CHICAGO -- Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck waited a few minutes to remove his gear and discuss his team's harrowing win.

The sweat-covered netminder had to catch his breath first.

"It was probably the most tired I've ever been playing hockey," Hellebuyck said with a smile. "Pretty exciting, too."

Hellebuyck and his teammates killed a high-sticking penalty for the final 2:49 to preserve a 2-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night. An extra skater gave the Blackhawks a two-man advantage for much of the power play, but Winnipeg defenders blocked several shots and Hellebuyck turned aside several others to escape with a win.

"It was just desperation mode," said Hellebuyck, who made 27 stops. "I learned the hard way never to give up. You've just got to use your mind at that point."

Left winger Andrew Copp and center Bryan Little scored for the Jets. Winnipeg (13-13-2) earned its second road win in as many nights.

Left winger Artemi Panarin scored Chicago's lone goal as its offense continued to struggle without injured center Jonathan Toews. Chicago (16-8-3) lost in regulation on home ice for only the second time this season and the first time in the past 13 contests.

Blackhawks goaltender Scott Darling drew the loss despite turning aside 30 shots.

"Give them credit," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. "Certainly, we're not happy because we don't score. You're going to have stretches when your power play doesn't ignite your offense, and we've gone along here where it hasn't really been productive in ways."

A terrific sequence by Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien led to the game's first goal after more than 39 minutes of scoreless action. On the power play, Byfuglien kept the puck in the offensive zone and snapped a pinpoint pass to Little near the left side of the crease. Little chipped the puck into the net with 43.4 seconds remaining in the second period to notch his third goal in the past three games.

The Blackhawks evened the score at 1 on an even-strength goal by Panarin with 6:54 to go in the third period. Right winger Patrick Kane slid a pass across the front of the crease to Panarin, who beat Hellebuyck with a rising shot for his 10th goal of the season.

Copp put Winnipeg on top 2-1 with 4:45 remaining in the third period. He skated to the right circle and unleashed a quick wrist shot that beat Darling stick-side.

"That's the sign of a good team, responding to a little bit of adversity," said Copp, who hit the crossbar earlier in the third period. "They had a little bit of momentum in the third, and we came back and got that lead right back."

Winnipeg could have built a larger lead against Chicago if not for Darling's sharp outing. Darling denied breakaway shots by left winger Nikolaj Ehlers and center Adam Lowry in the second period, and he stuffed Byfuglien on a breakaway in the third period.

Kane said the absence of Toews should not be an excuse for the Blackhawks' dormant offense. Another key player was lost over the weekend when goaltender Corey Crawford underwent an emergency appendectomy. He is expected to miss several weeks.

"We have a lot of depth where we can fill in and try to step up for those guys," Kane said. "Every team deals with injuries. We're just dealing with a couple big injuries."

Meanwhile, the Jets thanked Hellebuyck for a couple big saves to secure the win.

"It was absolutely going to be that kind of game," Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice said. "There was going to be a big push coming. I was hoping it was a 5-on-5 or a 6-on-5 push, but he was going to have to make one to make the goaltending at both sides of the ice equal."

NOTES: The Blackhawks recalled G Lars Johansson from the AHL's Rockford IceHogs before Sunday's game. Johansson, 29, posted a 6-7-1 record with a 2.63 goals-against average in 16 games with Rockford. He spent three seasons in the Swedish Hockey League before signing a 1-year deal with the Blackhawks during the offseason. ... Jets C Mark Scheifele missed his second consecutive game because of a lower-body injury. ... To clear a roster spot for Johansson, the Blackhawks assigned C Nick Schmaltz to Rockford of the AHL. The 20-year-old rookie tallied four points (1 G, 3 A) in 26 games with Chicago. ... Jets LW Nikolaj Ehlers appeared in his 100th career game. ... Blackhawks C Jonathan Toews missed his sixth game in a row because of an upper-body injury. Toews will stay off the ice for at least a few more days, coach Joel Quenneville said.