Kane records four-point effort as Blackhawks top Jets

[December 20, 2019]    Patrick Kane had a goal and three assists and Robin Lehner finished with 36 saves to lead the visiting Chicago Blackhawks to a 4-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night.

Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews (19) looks on during the second period against the Winnipeg Jets at Bell MTS Place. Mandatory Credit: James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports

It was the 12th four-point game of Kane's career. Alex Nylander had a goal and an assist and Dominik Kubalik and Erik Gustafsson also scored goals for Chicago, which improved to 7-1 in the second half of back-to-backs this season. The Blackhawks had lost at home to Colorado, 4-1, on Wednesday.

Tucker Poolman scored for Winnipeg, which had a six-game win streak over Chicago snapped. Connor Hellebuyck finished with 28 saves.

Nylander gave Chicago a 1-0 lead just 59 seconds into the game when he scored his first goal in 17 games. Dylan Strome chipped the puck ahead to Kane along the left boards and Kane then raced up the ice and hit Nylander with a cross-ice pass near the bottom on the right circle where he quickly snapped a shot past Hellebuyck's glove side for his fifth goal of the season.

Winnipeg dominated after that, rolling up a 30-15 edge in shots on goal over the first two periods including 14-3 in the second period when Chicago didn't have a shot on goal in the first 12 1/2 minutes. But Lehner kept the Blackhawks in front with several grade-A saves.

Kubalik then made it 2-0 just 37 seconds into the third period with his ninth goal of the season. Kane stole the puck from Mark Scheifele near the blue line and then spun around and hit Kubalik driving to the net where he shoveled a shot through Hellebuyck's pads.

Poolman cut it to 2-1 five minutes later when he blasted a slap shot from above the circles into the top right corner of the net. But Chicago extended its lead back to two goals six minutes later with a power-play goal by Gustafsson, who one-timed a pass at the top of the right circle for his fourth goal of the season.

Kane then sealed it with 3:21 remaining when he fired a wrist shot from the dot in the left circle that beat Hellebuyck on his blocker side for his 19th goal of the season and fifth in the last four games.

--Field Level Media

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