RECAP: Early Deficit Proves Difference in Loss to Jets, 5-1

An early deficit proved the difference on Friday night as the Blackhawks dropped a 5-1 decision to the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre.
MacKenzie Entwistle netted a shorthanded goal in the third period to spoil the shutout bid for the hosts and Marc-Andre Fleury made 28 stops in his fourth straight start.

POSTGAME LINKS
GAMECENTER: CHI at WPG
ANALYSIS: Flat Start, Quick Goals Down Blackhawks
HIGHLIGHTS: Blackhawks Fall to Jets
GALLERY: Blackhawks at Jets
STAT OF THE NIGHT: Skating in his 1,037th NHL game, Patrick Kane moved into sole possession of fourth all-time in franchise games played. Only Stan Mikita (1,396), Duncan Keith (1,192) and Brent Seabrook (1,114) have played more in a Blackhawks sweater.
UP NEXT: Chicago returns home to face the Nashville Predators on Sunday night at the United Center (
TICKETS
).

GAME RECAP

CHI: 0, WPG: 1

1st - 0:46 - Paul Stastny (Andrew Copp, Nikolaj Ehlers)

Winnipeg got on the board first in transition off a Paul Stastny give-and-go. Nikolaj Ehlers pulled up to avoid a check in the neutral zone and slid a puck back to the trailing Stastny, who put a deft pass to Andrew Copp at the Blackhawks blue line before charging towards goal. Copp stepped over the line and hit Stastny with the return feed behind the Chicago defense for a 1-0 score.

CHI: 0, WPG: 2

1st - 2:23 - Neal Pionk (Kyle Connor, Andrew Copp) -- PP

The Jets doubled their advantage on the game's opening power play as Neal Pionk received a pass from Kyle Connor at the point, waited momentarily and then walked in towards the top of the circle and tucked a shot under the bar through a defenseman screen for an early 2-0 lead.

CHI: 0, WPG: 3

2nd - 13:48 - Dominic Toninato (Andrew Copp)

It became a 3-0 game in the second period off a 3-on-2 rush for the Jets. Andrew Copp picked up his third asset on the night, finding Dominic Toninato crashing the slot in the odd-man break, where the forward put a backhand-to-forehand deke on Marc-Andre Fleury to make it a three-goal lead.

CHI: 0, WPG: 4

2nd - 15:17 - Kyle Connor (Nate Schmidt, Evgeny Svechnikov)

Just about 90 seconds later, the Jets turned a regroup in their own end into a fast break the other way as Kyle Connor beat Erik Gustafsson with a move in the neutral zone before walking into the offensive end and putting a wrist shot past the blocker of Marc-Andre Fleury for a 4-0 score.

CHI: 1, WPG: 4

3rd - 0:57 - MacKenzie Entwistle (Seth Jones, Kirby Dach) -- SH

Chicago got on the board early in the third while down a man, notching the first shorthanded tally of the team's season. On a rush, Kirby Dach put a puck towards goal that deflected off Seth Jones and then the end boards before falling into the path of MacKenzie Entwistle on the weak side for his second of the year and a 4-1 game.

CHI: 1, WPG: 5

3rd - 14:03 - Nikolaj Ehlers

The Jets regained a four-goal lead late in the third as Nikolaj Ehlers picked off a Blackhawks breakout pass in the neutral zone and quickly skated it back the other way, firing a shot from the high slot that beat Marc-Andre Fleury for a 5-1 scoreline.