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Connor Bedard isn’t living up to expectations in his second season with the Chicago Blackhawks. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Jets 5-4 Shootout Win Sours Blackhawks Home Finale

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Brooke LoFurno | Last updated Apr 12, 2025 10:28 PM ET

The Chicago Blackhawks faced the Winnipeg Jets in a character matchup for both teams. The Blackhawks were looking to get two wins in a row, and in a more special fashion, as it was their last home game of the season, and it was Pat Maroon and Alec Martinez’s final NHL games before retiring.

Meanwhile, the Jets were looking to stay hot, coming off a big 4-0 win against the Dallas Stars on April 10. These end-of-season matchups are always intriguing, as a top NHL team facing a non-playoff team doesn’t always play out as expected. It was an entertaining battle, but Winnipeg came out on top in the shootout.

Game Recap

The game started slanted more toward Winnipeg. The Blackhawks didn’t have a shot on goal for over 11 minutes, while the Jets had five shots in that time frame. However, Joe Veleno took a tripping penalty that actually benefited his team. While the Jets were on power-play, goaltender Connor Hellebuyck whiffed on a clearing attempt, turned it over, and Nick Foligno scored a short-handed goal off their first shot of the game to make it 1-0. Connor Bedard scored a power-play goal three minutes later to make it 2-0 in the first.

The second period started well for the Blackhawks. Goaltender Spencer Knight made a tremendous save on Alex Iafallo. Hellebuyck made some saves as well, like on Ilya Mikheyev. But then Winnipeg came back to life. Blackhawks’ Connor Murphy got a penalty for holding the stick. Helleybyuck made a big save on the Hawks’ short-handed opportunity with Frank Nazar and Foligno. With five seconds left on the penalty kill, Nino Niederreiter scored to make it 2-1. Then, Jets leading goal scorer Kyle Connor scored his 41st goal with less than four minutes left in the second period to tie the game 2-2. Shots were an even 13-13 in the frame.

In the third period, it was a fun back-and-forth. Winnipeg quickly made the game 3-2 off a goal from Josh Morrissey. Ryan Donato had the answer for the Hawks, scoring his 31st goal to make it 3-3. Frank Nazar scored to make it 4-3. Then, Morrissey got his second goal of the game to tie it 4-4. Both teams went to an exciting overtime that ultimately went into a shootout. Cole Perfetti scored the winning goal for the Jets, 5-4. Shots were 41-32, Winnipeg in the game.

What’s Next?

It was disappointing for the Blackhawks to lose their home finale at the United Center and that Maroon and Martinez didn’t get to end their NHL careers with a win. Chicago has two games remaining in their season against the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators. Meanwhile, the Jets lost their third-best scorer, Nikolaj Ehlers, in the second period after a collision with a referee, and he didn’t return to the game. Hoping for the best for him, as Winnipeg does not want to lose him for a significant amount of time. Especially since they clinched the number one spot in the Western Conference with the win.