Jets 3, Blackhawks 1
WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- The Winnipeg Jets scored a goal in every period and netminder Michael Hutchinson stopped 45 shots in a tidy 3-1 triumph over the red-hot Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night at the MTS Centre.
Winnipeg captain and left winger Andrew Ladd scored the only goal of the second period, his third of the season, to break a 1-1 tie. Meanwhile, Hutchinson did his best work in the middle frame, stopping all 18 shots the Blackhawks fired his way.
Jets right winger Blake Wheeler ripped his fourth goal of the season and center Mark Scheifele added his fourth, while center Bryan Little chipped in a pair of assists.
Blackhawks right winger Patrick Kane scored his sixth of the campaign to open the scoring in the first period.
Chicago (6-4-0) had won its last four contests, while the Jets (6-3-1) wrapped up a six-game home stand on a winning note.
The game was the first of five between the two Central Division teams this season.
Hutchinson registered 30 saves through 40 minutes and then kicked out 15 more in the final period to run his personal record to 4-0-0 this season.
Chicago goalie Corey Crawford, coming off a pair of shutouts, made 28 saves.
The Blackhawks opened up a quick 1-0 lead when Kane's weak wrist shot from the faceoff dot squeezed through Hutchinson's pads -- his only mistake -- just 1:26 into the first period with Jets defenseman Toby Enstrom serving a minor penalty for holding.
A clean faceoff win by Little led to the equalizer at 8:12, as Wheeler picked up the puck and released a hard wrist shot that beat Crawford low to the glove side.
Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews was nabbed for holding early in the second period and Ladd scored a minute into the power play, grabbing a juicy rebound off a slapshot from Little and flipping in the go-ahead goal at 5:09.
In the third, Scheifele padded the lead with a beauty at the 8:04 mark. Rookie right winger Nikolaj Ehlers won a race for the puck and dropped it to Scheifele, who wired a snapshot beneath the blocker of Crawford.
NOTES: Chicago C Tanner Kero made his NHL debut Thursday night, flanked by LW Bryan Bickell and RW Ryan Garbutt. The Michigan native was called up from the AHL's Rockford IceHogs this week, while fellow rookie C Vincent Hinostroza was reassigned. ... Blackhawks D Duncan Keith (right knee), Michal Rozsival (left ankle) are still on the mend, while LW Teuvo Teravainen and D Erik Gustafsson were healthy scratches. ... The Jets sat three healthy bodies, D Adam Pardy, D Paul Postma and RW Anthony Peluso. ... Chicago just finished a perfect four-game home stand (4-0-0). ... The Jets play the next eight of nine contests on the road. ... Winnipeg RW Blake Wheeler's streak of consecutive games with at least a point to start the season was snapped Tuesday in the club's 4-1 loss to Los Angeles. He amassed 11 points in the squad's first eight games.