that I got no complaints.”
Dustin Byfuglien recorded three assists, while Scheifele also had an assist for a two point night.
WATCH: Winnipeg Jets Post Game Reaction
Connor just missed his first career hat trick. After scoring his first two goals, Connor was robbed by Cam Ward with the old school, two-pad stack glove save late in period number two. Ward finished the game with 28 stops and was clearly the Hawks’ best player on the ice.
Laurent Brossoit made 32 saves for the Jets as Connor Hellebuyck got a rare night off.
Dylan Strome, Dominik Kahun, and Alex Debrincat scored goals for the Hawks in the loss.
RELATED: Inconsistent Winnipeg Jets still finding ways to win
Sami Niku and Nic Petan were both scratched for the Jets, while Andrew Copp remains on injured reserve.
The Jets wrap up their four-game homestand on Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers.
Comments