Jets recover to defeat Blackhawks in OT, move 1 point back of wild-card spot

CHICAGO -- Kyle Connor scored 33 seconds into overtime, and the Winnipeg Jets recovered to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 at United Center on Tuesday.

Mark Scheifele won the face-off to start overtime and soon after passed to Connor, who scored the winner with a wrist shot top shelf from the slot.

“We’ve seen a lot of that over the years,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said of Scheifele’s pass in overtime. “That just, it’s kind of been his whole season. When we need a big moment, a big play, he certainly responded. It was a heck of a play.”

Josh Morrissey, Cole Perfetti and Isak Rosen each scored in the second period, Scheifele had three assists, and Connor Hellebuyck made 18 saves for the Jets (32-30-12), who have won four of their past five games and moved to within one point of the idle Nashville Predators for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.

“The second point is huge,” Morrissey said. “We have been fighting, clawing, scratching to try and get closer and closer to the playoff line, and when it is all said and done, I think it is going to come right down to the wire, and an extra point here and there is the difference. We are going to be in more situations like this as we go along, as the games are tight, and we have to continue to try and get two points.”

Anton Frondell scored his first career NHL goal, Tyler Bertuzzi scored twice, and Spencer Knight made 20 saves for the Blackhawks (27-34-14), who are 1-4-2 in their past seven games and nine points out of the second wild-card spot from the West.

“We were excellent in the third and I think we only gave up one chance in the third. I don’t want to say we deserved a better fate because at the end of the night chances were exactly equal. We haven’t been good enough on 3-on-3, so that’s frustrating for all of us,” Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill said.

Frondell, the No. 3 pick by Chicago in the 2025 NHL Draft, gave the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead at 4:42 of the first period. He scored on one knee from the slot thanks to a pass from Ilya Mikheyev, who had retrieved the loose puck off defenseman Louis Crevier’s wide shot attempt. 

“An amazing feeling,” Frondell said. “Dream come true and happy to do it in my first home game.”

Morrissey tied the game 1-1 at 1:06 of the second period when he skated in along the Blackhawks’ goal line and flipped the puck past Knight glove side on the backhand.

The Jets took a 2-1 lead on Perfetti’s power-play goal at 11:19. Blackhawks forward Landon Slaggert’s pass in the Jets’ zone hit Scheifele and was picked up by Alex Iafallo, who went in on a 2-on-1 with Perfetti. The forward scored from the bottom of the right circle with 13 seconds remaining on the power play. 

Rosen gave the Jets a 3-1 lead at 11:57, putting the rebound of Danil Zhilkin's wraparound attempt past the left pad of Knight after Rosen was left alone in front. It was the forward's fifth goal of the season and second with the Jets, who acquired him as part of the trade of defensemen Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley to the Buffalo Sabres on March 6.

“You’ve got to perform under pressure. I think that's the biggest thing,” Jets captain Adam Lowry said. “We know every game is important. We came and talked about it after the first intermission. We don't have time to just squander points. We can't have these letdowns where we play one great game, and then come down and take a breath. So, it was a big win for us. You know, tight game. You’ve got to give Chicago credit. I thought they played a pretty good game.”

Bertuzzi pulled the Blackhawks back to within one, 3-2, at 13:26, scoring on a spinning backhand that beat Hellebuyck cleanly to the glove side. He then tied the game 3-3 at 9:46 of the third period, jamming it through Hellebuyck's five-hole off a pass from Mikheyev. The tying goal also earned Bertuzzi a career high with 31 on the season.

“I’ve done it before,” Bertuzzi said on reaching 30-plus goals. “I’m going to keep going to the net, keep doing the same things. My body’s been feeling good. It’s been keeping me in games and being able to compete at the hardest I can, and at the highest level I can. Obviously, playing with some good players helps.”

NOTES: Hellebuyck is 23-8-1 against the Blackhawks, the most wins he has against any NHL team. … Scheifele’s assist on Connor’s overtime goal was the 58th time that duo has factored in on a goal this year. No other duo in the NHL has factored in on more goals together this season. … Frondell is the third Blackhawks player in the past 15 years to get five or more points (one goal, four assists) in his first five career games, joining Henri Jokiharju (five assists in 2018-19) and Artemi Panarin (two goals, three assists in 2015-16). … Bertuzzi’s previous career high of 30 goals came with the Detroit Red Wings in 2021-22.