Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele scored two late goals, the second in overtime, to salvage a 2-1 victory for the Jets over the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Jets’ home-opener was played before 14,564 fans at Canada Life Centre on Friday night – just short of a sellout on the same night the Winnipeg Blue Bombers sold out their CFL game against the Toronto Argonauts.
Scheifele scored 38 seconds into overtime on a setup from Kyle Connor.
Ryan Donato had scored late in the second period to give the Chicago Blackhawks a 1-0 lead.
Connor Hellebuyck made 25 saves for Winnipeg.
Arvid Soberblom stopped 34 shots for Chicago.
Takeaways
Jets: After beating the Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers 6-0, they were stymied by Soberblom and a stifling Chicago defensive game until the waning moments.
Blackhawks: After shutting down the Jets for most of three periods, they were overwhelmed in the last few minutes of regulation and OT.
Key moment
With Hellebuyck pulled in favour of an extra attacker, Scheifele scored on a backhand shot from his knees on a Nikolai Ehlers rebound with just 1:04 left in regulation to knot the score at 1-1.
Key stat
The Jets outshot Chicago 36-25 with both goalies making a number of key saves on dangerous shots. Soberblom didn’t stand a chance on either goal.
Up next
The Jets will continue their four-game homestand when they host the Minnesota Wild on Sunday while the Blackhawks will continue their four-game road trip in Edmonton on Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2024.
