The last time the Chicago Blackhawks visited Winnipeg, they fired their coach the next day.
Their second visit went much better, spoiling the Jets’ good run of play with a 3-1 win Monday night.
The Jets controlled play for most of the opening 20 minutes, which included a power play but were unable to beat Marc-Andre Fleury. Winnipeg held an 11-8 edge in shots after one but the game remained without a goal.
Chicago got their first chance with the man advantage early in the second but it was Winnipeg that earned the best opportunity to score. Adam Lowry made a great play to spring himself loose on a breakaway but he was denied by Fleury.
Just past the midway point of the second, the Blackhawks drew first blood. Patrick Kane carried the puck into the Jets’ zone and beat Connor Hellebuyck five-hole with a wrist shot from the face off dot.
Chiacgo nearly made it 2-0 a few minutes later when a point shot deflected off a stick and hit the post, and again minutes after that when a shot handcuffed Hellebuyck and the puck trickled just wide of an empty net.
Kane also hit the crossbar in the final minute of the second but Winnipeg escaped further harm, entering the third period trailing by one goal.
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With little spark in their game, the Jets found the equalizer out of nowhere just past the six minute mark of the third. A point shot from Nate Schmidt hit a body in front, fluttered over Fleury and landed just shy of the goal line where it was knocked home by Mark Scheifele. The Jets’ centre has now scored in four straight games since the All-Star break.
The game did not remained tied for very long.
After an Andrew Copp turnover in the neutral zone, Alex DeBrincat collected the puck on his own side of centre ice, skated right up the middle into the Jets’ end and wired a wrister top shelf past Hellebuyck for his 28th goal of the season at the 9:42 mark.
The Jets pressed for the equalizer but with the net empty, Brandon Hagel sealed the deal thanks to a nice breakout pass from Fleury.
The veteran goalie was a big reason why the Blackhawks picked up the win, stopping 31 shots on the night.
Hellebuyck made 21 saves for a Jets team that came in feeling very good about their play after the all-star break, but the inconsistency that has plagued them much of the season caught up with them again.
Winnipeg will try to get back in the win column Wednesday night against the Wild.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism