Boston @ Colorado preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 10, 2019 ) Colorado 1, Boston 2

There were plenty of eyes on Patrik Laine after he signed late in training camp following a disappointing season, but the 21-year-old forward is off to a flying start as the Winnipeg Jets head to Chicago to face the Blackhawks on Saturday. Laine has 10 points in his first five games - including a three-point effort at Pittsburgh on Tuesday and Thursday’s two-goal, two-assist output against Minnesota - as Winnipeg has won three of its past four after dropping the season opener.

“I think my goal for the season was to try and work as hard as I can every night and every day,” Laine told reporters after Thursday’s 5-2 triumph in Winnipeg’s home opener as the forward finished with not only four points but a team-best eight hits while skating on the top line with Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. The Blackhawks opened a seven-game homestand by losing four one-goal leads in falling 5-4 to San Jose on Thursday, spoiling a strong performance by center Andrew Shaw. Playing in his first home game since being reacquired from Montreal two years after being traded to the Canadiens, Shaw scored two goals while finishing plus-2 with a team-high seven hits. “Two points for the team would have been way better than any individual stat,” Shaw told reporters after the game in which he scored at the United Center for the first time since April 25, 2016.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet One (Winnipeg), NBCS Chicago

ABOUT THE JETS (3-2-0): Laine finished with 20 assists a season ago but already has seven through five games and was tied with four players - including Scheifele - for the league lead entering Friday. Scheifele picked up two assists while Wheeler earned a goal and an assist, giving him 701 career NHL points. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck posted his second consecutive strong outing with 38 saves and across his past two games has stopped 75-of-78 shots as Winnipeg on Thursday also benefited from the return of defenseman Josh Morrissey (upper body injury).

ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (0-2-0): Chicago was sluggish in its first game in six days after opening the season with a 4-3 loss to Philadelphia on Oct. 4 in the NHL Global Series in Prague, Czech Republic. Forward Dominik Kubalik netted his first career goal to open the scoring and Shaw’s two tallies gave the Blackhawks a 3-2 advantage midway through the second, but Chicago was outshot 23-15 over the final 40 minutes. Goaltender Corey Crawford stopped 29-of-34 shots, but the Blackhawks gave up two power-play goals on three attempts and in two games their penalty kill is 3-for-6.

OVERTIME

1. Chicago F Patrick Kane recorded an assist Thursday to give him one goal and three assists through two games, moving him 58 points shy of 1,000 for his career.

2. Winnipeg D Ville Heinola has a goal and two assists through his first five NHL games, but the 18-year-old was a minus-1 for the second time in three games Thursday.

3. Blackhawks G Robin Lehner, who signed with Chicago as a free agent after playing with the Islanders last season, has yet to make his debut but could start Saturday against the Jets or Monday against Edmonton.

PREDICTION: Jets 4, Blackhawks 2