CHICAGO — Connor Bedard scored his second objective of the sport at 2:15 of a frantic additional time, main the Chicago Blackhawks to a 2-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday night time.
Bedard, who leads NHL rookies in scoring, despatched a wrist shot underneath the glove of Winnipeg‘s Connor Hellebuyck for the first OT goal of his career and his 15th of the season as Chicago earned just its second win in eight games.
“It was obviously nice to get the winner in overtime,” said Bedard, who recorded his third two-goal game. “I don’t know if I thought of it overly, but it surely feels good.”
Bedard has three targets in his final two video games and prolonged his factors streak to 5 video games. The 18-year-old middle has three targets and 5 assists within the span and 14 targets and 32 factors in 34 video games general. He is the third-youngest participant in NHL historical past to attain his first OT objective. At 18 years, 163 days, he’s behind Sidney Crosby (18 years, 101 days), who scored on Nov. 16, 2005, and Jordan Staal (18 years, 153 days), who scored on Feb. 10, 2007.
“He’s a guy that it’s hard to know when he releases the puck because he’s coming down and he can shoot it at any time,” Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson mentioned. “He seems to hold on to it longer than other people and still get a hard enough shot off that’s going to beat a world-class goalie like that.”
Morgan Barron scored in regulation for Winnipeg, which misplaced for the second time in 11 contests (8-1-2).
PHOTOS: Connor Bedard scores 1st additional time objective, powers Blackhawks previous Jets 2-1
“I felt like we carried the play for a lot of the game,” Barron mentioned. “For the first game after the (Christmas) break, you obviously want to come away with a win. But to get a point and to play well, it’s going to help us kind of get back on track.”
Petr Mrazek made 37 saves for Chicago as Winnipeg constructed a 38-25 benefit in pictures on objective. The 31-year-old Czech goalie had one other stable effort in a resurgent season after a groin damage dogged him for 2 years.
“Give Mrazek a lot of credit,” Jets coach Rick Bowness mentioned. “He was outstanding. Four goalposts and a crossbar. It was just one of those nights for him. We certainly created enough opportunities in the hockey game. We didn’t score.”
Hellebuyck completed with 23 saves.
The Jets dominated early and took the primary eight pictures on objective. The sellout crowd of 20,540 groaned a derisive cheer when Chicago’s Anthony Beauvillier lastly wristed the Blackhawks’ first shot on Hellebuyck with 5:04 left within the first.
Then, the Blackhawks got here on with a flurry as Bedard opened the scoring with 4:03 remaining.
Connor Murphy held the puck in on the correct boards, then fed Bedard in the correct circle for a one-timer. Hellebuyck stopped it, however Bedard charged to the online and scored on the rebound.
“I just kept kind of whacking it and eventually it went in,” Bedard mentioned. “You gotta have some of those kind of garbage ones and that might have been my first one like that.”
The Jets took over once more within the second. Barron tied it at 1 at 3:47, taking a cross-ice go from Axel Jonsson-Fjallby and scoring between Mrazek’s pads.
Mrazek was sharp the remainder of the interval as Winnipeg outshot Chicago 14-7 within the body. Among his greatest stops was a close-in glove save on Nikolaj Ehlers with simply over 6 minutes left.
Dominic Toninato, enjoying his first sport this season for Winnipeg, hit the submit with a shot halfway by the scoreless third. The Blackhawks killed a penalty to Jarred Tinordi for tripping Nino Niederreiter with 2:56 left in regulation.
Depleted Chicago received increase from the return of rookie defenseman Alex Vlasic, who missed 4 video games with a shoulder damage. Veteran ahead Tyler Johnson performed after lacking one sport.
Earlier Wednesday, coach Luke Richardson mentioned prime defenseman Seth Jones, out since Dec. 10 with a shoulder damage, is predicted to renew skating in a few week.
Toninato changed David Gustafsson, a late scratch with a lower-body damage.
UP NEXT:
Jets: Host Minnesota on Saturday.
Blackhawks: At Dallas on Friday to start out five-game journey.
