Blackhawks allow another critical late goal, lose to Jets in overtime
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The Blackhawks have struggled to safely close out games this season. And in agonizing fashion, another lead slipped away Tuesday night in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Jets, who tied the score with 39 seconds left in regulation to spoil a strong 50-minute (but not 60-minute) effort.
“We’ve definitely been in a lot of tight games, which is a good thing in some ways,” Hawks coach Jeff Blashill said. “Sometimes it’s [about] finding that next goal. If you find a way to score the third one, the game is probably over. And if [the opponents] happen to get one [during] six-on-five [play], it’s not as big a deal.”
The Hawks have now allowed nine critical goals in the final four minutes of the third period this season, costing them at least eight points in the standings — basically the difference between a playoff-bubble team and a basement team.
Four of those goals were game-winners in regulation (Oct. 11 vs. Canadiens, Nov. 20 vs. Kraken, Dec. 16 at Maple Leafs and last Thursday at Predators). Five were tying goals by opponents that forced overtime (Oct. 19 vs. Ducks, Nov. 12 vs. Devils, Dec. 2 at Golden Knights, Jan. 27 at Wild and Tuesday at Jets). The Hawks ended up losing in four of those five overtimes.
Forward Connor Bedard, who continued his post-Olympics surge with two assists, said he has learned “little plays” can make enormous differences in three-on-three play.
“[Overtime is] man-on-man, so it’s hard to create too much on your own,” Bedard said. “[There are] turnovers here and there that lead to a chance, lead to a goal. Yeah, we’ve got to find a way to win more of them.”
Jeff Blashill: "We played really good for lots of the game. We just stopped getting out of our zone clean. Because of that, we were in our end for the last 10-12 minutes. It's just a hard way to play. We didn't get out clean, and when we had it, I thought we had opportunities to…
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) March 4, 2026
New responsibilities
Any assumptions that Monday’s trade of Connor Murphy would create more NHL opportunities for young defenseman Kevin Korchinski down the stretch look wrong already. With Sam Rinzel recovered from an illness and Ethan Del Mastro called up, Korchinski moved from in the lineup Sunday to out of the lineup Tuesday.
On the penalty kill, Louis Crevier and Artyom Levshunov will take on more responsibilities as right-handed defensemen in Murphy’s stead.
In terms of leadership, Bedard inherited the alternate-captain role vacated by Murphy and will wear an “A” for the rest of the season, Blashill confirmed. He’s probably the favorite to take over the captaincy next season if Nick Foligno retires.
“Obviously the letter doesn’t change anything you do as a person, but it’s nice to be recognized like that,” Bedard said.
‘Not easy’ for Toews
The good news for Hawks icon and Jets veteran Jonathan Toews is that he has stayed healthy enough to play in every game this season — a remarkable accomplishment at age 37 with his background.
The bad news is the Jets have greatly underperformed as a team, and Toews hasn’t been able to help them much.
Since his emotional Jan. 19 return to Chicago, the former Hawks captain has just one point (an assist) in 13 games. On the season, he has 19 points in 60 games.
“At this point of the season, I would love to have some more numbers to show for it and be able to feel like I contributed a little bit more offensively,” Toews said. “With that being said, it hasn’t been easy. [I’m] just working really hard on off-days to recover and get ready for the next one.”
“You’re not always going to be flying out there with the way the schedule is, but you’ve got to find a way to get your body and mind up for every single game. And I’ve been able to do that.”