Bedard scores first goal, Blackhawks beat Jets in overtime

The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 in overtime at United Center on Thursday. Connor Bedard scored his first goal of the season and set up the game-winning play, while Patrick Kane recorded two assists to establish a new franchise record for United States-born players.

Bedard and Levshunov secure overtime victory

Artyom Levshunov ended the game at 1:37 of overtime by scoring past Jets goalie Stuart Skinner. Levshunov received a pass from Bedard, moved into the slot, and completed the play. "Good pass by ‘Bedsy’ and a good goal by me," Levshunov said. "That’s it. Simple, simple."

Bedard had opened the scoring for Chicago with a power-play goal at 8:11 of the first period. The goal came after Patrick Kane passed from the goal line to Bedard, who scored on a wrist shot from the slot. Bedard, the Blackhawks' new captain, missed the first six games of the season recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. He had recorded an assist in his season debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.

Kane sets assist record

Patrick Kane’s two assists in the game brought his career total to 895, surpassing Phil Housley for the all-time lead among American-born players for the Blackhawks. Kane, a native of Buffalo, expressed respect for Housley, noting that his father grew up watching Housley and wore the same number.

"Phil Housley’s a guy my dad grew up watching, and my dad wore No. 6 when he was younger and Housley wore No. 6 for the Sabres," Kane said. "Obviously I’ve gotten to know him over the years through different USA stuff. Always a guy I looked up to. He’s an amazing player. I guess you play long enough you get the opportunities to achieve things like this, so it’s pretty special."

Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill emphasized the importance of the win for the team's record in overtime games. "Yeah, I think it’s a big deal," Blashill said. "You get to overtime and there’s certainly chance that plays into overtime. That’s reality but they are points. We talked about it last year. We had a poor record once we got past regulation, and we need a better record than that. So this is a good step that way. I think the win is a big deal."

Jets rally and key saves

The Jets, who improved to 4-1-2, rallied from a two-goal deficit. Neal Pionk scored a goal and added two assists, while Stuart Skinner made 24 saves. Pionk had a chance to win the game for Winnipeg 35 seconds into overtime but was stopped by Blackhawks goalie Spencer Knight, who finished with 31 saves.

"Yeah, he made a great save," Pionk said. "(Mark Scheifele) made a great play. I’ve got to find a way to put it in the net. At the end of the day, that is what it is. I thought overall it was a good job for us to come back and get a point. But there are some things we’ll clean up in our game. Got to find a way to get those overtime wins."

Frank Nazar scored an unassisted goal at 15:10 of the first period to make it 2-0, marking his return after a two-game suspension. Ryan Donato added a goal at 17:11 to restore Chicago's two-goal lead. Kyle Connor scored a power-play goal at 4:44 of the second period, extending his goal streak to four games. Alex Iafallo tied the game 3-3 at 5:39 of the third period when Pionk’s shot deflected off Iafallo’s leg into the net.

Injury updates

Jets forward Vladislav Namestnikov did not play after falling into the boards during the morning skate. Coach Scott Arniel stated that Namestnikov would be examined in Winnipeg ahead of the game against Carolina on Saturday. Blackhawks defenseman Bowen Byram also did not play and is listed as day to day due to an upper-body injury.

---

Sources

• nhl.com: Bedard scores first goal of season, Blackhawks recover for OT win against Jets | NHL.com

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.