Jets one point back of a playoff spot thanks to KC

Kyle Connor scored 33 seconds into overtime to lift the Winnipeg Jets to a 4-3 win at United Center in Chicago. The Jets have won the first two games of their four-game road trip and now sit just one point back of the Nashville Predators for the final wild card spot in the west. Winnipeg has 76 points, so do the Los Angeles Kings but the Kings have played one fewer game. Mark Scheifele had three assists, Kyle Connor also had an assist to go with his game winning goal and Josh Morrissey had a goal and an assist. Winnipeg will head to Dallas now to face the Stars on Thursday.

“We just said to take care of our own business and that's what we're trying to do. We got ourselves here, but we can't take our foot off the gas," said head coach Scott Arniel.

"It doesn't get any easier in going into Dallas and then Columbus, so a lot of heavy lifting still to go. We have got to make sure that we continue to do those things that keep us in games and that gives us a chance to win.”

TURNING THE TABLE

After a less than memorable opening period in which the Jets gave up a goal to Anton Frondell (his first NHL goal), Winnipeg woke up in the second. It all started with Josh Morrissey continuing his dominance of the Blackhawks. The Jets defenceman came into the night with 27 points in 34 games and a plus 27 in his career against Chicago. Morrissey took a pass from Kyle Connor and started skating towards the Hawks goal and it looked like he was going to go behind the net, but Morrissey made a quick cut to the front and beat Spencer Knight for 13^th of the season.

Winnipeg would take the lead at 11:19 while on the power play, Chicago had a shorthanded opportunity that was broken up at the Jets blueline. That allowed Alex Iafallo and Cole Perfetti to break out on a two-on-one, Iafallo sent a perfect feed to Perfetti, and he would one time home his 12^th of the campaign.

Shortly after that, Winnipeg made it 3-1 as Isak Rosén scored his second goal as a Jet and first since March 12. Danny Zhilkin attempted to score on the wraparound, the puck bounced out into the slot and that’s where Rosén found it and beat Knight. Zhilkin obviously got the assist on the goal, which is his first point in the NHL.

SCHEIF TO KC FOR THE WIN

After the Jets took the two-goal lead, Tyler Bertuzzi scored at 13:26 of the second and again at 9:46 of the third to tie it. The game would go to overtime, and it didn’t take long for the trio of Morrissey, Scheifele and Connor to end the game. Winnipeg concluded March with a 9-4-3 (21 points) record after entering the month 10 points back of the 'playoff line'. After the game, Morrissey gave a glowing review of the pass that Scheifele gave to Connor on the GWG.

"The three of us have spent a lot of time together in overtime and we take a lot of pride in it, as well.  We haven't ended as many games this year as we have in years past, in OT, but it was just a great play on that one," said Morrissey.

"I tried to go to the net and take somebody with me and then Scheifele makes an incredible play and that is the type of finished KC has. I don't think anyone is stopping that. It was a great play by those guys. Just try and read off them and like I said, it is nice to be able to get that."

SIMILAR PATHS

Monday, the Blackhawks announced that they would honour alumni and former broadcaster Troy Murray by making him part of the organization’s inaugural Hall of Fame class as a builder. Murray, who also played for Jets 1.0 and was one of their captains, was a big part of Jet forward Jonathan Toews career when Toews was a longtime member of the Blackhawks. Earlier on Tuesday, Toews spoke with the media about Murray.