Spencer Knight posted a 32-save shutout and Jason Dickinson and Connor Bedard scored as the host Chicago Blackhawks blanked the Winnipeg Jets 2-0 on Monday to stop a three-game losing streak.
Knight notched his third shutout of the season and eighth of his career. He blanked Calgary on Nov. 7 and the New York Rangers on Dec. 10.
Jets counterpart Connor Hellebuyck stopped 22 of 23 shots but Winnipeg couldn’t solve Knight on the other end, losing its second straight on the heels of a four-game winning streak.
Bedard sealed the result with an empty-net goal at 18:40 of the third period. Alex Vlasic earned two assists for Chicago.
Dickinson scored at 13:21 of the second period, beating Hellebuyck with a wrist shot from the high slot. Dickinson corralled a bouncing puck, moved to his left and ripped a shot that appeared to deflect off the Jets’ Dylan Samberg.
Kyle Connor and Gabriel Vilardi both had four shots on goal for the Jets.
Fans greeted Winnipeg center Jonathan Toews with a hearty, extended ovation when the Blackhawks played a video tribute to Toews following a stoppage with 12:23 remaining in the first period.
Monday marked Toews’ first appearance in Chicago as a visiting player. He captained the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup championships in the 2010s while registering 883 points in 15 seasons before leaving hockey due to health reasons after the 2022-23 campaign. He returned to action this season for the Jets.
Toews proved to be pesky around the net throughout the night, finishing with two shots on goal and two hits. Knight made a sliding save to his right to stop a Toews scoring chance along the goal line moments before Dickinson scored.
Knight also turned Samberg aside late in the second as Samberg led a rush and attempted to sneak a shot through the five-hole.
Hellebuyck kept the game at 1-0 with 2:09 remaining in the second with a spectacular scrambling glove save against Bedard with the Blackhawks on the power play.
The Blackhawks finished 0-for-3 on the man advantage. The Jets were 0-for-2.
Chicago evened the four-game season series with Winnipeg at one game apiece. The host Jets thumped the Blackhawks 6-3 on Oct. 30.
Andre Burakovsky (illness, family matter) missed the game for Chicago.
–Field Level Media
