Blackhawks grind out huge win on an emotional night

The Chicago Blackhawks salvaged the final game of a four-game homestand by knocking off the Winnipeg Jets 2-0 in front of the loudest crowd of the season. With everyone there to welcome back franchise legend Jonathan Toews, the energy in the United Center was through the roof. The Blackhawks fed off of that to snap their three-game losing streak and put three points between them and the Jets in the standings. This was the Blackhawks' first regulation win over the Jets in their last 11 meetings.

The third line of Ryan Donato, Jason Dickinson, and Ilya Mikheyev was fantastic. They were tasked with shutting down Winnipeg’s top line, and they did that by only allowing four scoring chances. Before the game, head coach Jeff Blashill said he wanted his team to do a better job of taking what was given to them, and this trio exemplified that mindset. In addition to his stellar defense, Dickinson provided the only goal the Blackhawks needed by just putting a shot on net.

As great as that line was, Spencer Knight was the story of the game. He made 32 saves to pick up his third shutout of the season. He had a 3.86 expected goals against, but kept the Jets off the scoreboard thanks to stopping all 11 high-danger shots he faced. His counterpart, Connor Hellebuyck, only faces four high-danger shots.

Jonathan Toews Blown Away By Reception

Toews was the man of the hour tonight. Blackhawks fans did a wonderful job welcoming back the greatest captain in team history. The United Center was packed with No. 19 jerseys, and the ovation he got during the first television timeout was deafening and lasted for over three minutes.

"It felt like forever,” he said. “Not sure what to do after a while in that situation. The boys kept telling me to go do another lap. Pretty special. It blew me away, obviously. It’s a crazy moment to get that reception from the fans. Pretty special, something I’ll remember forever."

Before the game, Toews met with the Chicago media. He admitted that it’s difficult not get distracted on nights like this, but his main focus was to play well and help his current team win the game. Once the puck dropped, he was all business as expected.

After losing the opening faceoff to Ryan Greene, Toews was noticeable in his return to the Windy City. His best scoring chance came in the second period when Josh Morrissey set him up in front of the net, but he was denied by Knight.

Toews finished his night with two shots on goal, four shot attempts, two individual scoring chances, and two hits. And the night wouldn’t be complete without him barking at the refs looking for a call, which he did after getting tangled up with Nick Folingo. He had a legit gripe with this one.

Connor Bedard Puts on a Show

When Connor Bedard injured his shoulder on Dec. 12, he was having a season worth some Hart Trophy consideration. He had 19 goals and 44 points in his first 31 games of the season before missing a month. While he hasn’t played badly since coming back, with three assists in four games, he hasn’t felt as dangerous as he was earlier in the season.

“I think there’s certainly been chances,” Blashill said of Bedard. “He’s not to the level he was before he got hurt, but that’s a stretch of hockey that he missed, and that’s not an easy thing. Before he got hurt, he was one of the very best players in the league, so that’s a high bar, too. Night in, night out, he was as good as anybody in the league. Since he’s been back, he’s shown flashes of that, but probably not to the level he was before, but I just think that’s a little bit of rust, and just a matter of time. And it’s a little bit of the ebb and flow of a season, too.

“I don’t have any concerns. He’s had chances, he’s created chances for sure that we haven’t necessarily scored on, but if he keeps going, he’ll continue that process of getting back to that level.”

Andre Burakovsky missed the game due to illness, which meant Tyler Bertuzzi joined Bedard and Ryan Greene on the top line. The Blackhawks' young star was active early, as he wanted to be the story of the night instead of Toews. His edge work was on display on this play in the first period to set up a scoring chance for Wyatt Kaiser.

During a late second-period power play, Bedard was able to shake off a pair of Winnipeg defenders by hitting the brakes, then getting a quick shot off that unfortunately went wide of his target.

Moments later, he was robbed by a diving Hellebuyck.

Bedard finished the night with three shots on goal, eight shot attempts, and three individual scoring chances. He extended his point streak against the Jets to four games with a late empty-net goal that he joked about nearly missing. He now has five goals and nine points in eight career games versus Winnipeg.

Nuggets & Tidbits

• Oliver Moore was impressive tonight. He used his speed as a weapon, drawing two penalties by keeping his feet moving. The first gave the Blackhawks a 5-on-3 power play for 1:23 in the first period, but they were unable to capitalize. He got some time on the first power-play unit with Burakovsky out. His overall stat line isn’t going to knock your socks off, but he was effective every time he hopped over the boards.

• With the lines shifting around, Landon Slaggert got to play with Moore and Nick Lardis. He continued his stretch of solid games by creating multiple chances in front of the net. His line finished with a team-high 58.82 CF%, while Slaggert had two shots on goal on five attempts, and one scoring chance. He’s made the most of his time since being recalled from the AHL, and he's moved ahead of Colton Dach on the depth chart. Tonight may have been the second game in the last week where an illness saved Dach from being a healthy scratch.

• The Blackhawks won 56% of the faceoffs against a Jets team that is very good at the dot. Dickinson led the charge by going 8-for-12. Green took the most draws, 15 of them, and won nine, with many of them coming against Toews.

• Bedard isn’t the only Blackhawk with a four-game point streak against the Jets. Alex Vlasic has one too after recording the secondary assist on Dickinson’s goal. He has two goals and five points during his current streak.

• Finally, two of Chicago’s young stars, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, were sitting next to each other right on the glass. The sell-out crowd erupted when Williams was shown on the video board sporting his Connor Bedard jersey. That trio is going to own this town for years to come!