Winnipeg Mark Scheifele scored two late goals, the second in overtime, to salvage a 2-1 victory for the Jets over the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Jets' home opener was played before 14,564 fans at the Canada Life Center on Friday night, a near sellout on the same night the Winnipeg Blue Bombers sold out their CFL game against the Toronto Argonauts.
Scheifele scored 38 seconds into overtime off a set-up by Kyle Connor.
Ryan Donato scored late in the second period to give the Chicago Blackhawks a 1-0 lead.
Connor Hellebuyck made 25 saves for Winnipeg.
Arvid Soberblom stopped 34 shots for Chicago.
Takeaway meals
Jets: After beating the Western Conference champions, Edmonton Oilers, 6-0, they found themselves stymied by Soberblom and a suffocating defensive game from Chicago until the final moments.
Blackhawks: After shutting down the Jets for most of three periods, they were overwhelmed in the final minutes of regulation and overtime.
Key moment
With Hellebuyck favoring an extra attacker, Scheifele scored with a backhand from his knees off a rebound from Nikolai Ehlers with just 1:04 left in regulation to tie the score at 1-1.
Key Statistics
The Jets outshot Chicago 36-25 and both goaltenders made several key saves on dangerous shots. Soberblom had no chance of scoring either goal.
Next
The Jets will continue their four-game homestand when they host the Minnesota Wild on Sunday, while the Blackhawks will continue their four-game road trip in Edmonton on Saturday.
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