The last time the Blackhawks played in Winnipeg, they fired Jeremy Colliton. Tonight, I don’t think anyone’s job is on the line.
Following a much better effort than we saw on Saturday night, or in that November 5 game against the Jets, Chicago earned a tough 3-1 victory behind goals from their big guns as Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat led the way. Marc-André Fleury also came up big tonight for the Blackhawks, stopping 31-of-32 shots en route to his 16th win of the season. This was the first win for Chicago on the road against the Jets since December 19, 2019.
After a lull of a first period, the Blackhawks got on the board mid-way through the second period with Patrick Kane going five-hole on Connor Hellebuyck for his 12th goal of the season.
Kirby Dach driving the net and taking the defender with him is an underrated part of the setup of this goal for Patrick Kane #Blackhawks up 1-0!#CHIvsWPG pic.twitter.com/RFQKWOinGy
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) February 15, 2022
Watch Kirby Dach on the play ahead of Kane, driving to the net and taking his defender with him, creating a moving two-man screen in front of Hellebuyck. That kind of move would be worthy of an assist in my book, but Dach picked up an actual assist on the play anyway, his fourth point in his last five games.
After the Jets tied the game with a goal early in the third period, the Blackhawks pulled ahead once again mid-way through the third period thanks to Alex DeBrincat.
DeBrincat with his 28th of the season! 2-1 game in the 3rd#Blackhawks #CHIvsWPG pic.twitter.com/U7hHFJbPJf
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) February 15, 2022
Dach, again, makes a play that goes under the radar to knock the puck out of mid-air and allows DeBrincat to pick it up with speed. DeBrincat rips his 28th goal of the season, leading the team in goal-scoring and continuing on his career-best pace this year.
Fleury would be tested late in the period as the Jets pushed hard to try to find the equalizing goal, but he would be up to the task. With the net empty and Hellebuyck pulled, Brandon Hagel scored an empty-netter to seal the game 3-1. Hagel’s 14th goal of the season and Fleury was actually able to pick up the secondary assist on the play too, his 19th career assist.
A good way to end a good game played by the Blackhawks. If they could bottle this kind of effort and put it out on the ice every night, we’d be talking about a real good team in a postseason race. Chicago wins two of three games on their road-trip and move their record to 18-24-7 on the season.
They are next in action on Thursday night when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets on the first night of back-to-back home games. It will be the beginning of a six-game homestand for the Blackhawks that will stretch across the next 17 days.
Find the full box score here.