CHICAGO URBAN DAILY
CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)— One game after his comeback, Connor Bedard is already back to winning hockey games for the Blackhawks.
The captain scored his first goal of the season and set up the overtime winner Thursday night as Chicago beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 at the United Center — the team’s second straight win and its first two-game streak of the year.
Bedard opened the scoring at 8:11 of the first period on the power play, taking a feed from Patrick Kane along the goal line and ripping a wrist shot from the slot. Then, at 1:37 of overtime, he fed Artyom Levshunov in the slot, and Levshunov buried it past Stuart Skinner. “Good pass by ‘Bedsy’ and a good goal by me,” Levshunov said. “That’s it. Simple, simple.”
The night also belonged to Kane. His two assists gave him 895 for his career, setting the Blackhawks’ franchise record for assists by a U.S.-born player, surpassing Phil Housley. Frank Nazar scored an unassisted beauty in his first game back from a two-game suspension for an October 8 hit on the Islanders’ Bo Horvat. Ryan Donato added a goal, and Spencer Knight stood tall with 31 saves — including a breakaway stop on Neal Pionk early in overtime.
Winnipeg didn’t go quietly. Pionk had a goal and two assists, Kyle Connor scored on the power play, and Alex Iafallo tied it 3-3 in the third off a Pionk shot.
But the Hawks held on in overtime, and the captain delivered. Two games back from shoulder surgery, Bedard already has a goal, two assists and a winning streak brewing.
“I think the win is a big deal,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “We talked about it last year. We had a poor record once we got past regulation, and we need a better record than that.”
Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily as the Hawks try to make it three straight.
Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.
