Blackhawks vs. Jets: Artyom Levshunov Wins It in OT as Patrick Kane Sets U.S. Assists Record

Patrick Kane wrote his name into the record book in the first period. Artyom Levshunov wrote the ending in overtime.

Levshunov snapped a shot past Stuart Skinner 1:37 into the extra period, and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 on Thursday night at United Center. A night full of storylines landed in one building: Connor Bedard scored his first goal of the season, and Kane's assist on it was the 895th of his career, breaking Phil Housley's record for the most by a U.S.-born player in NHL history.

A First Period With a Little Bit of Everything

The first 20 minutes had four goals, a record-breaking assist and enough penalties to keep both benches busy. The one that mattered came at 6:58, when Mario Ferraro tripped Kane and sent Chicago to the power play. At 8:11, Kane worked the puck from the goal line to the right of the net and found Bedard in the slot, and Bedard ripped a wrist shot home. Tyler Bertuzzi picked up the second assist.

It was a big moment for both of them. Bedard, Chicago's new captain, missed the first six games of the season recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, according to NHL.com, and had made his season debut with an assist in Tuesday's 5-3 win over Pittsburgh. Kane, meanwhile, had passed Housley.

"I guess you play long enough you get the opportunities to achieve things like this, so it's pretty special," Kane said. He also had kind words for the man he passed: "Always a guy I looked up to. He's an amazing player."

Frank Nazar made it 2-0 at 15:10, picking up a long rebound near the Chicago blue line, racing in on Skinner and beating him with a wrist shot. It was unassisted, and it came in his first game back from a two-game suspension, per NHL.com.

Winnipeg got one back at 16:57 when Neal Pionk blasted a slap shot from the right point, with Morgan Barron and Brad Lambert assisting. Chicago responded almost immediately. At 17:11, Ryan Donato stickhandled into the zone, cut from the right boards into the left circle and beat Skinner short side for a 3-1 lead. Oliver Moore and Wyatt Kaiser had the assists.

Winnipeg Claws Back

The Jets spent the middle of the game slowly dragging it back to even. Ryan Greene took a tripping penalty at 3:21 of the second, and Kyle Connor converted at 4:44, taking a Mark Scheifele feed in the right circle and putting it through Spencer Knight. Connor has now scored five goals during a four-game goal streak, according to NHL.com.

At 5:39 of the third, Pionk fired again from the right point, and the puck deflected in off Alex Iafallo's leg to tie it 3-3. Isak Rosén drew the second assist.

"Neal just saw me going to the net, and it hit off my calf," Iafallo said. Hey, the calf counts.

That was Pionk's third point of the night and, per the AP, the eighth three-point game of his career.

The Turning Point: Knight's Pad, Then Levshunov's Snipe

Overtime opened with Winnipeg on the front foot. About 35 seconds in, Scheifele sent a cross-ice pass to Pionk on a two-on-one, and Pionk was in alone. Knight kicked out his left pad and stopped it. Had that one gone in, the night would have belonged to the Jets.

Instead, the Blackhawks soon went the other way. Kane gained the Winnipeg zone and dropped the puck to Bedard, who fed Levshunov. The defenseman took a few strides up the middle and snapped it glove side past Skinner. Game over.

"Good pass by 'Bedsy' and a good goal by me," Levshunov said. "That's it. Simple, simple."

Pionk was left thinking about his chance. "Yeah, he made a great save," Pionk said. "I've got to find a way to put it in the net."

The Stars

Kane finished with two assists, both on the goals that bookended Chicago's night, in 18:20 of ice time. Bedard had a goal and an assist in 19:05 and won eight of 13 faceoffs. Levshunov scored his first goal of the season in 21:34.

Knight made 31 saves on 34 shots, and none was bigger than the overtime stop on Pionk. Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill made it clear he values the extra point. "We had a poor record once we got past regulation, and we need a better record than that. So this is a good step that way. I think the win is a big deal," he said.

For Winnipeg, Pionk had a goal and two assists in 25:30, and Connor stayed hot. Skinner made 24 saves on 28 shots. The Jets outhit Chicago 34-19 and outshot them 34-28, but those first-period lapses cost them.

Stats That Matter

• 895: Kane's career assists, the most ever by a U.S.-born player.
• 4: Goals in the first period, which ended 3-1 Chicago.
• 34-28: Winnipeg's edge in shots on goal.
• 3: Points for Pionk, who also had the best chance of overtime.
• 1:37: The overtime clock when Levshunov ended it.

What It Means

Chicago improves to 3-5-0 with six points and has won two straight, both on home ice, where it is now 3-1-0. Having Bedard back changes the ceiling of this team, and Kane continues to be a playmaking engine. The Blackhawks host Dallas on Saturday.

Winnipeg falls to 4-1-2 with 10 points but picks up a point on the road, where it remains unbeaten in regulation at 2-0-1. The result also stands out given the recent history: the Jets came in 8-1-1 in their past 10 games against Chicago, according to the AP, with the only loss a 2-0 decision at Chicago on Jan. 19. "I thought overall it was a good job for us to come back and get a point," Pionk said. "Got to find a way to get those overtime wins." The Jets host Carolina on Saturday.

Closing Take

The winning goal went Kane to Bedard to Levshunov, a veteran chasing history, a captain back from a shoulder injury and a defenseman who just wanted to keep it simple. It played like a passing-of-the-torch montage, except all three were on the ice at the same time. If that is the shape of things in Chicago, the record book will not be the only thing Kane is setting up this season.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details from the Associated Press; postgame quotes and notes as reported by NHL.com.