Mark Scheifele is on some kind of roll! It’s almost a shame that Alex Ovechkin has ripped two hat tricks this week or else the Jets forward would be an absolute shoo-in for NHL first star honors on Monday.

As it is, he’ll have to settle to helping the Jets to a 4-3 overtime win against the Blackhawks, giving the Jets a four game win streak and for tonight, top spot in the west.

It’s probably not a surprise that the Jets struggled a bit early on in the game as it was the second of a back to back set and the third game in four nights, although Chicago as well had the same three in four situation going albeit with a night off last night as opposed to two nights ago. The Blackhawks were a bit better with puck possession as opposed to their first period effort three nights ago in Winnipeg.

At least for the first ten minutes anyway.

The Jets found their legs after a little while and started gaining more of the scoring chances and shots on goal. After falling behind to start the game, the Jets out-shot the Hawks 14-13 in the first period and were credited with nine high scoring chances as opposed to the Hawks seven.

The Hawks also took the game’s first penalty and that lately has meant a Jets goal was soon to follow…

Note Scheifele was in the “Laine spot” while Laine was up higher in the blueline which made for a bit of a different look that Chicago had a bit of trouble stopping. No idea if that positioning was intentional, but it’s highly encouraged going forward.

Sadly the Jets couldn’t get out of the first with a lead as “noted former Winnipeger” Jonathan Toews scored for the first time in his last nine games.

Less than ideal turnover by Kyle Connor on the play and Laurent Brossoit should have been a bit better on that shot even though it was perfectly placed.

The Jets are clearly – on paper at least – a more talented and deeper club than the Hawks are, so it’s to Chicago’s favor to play more of a grinding, patient game and hope for some mistakes by the Jets. They got just that a little over halfway into the second period as a bad pinch by Jacoub Trouba and a poor defensive read by Blake Wheeler led to a two on one chance that Brossoit got a big part of, but not enough.

The Hawks goal seemed to wake up the Jets a bit however as about five minutes later after a couple of chances back the other way, Patrik Laine did Patrik Laine things.

Few sights in hockey are as beautiful as seeing a tiny little bit of space open up for Laine with the puck on his stick and just enough time to fire a bullet past a helpless goalie.

The Jets weren’t done there as they turned the tables on the Hawks with a late goal near the end of a period of their own.

After a dangerous hit on Brandon Tanev from behind, a weak hooking penalty on Perreault was all kinds of frustrating but forgotten two minutes later as the Blackhawks simply forgot about the man coming out of the box. Mathieu Perreault continues his hot streak as he has a goal in three straight games, a point in four straight and a point in six of the last seven games he’s played.

Much like a night earlier, the Jets poured it on in the third period and dominated the Hawks in the final frame, at one point leading in shots 11-0. The only unfortunate part of that is that the shots weren’t exactly the kind that would severely test Hawks goalie Corey Crawford. In fact in that third period, the Jets only managed to get two high danger scoring chances before the Hawks rather predictably started to press on for a tying goal that they got with 7.5 freakin seconds left…

For a second night in a row, the Jets were off to overtime.

For what it’s worth Laurent Brossoit was steady in net tonight for the Jets, although it did look as though he was fighting the puck at times. Outside of that first goal allowed however, I don’t think you could lay the blame for goals against squarely on his shoulders and he actually made a couple of key stops leading up to the Hawks GTG.

For a second night in a row, overtime didn’t last long and it was the trio of Blake Wheeler, Josh Morrissey and Mark Scheifele that got it done.

With the win, the Jets – for tonight anyway – are first place in the west, second overall and about to head into a showdown with the one team that’s ahead of them in the standings: the Tampa Bay Lightning.

For Winnipeg: Mark Scheifele – HO HUM JUST ANOTHER THREE POINT NIGHT, NOTHING TO SEE HERE. HE’S ON PACE FOR 50+ GOALS NOW. WHY AM I YELLING THIS? I DON’T KNOW BUT IT FEELS RIGHT.

For Chicago: Jonathan Toews – Really Toews, you’re going to do your hometown city like that? You couldn’t have scored against the Penguins to break the goal-less slump huh? Had to do it against the Jets. Just for that, we hope you don’t get to mentor Jack Hughes next season.