Blackhawks Edge Jets in Overtime Despite Neal Pionk's Three-Point Night

On Thursday, the Winnipeg Jets came close to engineering an epic comeback, but the Chicago Blackhawks held on for their third win of the season, a 4-3 overtime victory.

It was a hard-fought night for the Jets, who were left chasing a Chicago team that has been energized by the recent return of captain Connor Bedard. The boost was already evident Tuesday, when the Blackhawks surprised the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 5-3 win.

Winnipeg was stunned by Chicago's start as Bedard broke the ice with a power-play goal eight minutes into the game, and Frank Nazar, back in the lineup after serving a two-game suspension, added a goal later on.

The Jets may have found their interim Josh Morrissey replacement in Neal Pionk, who was fresh off a multi-assist game in Winnipeg's 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, he stayed hot with his first goal of the season, a blast from the point. The Blackhawks did not back down, though, scoring their third goal of the period when Ryan Donato netted his second of the season.

Winnipeg was slow to get back into it, but they gradually chipped away, outshooting Chicago 25-12 over the final two periods. Kyle Connor scored Winnipeg's second goal of the game in the second period, and early in the third, Alex Iafallo tied the game at three with his second goal of the season.

Jets fans may remember one of the last times Winnipeg visited Chicago and lost in overtime, when Bedard beat Connor Hellebuyck for the game-winner. Fate repeated itself Thursday. Patrick Kane and Bedard passed the puck back and forth before Bedard dropped it to Artyom Levshunov, and the former second overall pick ripped a shot from the high slot for the winner, repeating history for the Jets in the Windy City.

It was a standout night for Pionk, who recorded his second straight multi-point game and assisted on the two other Jets goals he did not score. Mark Scheifele, Morgan Barron, Isak Rosen and Brad Lambert also recorded assists.

It was the first tough outing of the season for Stuart Skinner, who has been steady for Winnipeg so far. On Thursday, he allowed four goals while stopping 24 of 28 shots in a close game.

The Jets return home Saturday for one of their biggest matchups of the season, an afternoon matinee against the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.

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