Big defenseman fired in first goal of the season 21 seconds into overtime to win it. Chicago scored more than one goal in a game for first time since Jan. 7, span of five contests.
Seth Jones finally scored — in his 31st game and on his 72nd shot of the season — and it really made a difference for the injury-depleted Chicago Blackhawks.
Jones notched his first goal of the season on a screened shot 21 seconds into overtime on Friday night, giving the Blackhawks a 4-3 win over New York Islanders.
The goal was Jones's first since April 8, 2023, when he had two against Seattle. The 6-foot-4, minutes-eating defenseman had 12 last season after coming on late.
His best season total was 16, with Columbus in 2017-18 when he had a career-high 57 points.
"It's probably the biggest drought I've been in," Jones said. "It's just nothing was doing in, but it's nice that I remember how to score. Put the puck to the net and good things happen." See following video.
Scoring Almost Impossible For Chicago
Goals have been hard to come by for the Blackhawks as a group without injured NHL leading rookie scorer Connor Bedard and six other forwards.
Chicago had managed only four goals in regulation/overtime through five previous games heading into Friday's against New York. Shut out 3-0 in Buffalo on Thursday, the Blackhawks scoreless streak reached 152:28 before Boris Katchouk connected with 1:53 left in the second period versus the Isles to tie the game at 1.
Jones Breaks Through
Jones beat Ilya Sorokin from the top of the slot as Chicago scored more than one goal in a game for the first time in nearly two weeks. The Blackhawks bounced back after blowing a 3-1 lead in the third period to win for only their second game in their last six and third in 12 (3-8-1).
"I was in shock," Jones said. "I was like, 'Wow, one actually went in.' It's a great feeling, the team played unbelievable tonight.
"We obviously gave up the two-goal lead in the third, but the way we stuck in there."
Jones also had his 12th assist on Friday to give him 13 points. The big blueliner, who returned last week after missing 15 games with a shoulder injury, leads the Blackhawks with an average of 25:27 of ice time per game. That mark is fourth-highest in the NHL.
Solid Without Scoring
Jones was No. 4 overall draft pick in 2013, taken by Nashville. At age 29, the smooth-skater remains one of the most complete defensemen in the NHL.
The easy-going Jones is the son of former NBA forward and current Denver Nuggets assistant coach Ronald "Popeye" Jones. The biggest knock again the D-man: His pay. Jones is in the second year of an eight-year contract extension with a $9.5 million annual cap hit. The deal was negotiated by former Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman in July 2021, two months before Bowman stepped down in the wake of the Brad Aldrich scandal.
But even without scoring, Jones has been mostly his solid self this season on injury-depleted Chicago. He joined the casualty list himself after suffering a shoulder injury on a hit late in a 4-2 loss to Washington on Dec. 10.
Jones returned on Jan. 13 versus Dallas and was back in top form against the Isles on Friday night.
"It was suiting for him to get that goal because of the way he played defensively and up and down the ice," Chicago coach Luke Richardson said. "I thought he was excellent on making the choices when to go and help out offensively, but also his one-on-ones were excellent tonight."
Big Night For Dickinson
Center Jason Dickinson, who signed a two-year contract, $8.5 million contract extension on Tuesday, led the way with his 15th goal and two assists in an upbeat performance. Dickinson moved into tie for the team lead in goals with Bedard, who remains out for about a month with a fractured jaw.
Joey Anderson and Katchouk each added a goal and assist.
Petr Mrazek stopped 27 shots in his sixth start in Chicago's last seven games. The 31-year-old Czech goalie is having a resurgent season after two years groin injuries that dogged him.
After Chicago gave Dickinson and Nick Foligno two-year contracts this week, Mrazek might be next in line. His three-year $11.4 million deal runs out at the end of the season.
The NHL trade deadline in March 8.