Nikolaj Ehlers scores with 1:05 left, NHL-leading Jets beat Blackhawks 2-1
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Nikolaj Ehlers scored with 1:05 left and the NHL-leading Winnipeg Jets beat the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 on Thursday night to extend their franchise-record winning and points streaks.
Gabe Vilardi tied it with 3:29 left, with Adam Lowry assisting on both goals, and Laurent Brossoit stopped 19 shots to help the Jets push their winning streak to eight and points run to 14.
Connor Murphy scored early in the second period for Chicago. The Blackhawks are playing without Connor Bedard, the rookie star who had surgery on his jaw Wednesday.
“We skated hard, but I just thought we backed off a little bit on the last five minutes, and the other team was desperate and came at us, and got two good chances,” Chicago coach Luke Richardson said. “We’ve got to try to prevent that. It was definitely disappointing not even getting into overtime for a point on the road.
“It’s unfortunate. I just thought that they wanted it a little but more than us at the end of the game and we just couldn’t contain them and hold them.”
The Jets tied it after Lowry fought off a check and fed Vilardi alone in front of goalie Petr Mrazek. Ehlers then snapped a wrist shot over Mrazek’s glove hand for the winner to extend his scoring streak to six games.
“It just felt like every shot, he was able to just pick it off,” Ehlers said. “He was fantastic tonight. So was (Brossoit), obviously. When you keep shooting and you keep shooting and it’s not going in, there’s some frustration that kicks in at some point. But the key point, and what you saw tonight, is that at some point it’s going to go in.”
Mrazek made 26 saves.
“You got to give that team a lot of credit,” Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey said. “They battled us hard. They were tough on us all game. I think they finished every check they could when I was out there in the corners. It was hard to play against. They came in and they worked. Didn’t make it easy for us.”
The Jets have held opponents to three goals or under in 31 consecutive games, another franchise record, and 36 games overall.
UP NEXT
Blackhawks: Host Dallas on Saturday night.
Jets: Host Philadelphia on Saturday night.
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