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 Paired with right winger Patrick Kane on a shift in overtime,
Saad found himself alone in front of the Winnipeg Jets net with the
puck on his stick and goalie Michael Hutchinson out of position --
and he made no mistake, lifting the Blackhawks to a 2-1 triumph.
The clubs traded chances during the four-on-four overtime session,
but Saad sealed two points for the visitors with just 1:59 left on
the clock.
"I had the puck and Kaner was yelling through the middle, so I gave
it to him and he just skated around the net and, I don't know, he
just threw it in front or tried to wrap it," said Saad. "Either way,
the puck found a way to me right in front and it was an easy tap.
"My eyes opened pretty big there. I was pretty excited to get that
puck, I found a way to beat him and I was happy to get the goal."
The Blackhawks (32-18-2) snapped a two-game losing skid. The club
had gone 146 minutes, 25 seconds without a goal until Kane tied the
game at 1 at the 2:50 mark of the second period.
Winnipeg center Mark Scheifele opened the scoring at 4:17 of the
first period, scoring his eighth goal of the season but just his
first in 11 games and only the second in 22.
 The Jets (26-18-10) are winless in six games since the All-Star
break, recording just two points in a pair of overtime losses.
Kane said the Central Division rivals, who won three previous
contests against the Blackhawks this season, are a tough squad to
handle.
"It was one of those games, like a playoff-type game out there," he
said. "There wasn't too many chances each way, and you obviously saw
the shot totals and it was a very physical game. It was tough to
generate."
Chicago goalie Corey Crawford, who stopped 20 shots for his 20th win
of the season, agreed the Jets play a punishing style and are
defensively sound.
"I'd rather be up by two goals," he said. "That was nice to see we
can play that type of hockey in the third period."
"Everyone on (the Jets) side plays hard, they play physical and it
just seems like there's no room. They just run all over the ice. You
just stay patient and not get frustrated by them throwing body
checks."
Hutchinson made 20 saves, losing for just the first time in four
starts against Chicago this season.
The defeat ended a tumultuous day for the Jets organization.
After the club's morning skate, Jets head coach Paul Maurice
announced left winger Evander Kane had opted for season-ending
shoulder surgery, which is scheduled for Saturday. Mired in
controversy after being a healthy scratch for Winnipeg's game
Tuesday night in Vancouver, Kane is expected to be out four to six
months.
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Following an overtime loss to the Canucks, Maurice said he made a
"coach's decision" not to play Kane in the speedy, rugged winger's
home town. But reports suggest a locker room incident was to blame
for his absence. It's believed he arrived at the rink in a track
suit, against team policy, and his clothes were dumped into a tub of
water by teammate Dustin Byfuglien, prompting Kane to leave the
arena and not return.
Kane was placed on the injured-reserve list Thursday. He had 10
goals and 12 assists in 37 games this season, while playing on the
third line much of the time.
After the game, Maurice said it was good to move past the Kane saga
and get back to business.
"It was a bigger one (distraction) the other night (in Vancouver).
We handled that well. It was good to get the puck dropped and now
we'll move on," he said.
"It was a more defensive game played by both teams. It's not that we
ground the game down. I think they were looking after a couple
losses to play a pretty tight game. It was hard to generate speed
for both teams through the neutral zone.
"We'd like a better result, but we're fine with the 60 minutes."
Blackhawks left winger Daniel Carcillo played for the first time
since Jan. 16, the night a crosscheck to the arm of Jets center
Mathieu Perreault earned him a six-game suspension.
Carcillo answered the bell just 1:07 into the first period when
right winger Chris Thorburn challenged him to a fight.
NOTES: Chicago LW Kris Versteeg took the morning skate but was
scratched for the 15th straight game as he recovers from a hand
injury suffered during the Winter Classic on Jan. 1 when he blocked
a shot by Washington Capitals RW Eric Fehr. Head coach Joel
Quenneville hinted he could play Monday when the Blackhawks host
Arizona. ... With LW Evander Kane done for the season, the Jets
summoned C Patrice Cormier from St. John's of AHL on Thursday.
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