Pionk steps up, Jets rally but fall in OT

With Josh Morrissey now out week-to-week, the Winnipeg Jets need others to step up, and Neal Pionk is doing his part. Pionk made his presence felt Thursday night, putting up a goal and two assists as Winnipeg looks to find a way to get by without its top defenceman.

The Jets fought back from a two-goal first period deficit to record a point as they dropped a 4-3 overtime decision to the Blackhawks in Chicago.

Pionk has five points in the last two games after chipping in with a couple of assists in the Jets win over Minnesota on Tuesday night.

“Yeah, I think my main goal is just to get the puck in the forwards' hands, play good defense, and I don't really measure it on points,” said Pionk.

“Whether you play good or you play bad, whether you have a point or you don't-I mean, winning is important thing.”

The Jets found themselves in penalty trouble just six minutes into the game when Jack St. Ivany was called for high-sticking, and Mario Ferraro tripped Patrick Kane just 45 seconds later. Chicago made Winnipeg pay for the two-man advantage, as Connor Bedard found some room and wired a shot past Stuart Skinner at 8:11 for his first goal of the season.

The Blackhawks doubled their lead at 15:10 thanks to a bit of a fortunate bounce. St. Ivany’s point shot took an awkward hop, sending Frank Nazar in alone on Skinner. Nazar made no mistake, going high to the blocker side to make it 2-0.

Winnipeg got a bounce of its own to get back into the game. Brad Lambert’s initial shot went wide, but Morgan Barron tracked down the loose puck and found Neal Pionk. His shot hit a body on the way through and slipped past Spencer Knight to cut the deficit to 2-1.

The Jets had some momentum, but they gave it right back. Just after the ensuing faceoff, Ryan Donato skated into the Winnipeg zone and beat Skinner on the short side to restore Chicago’s two-goal lead. It was a frustrating way for the period to end, with the Jets heading to the dressing room down 3-1.

Whatever was said in the Jets’ dressing room during the first intermission seemed to do the trick. Winnipeg came out flying in the second and took control of the game, outshooting Chicago 26-14 over the final two periods and overtime.

Connor extended his goal streak to four games when he took a pass from Mark Scheifele, skated into the slot and beat Spencer Knight for his eighth of the season. Connor has goals in six of the team's seven contests this season. The Jets had cut the deficit to 3-2 and had plenty of momentum heading into the third.

Pionk continued his big night by picking up his third point when his shot went off Alex Iafallo’s skate and past Knight at 5:39 to tie the game at three.

The Jets had a couple of golden opportunities to take the lead midway through the period. Connor rang a shot off the post, and shortly after, Barron had all kinds of time to get a shot away, but it hit a body and sailed over the glass.

Needless to say, the Jets had plenty of chances to get their fourth goal but it just wasn’t their night.

“We had a ton of chances. Whether that was five-on-five, through the two periods and with all the looks that we had late,” said Scott Arniel.

“With five minutes to go, our power play, KC, Viggo’s line having three or four whacks in one shift. There was lots of opportunity there. Anything that we did give up, it was self-inflicted.”

45 seconds into overtime, it looked like Pionk was going to score the winner, but Knight made a tremendous save with his left pad to keep it tied.

“Yeah, he made a great save,” said Pionk.

“Scheif made a great play, and I got to find a way to put it in the net.”

When you don’t capitalize on your chances in overtime, it can come back to bite you. The Jets couldn’t find the winner, and Chicago made them pay when Bedard fed Artyom Levshunov, who beat Skinner high glove side at 1:37 to give the Blackhawks the extra point.

The Jets will return home for a date with the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday afternoon.