Mark Scheifele scored the go-ahead goal in the third period, and Kyle Connor had two assists to help the Winnipeg Jets beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 on Saturday.
Under interim coach Anders Sorensen for the first time, the Blackhawks led 1-0 and 2-1 but couldn’t hold on, resulting in their fifth straight loss, the worst of their season so far.
Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck made 12 saves as the Jets won their second straight after a four-game losing streak.
Scheifele scored the winning goal at 10:18 of the third period when he tapped in a rebound of Connor’s shot past Blackhawks goalie Arvid Soderblom. It was Scheifele’s 14th goal of the season, tying him with Connor for the team lead.
Mason Appleton, who had a goal and an assist, sealed the win with an empty-net goal with 1:41 left.
The Blackhawks got on the board first with a power-play goal. Alex Vlasic scored with a point shot at 9:01 of the first period, just 21 seconds after the Jets were penalized for delay of game.
The Jets tied the game 4:30 later when Gabriel Vilardi tipped Logan Stanley’s shot past Soderblom while the Blackhawks were still adjusting after a goaltending change.
Starting goalie Petr Mrazek left the game midway through the first period after getting hurt while stopping a shot from Winnipeg’s Adam Lowry. Mrazek had saved all four shots he faced before leaving, and Soderblom replaced him. This marked Soderblom’s first game since Nov. 19.
The Blackhawks regained the lead with just 13 seconds left in the first period. Alec Martinez took a pass from Ilya Mikheyev, skated to the left circle, and beat Hellebuyck with a wrist shot.
The Jets outshot the Blackhawks 29-14 and kept up heavy pressure in the second period. At 13:10 of the second, Nino Niederreiter tied the game when he took a pass from Appleton behind the net, skated along the red line, and scored with a backhand shot over Soderblom.
Soderblom finished with 21 saves. The Jets went 0-for-2 on the power play.
