WINNIPEG — Patrick Kane scored once and added three assists as the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 on Thursday.
Alex Nylander had a goal and assist, while Dominik Kubalik and Erik Gustafsson also scored for the Blackhawks.
Robin Lehner stopped 36 shots for Chicago (14-16-6), which was coming off a 4-1 loss to Colorado on Wednesday.
Tucker Poolman had Winnipeg’s lone goal.
Connor Hellebuyck made 28 saves for the Jets (20-13-2), who wrapped up a three-game homestand going 1-2-0.
Chicago led 1-0 after the first period and held that score after two, largely in part to Lehner’s key saves.
Nylander scored 59 seconds into the game on a two-on-one with Kane, shooting the puck high on Hellebuyck’s glove side.
The Jets didn’t get their first shot on goal until almost five minutes into the first period, when the visitors had already tallied four.
Winnipeg did heat up late in the period, including going on the power play for the final 1:52 of the frame, but Lehner stymied good scoring chances by Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele.
The Jets held a 16-12 edge on shots on goal after the first.
The Blackhawks didn’t get their first shot on goal until 12:32 of the second period, including during a power-play span.
Chicago forward Brandon Saad left the game after he was checked into the boards by Jets defenceman Luca Sbisa. He fell and appeared to injure his right leg.
Winnipeg outshot Chicago 14-3 in the second, with Lehner again turning aside Jets sharpshooters such as Connor.
Chicago upped its lead to 2-0 with another quick goal, this time 36 seconds into the third period.
Kane capitalized on a Scheifele turnover near Winnipeg’s blue line and quickly fed the puck to Kubalik, who went in alone and beat Hellebuyck.
Winnipeg got on the scoreboard with Poolman’s one-timer that flew past Lehner in a corner.
The Jets were called for too many men and Gustafsson ripped a one-timer past Hellebuyck after getting a pass from Kane.
Kane notched his 19th goal of the season at 16:39 to cap the scoring.
Winnipeg goes on the road for one game against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. Chicago plays the Avalanche in Colorado Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 19, 2019.
Judy Owen, The Canadian Press