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 For the third straight time this season, all at the United
Center, Hutchinson frustrated the host Chicago Blackhawks yet again
Friday as the Jets claimed a 4-2 victory.
Bolstered by three third-period goals, including a pair within 28
seconds of each other that broke open a 1-1 tie, Hutchinson and the
Jets kept Chicago from mounting a late rally.
Hutchinson stopped 31 of Chicago's 33 shots as Winnipeg, which has
now won four of its last five games, improved to 24-14-8 overall.
"This was as good a character win as we've had since I've been
here," Jets coach Paul Maurice said. "It's not a tough schedule,
it's a brutal schedule. Six games in nine nights from the West
Coast, back to Winnipeg, down to Dallas (Thursday night).
"It was a game like the way we play. It wasn't all pretty. But they
fought for every puck and battled and blocked shots and did all of
the things that they've been doing all year."
Chicago goalie Corey Crawford (17-9-2) stopped 31 of Winnipeg's 35
shots as the Blackhawks lost for the fourth time in seven games and
fell to 28-14-2.
The game had been a 1-1 tie from midway through the first period
until 9:31 of the third period when Jets center Bryan Little scored
his team-leading 17th goal of the season on the power play.
Then, 28 seconds later, right winger Chris Thorburn tipped in a
wrist shot from left winger Adam Lowry to give the Jets a two-goal
edge and Thorburn his third tally of the season.
"I thought we did a good job, obviously," Little said. "The schedule
has been tough lately and we have some guys that are banged up and
guys that are tired. We really came together and sucked it up for 60
minutes tonight and played hard."
Chicago coach Joel Quenneville was somewhat suprised by the whole
turn of events.
"I don't know if I'm disappointed," he said. "I thought we were
better than the first two games against them here. I thought we were
more competitive and had some good chances to score.
"(It was a) 1-1 hockey game and then it was suddenly 2-on-1 and it's
in our net. Ensuing shift they go up by two, so that was the hockey
game. We were fine (when it was) 1-1."
To their credit, even behind 3-1, the Blackhawks made a game of it.
Playing in just his eighth game in the NHL, center Teuvo Teravainen
scored his first career NHL goal on a wrist shot at 12:43 of the
third period.
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"It's a nice feeling, of course, first goal," Teravainen said. "I'm
happy with that, but I'm not happy that we lost and we just couldn't
win this tight game."
Winnipeg wrapped up its scoring with an empty-net goal by left
winger Andrew Ladd at 19:31. It was Ladd's team-leading 17th goal of
the season.
Things looked promising early for Chicago, as Blackhawks left winger
Brandon Saad picked up a rebound of winger Marian Hossa's shot and
backhanded it past Hutchinson for a quick 1-0 lead just 53 seconds
into the game.
It was Saad's 13th goal of the season, tying him for second-most
goals on the team with captain and center Jonathan Toews.
Just under 10 minutes later, Winnipeg tied things up on defenseman
Zach Bogosian's slap shot, his third goal of the season.
NOTES: Chicago's next home game will be a bit earlier than normal,
starting at 6 p.m. ET Sunday. The Blackhawks face the Dallas Stars.
... LW Chris Versteeg missed his sixth straight game with a left
hand injury. Before the game, Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said,
"(Versteeg) hasn't started skating yet. One he gets started skating,
then we'll get a better idea how close he is to returning. But he's
a ways away." Versteeg had surgery after the hand was injured Jan. 1
at Washington. He originally was expected to miss at least a month.
... Healthy scratches in Friday's game: Versteeg, Tim Erixson and
Joakim Nordstrom for the Blackhawks. The Jets sat Paul Postma, TJ
Galiardi and Adam Pardy. ... Attendance was 22,051. ... Sunday's
game vs. Dallas will wrap up a four-game homestand for the
Blackhawks. They then embark on a seven-game road trip, followed by
an eight-game homestand, their longest of the season, from Feb.
9-24.
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