By SCOTT CHARLES
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) – Jeff Glass is starting to get comfortable in goal for the Chicago Blackhawks.
Glass, the 32-year old rookie who bounced around the hockey world before finally reaching the NHL last month, made 23 saves to lead Chicago to a 5-2 victory over the New York Rangers on Wednesday night.
"This is my chance right now," Glass said after securing his second career NHL victory. "We played a strong game as a unit, I just did my part. It was a lot of fun out there."
Patrick Sharp broke a tie early in the third period as the Blackhawks concluded a six-game trip. Nick Schmaltz, Vinnie Hinostroza, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane also scored
"Contributing offensively is to be expected from every line," Sharp said. "We're more than capable of doing it but more than anything, I thought we played real stingy tonight and didn't give up a whole lot so that was one of the keys tonight."
Nick Holden and Mika Zibanejad scored for New York in the Rangers' second regulation loss at home since Nov. 28.
New York struggled to get through the neutral zone most of the evening and only converted one power play chance on six opportunities in their first game back since the Winter Classic at Citi Field.
"I saw one team playing hockey and the other chasing the whole night," Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh said. "It's really disappointing. We know we are coming off a big emotional win and a big stage but we're almost at the halfway point of the season where we need to start playing with some consistency and we didn't give ourselves a chance there. They were able to do whatever they wanted. We didn't finish checks, slow them down, their speed. They had time and space and we left our goalie out to dry."
Glass, a well-traveled hockey veteran has played on six Kontinental Hockey League teams and three American Hockey League teams before being called up on Dec. 27 when Corey Crawford was placed on injured reserve.
"I think Glasser came in and gave us a little jolt of personality and energy," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville. "After coming out of three tough games going into the break, coming out of it not the way you want to be playing on the road. We'll go back home, we showed a lot better of an effort. I liked the response, the way we finished up the trip."
Sharp, a three-time Cup winner with Chicago who returned this season after spending the previous two years in Dallas, scored at 2:24 of the third when his wrist shot sailed past goalie Henrik Lundqvist's glove.
"I saw a lot of good things, a lot of the speed in the game," Joel Quenneville said. "We got to a lot of pucks first. We did a lot of good things, we were more disciplined than we've been in maybe any other game. We found a way to kill some big penalties."
Hinostroza opened the scoring with 3:51 left in the first period. After an offensive zone faceoff win, Toews retrieved a loose puck in the corner and slipped a backhand pass to Hinostroza.
The Rangers tied it two minutes later when Nick Holden fired a slap shot from the right point past Glass.
Chicago took a 2-1 lead midway through the second when Nick Schmaltz converted a breakaway. Rangers defenseman, Marc Staal, inadvertently put the puck in his own net before knocking the net off the moorings.
Zibanejad tied it on a one-timer with 7:28 to go in the period.
"They were better," Lundqvist said after his 30 save performance. "They started the game better, they had more jump. It felt like a lot of their chances came from odd-man rushes, hard to defend. They have a lot of patient players."
NOTES:
New York scratched defenseman Steven Kampfer and forward Vinni Lettieri. ... Chicago scratched defensemen Michal Kempny and Jan Rutta, and forward Richard Panik.
UP NEXT:
Rangers: At Arizona on Saturday night.
Blackhawks: Host Vegas on Friday night.
Showing posts with label Chicago Blackhawks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicago Blackhawks. Show all posts
Thursday, January 4, 2018
Monday, November 6, 2017
Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford named NHL's Second Star of the Week
The NHL announced today that Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford was named the league's First Star for the week ending Nov. 5.
Crawford went 2-1-0 with a 0.68 goals-against average, .979 save percentage and two shutouts to lead the Blackhawks (7-6-2, 16 points) to a pair of wins. He opened the week with consecutive shutouts, making 35 saves in a 3-0 triumph against the Philadelphia Flyers Nov. 1 and 24 stops in a 2-0 victory over the Minnesota Wild Nov. 4. It marked the fifth time Crawford has registered consecutive shutouts in his NHL career (394 GP) and first such instance since Dec. 11-13, 2015. He then finished the week with 33 saves in a 2-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens Nov. 5. The 32-year-old Montreal native owns a 7-5-0 record in 13 appearances this season, pacing the NHL with a 1.77 goals-against average, .945 save percentage and two shutouts (tied).
Islanders forward Josh Bailey was named the Second Star, while Sharks goaltender Martin Jones was named the Third Star.
Sunday, November 5, 2017
Blackhawks face Canadiens in Original Six matchup
TV: NBC Sports Chicago - Pat Foley (play-by-play), Steve Konroyd (analyst)
RADIO: WGN 720 AM - John Wiedeman (play-by-play); Troy Murray (analyst)
ONLINE: NBCSportsChicago.com and the NBC Sports app
Tonight, the Chicago Blackhawks and Montreal Canadiens will meet for the last time this season.
The Blackhawks topped Montreal, 3-1 on Oct. 10 at Bell Centre. Blackhawks forward Alex DeBrincat scored his first career NHL goal in the win while Brandon Saad and Artem Anisimov also added markers. Corey Crawford stopped 41 shots for Chicago and the Montreal native improved to 8-0-2 with a 1.49 save percentage and .954 GAA in 10 career games vs. the Canadiens.
Last season, Chicago swept the series, winning both games. Chicago is 10-0-2 vs. Montreal since the 2009-10 season.
Tonight marks the 565th all-time meeting between these two teams in a series that began on Dec. 22, 1926 (3-1 vs. MTL).
THE KILLERS
The Blackhawks stand sixth in the NHL, killing 83.9 percent of their penalties this season ... Chicago has killed off each of its last nine penalties going back three games.
CROW-M-G
Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford is coming off consecutive shutouts ... Crawford has stopped all 59 shots he faced over the last two games ... Crawford is 8-0-2 with a 1.49 save percentage and .954 GAA in 10 career games vs. Montreal ... Crawford is one of three NHL goaltenders this season with two shutouts.
SUNDAY FUNDAY
Tonight, the Blackhawks will play their first of 11 Sunday games this season ... Sunday is the only day of the week the team has yet to play on this season ... Sunday trails only Thursday (17) and Saturday (20) for the day of the week in which the Blackhawks play the most games ... Nine of those 11 Sunday games come at home for Chicago.
FACETIME
The Blackhawks stand 10th in the NHL in faceoff wins with 459 this season ... The team has won 50.7% of faceoffs through 14 games ... Jonathan Toews shares third in the NHL with 180 faceoff wins and his faceoff win percentage of 57.3% is tied for sixth in the NHL among players with 200 or more faceoffs this season.
BLACKHAWKS FOR LIFE
Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith are two of the longest tenured Blackhawks defensemen and are moving up the charts ... Seabrook (937 GP) needs just one game played to tie Doug Wilson (938 GP) for second on the all-time franchise list for games played by a defensemen ... Keith is at 927 games played and will tie Wilson with 11 games played ... Seabrook (6th) and Keith (7th) also trail Wilson (5th) on the franchise overall games-played list.
CHICAGO BLOCKHAWKS
The Blackhawks are 11th in the NHL in blocked shots with 203 ... Brent Seabrook paces the club with 32 this season ... On Wednesday vs. PHI, Seabrook recorded a season-high six blocked shots, his 15th career game of six or more blocks.
EMBRACING THE HITS
The Blackhawks have 275 hits through 14 games, an average of 19.6 per game ... Last season, the team finished last in the NHL in hits with 1178 (14.4 per game) ... John Hayden is tied for eighth in the NHL this season with 42 hits.
TIME IS ON HIS SIDE
Duncan Keith has led the Blackhawks in TOI each season since the 2004-05 campaign ... That marks the longest such streak for a player with the same team in the NHL ... He is averaging a team-best 25:24 per game this season.
RATED ROOKIE
The Blackhawks opened the season with four rookies on their roster: DeBrincat, Rutta, John Hayden and Anton Forsberg ... Hayden and Forsberg are still considered NHL rookies despite having made their NHL debut in previous seasons.
CLIMBING TO THE TOP
Patrick Kane currently ranks sixth in Blackhawks franchise history in three statistical categories including points (766), goals (290) and assists (475) ... He needs just 13 points to tie Doug Wilson for fifth on the all-time franchise list ... He needs just eight goals to tie Dennis Hull for fifth on the all-time franchise list.
BLACKHAWKS UPCOMING SCHEDULE (all times CT)
• Thur., Nov. 9 at PHI at 6 p.m. (NBCSCH, NBCSportsChicago.com, NBC Sports app, WGN Radio)
• Sat., Nov. 11 at CAR at 6 p.m. (WGN TV, WGN Radio)
• Sun., Nov. 12 vs. NJD at 6 p.m. (NBCSCH, NBCSportsChicago.com, NBC Sports app, WGN Radio)
• Wed., Nov. 15 vs. NYR at 7 p.m. (NBCSN, NBCSportsChicago.com, NBC Sports app, WGN Radio, Univision America, WRTO AM 1200)
• Saturday, Nov. 18 at PIT at 6 p.m. (WGN TV, WGN Radio)
Friday, March 24, 2017
Blackhawks beat Stars 3-2 in SO
CHICAGO – Patrick Kane scored his team-leading 33rd goal in regulation and connected again in the shootout as the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Dallas Stars 3-2 on Thursday night to open an eight-point lead for first place in the Central Division.
Artemi Panarin also scored in the shootout as Chicago rode a 42-save effort by Corey Crawford through overtime to improve to 6-0-1 in its last seven. It was also the Blackhawks’ 18th win in their last 22 games. Marian Hossa scored his 24th goal of the season midway through the third period.
Crawford was beaten only by Tyler Seguin in the shootout and twice in regulation by Ales Hemsky as he rebounded from giving up four goals on 10 shots to Vancouver on Tuesday night.
Artemi Panarin also scored in the shootout as Chicago rode a 42-save effort by Corey Crawford through overtime to improve to 6-0-1 in its last seven. It was also the Blackhawks’ 18th win in their last 22 games. Marian Hossa scored his 24th goal of the season midway through the third period.
Crawford was beaten only by Tyler Seguin in the shootout and twice in regulation by Ales Hemsky as he rebounded from giving up four goals on 10 shots to Vancouver on Tuesday night.
Friday, March 17, 2017
Blackhawks beat Senators 2-1
OTTAWA, Ontario – Richard Panik scored the tiebreaking goal late in the third period, lifting the Chicago Blackhawks over the Ottawa Senators 2-1 on Thursday night.
Panik scored on the power play off a pass from Patrick Kane with 3:01 remaining. Duncan Keith also scored and Scott Darling made 33 saves to help the Blackhawks get their second straight win.
Kyle Turris scored for Ottawa, and Mike Condon finished with 26 saves as the Senators squandered a chance to move in to first place in the Atlantic Division.
The Blackhawks took a 1-0 lead at 8:04 of the third as Keith’s shot eventually found its way across the goal line.
Panik scored on the power play off a pass from Patrick Kane with 3:01 remaining. Duncan Keith also scored and Scott Darling made 33 saves to help the Blackhawks get their second straight win.
Kyle Turris scored for Ottawa, and Mike Condon finished with 26 saves as the Senators squandered a chance to move in to first place in the Atlantic Division.
The Blackhawks took a 1-0 lead at 8:04 of the third as Keith’s shot eventually found its way across the goal line.
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Blackhawks beat Canadiens 4-2
MONTREAL – Patrick Kane had a goal and two assists, and Corey Crawford made 40 saves to lead the Chicago Blackhawks past the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 on Tuesday night.
Johnny Oduya, Artemi Panarin and Jonathan Toews, into an empty net, scored for the Blackhawks, who jumped over Minnesota and lead the Central Division with 93 points.
Paul Byron and Shea Weber scored for Montreal.
Carey Price made 20 saves and became the third Canadiens goaltender to play 500 games, joining Patrick Roy (551) and Jacques Plante (556).
The Canadiens have not beaten Chicago since 2014 (0-6-1).
Crawford, a Montreal native coming off a season-best 42 saves against the Wild on Sunday, is 7-0-2 versus the Canadiens.
Johnny Oduya, Artemi Panarin and Jonathan Toews, into an empty net, scored for the Blackhawks, who jumped over Minnesota and lead the Central Division with 93 points.
Paul Byron and Shea Weber scored for Montreal.
Carey Price made 20 saves and became the third Canadiens goaltender to play 500 games, joining Patrick Roy (551) and Jacques Plante (556).
The Canadiens have not beaten Chicago since 2014 (0-6-1).
Crawford, a Montreal native coming off a season-best 42 saves against the Wild on Sunday, is 7-0-2 versus the Canadiens.
Monday, March 13, 2017
Blackhawks beat Wild 4-2
CHICAGO -- Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin scored on Chicago’s first two shots, Corey Crawford made 42 saves and the Blackhawks beat Minnesota 4-2 on Sunday to pull within a point of the Central Division-leading Wild.
Trevor van Riemsdyk and Marian Hossa also scored for the Blackhawks, who ended a two-game slide and won for the 13th time in their last 16. Kane’s goal was his team-leading 30th and 10th in eight games.
Eric Staal scored his 22nd goal and Mikael Granlund got his 23rd for Minnesota, which has dropped three of four. Minnesota outshot Chicago 44-22 for a season high allowed by the Blackhawks.
Minnesota goaltender Devan Dubnyk, looking for his career-high 37th win, was relieved by Darcy Kuemper less than five minutes into the game after allowing those early goals.
Friday, March 10, 2017
Ducks beat Blackhawks 1-0
CHICAGO (AP) -- Jonathan Bernier made 43 saves for his 100th NHL win, and Anaheim Ducks cooled off the Chicago Blackhawks with a 1-0 victory Thursday night.
Corey Perry scored in the second as Anaheim ended Chicago’s seven-game winning streak despite being outshot 43-26 on the night.
Corey Crawford stopped 25 shots for the Blackhawks. They lost for the second time in their past 14.
Bernier’s second shutout this season and 14th of his career helped the Ducks pull ahead of idle Edmonton for second place in the Pacific Division. Bernier made his sixth straight start with John Gibson sidelined by a lower-body injury.
Perry stopped a 10-game scoring drought with his 12th goal at 17:44. He hadn’t connected since scoring twice on Feb. 9 at Buffalo.
Corey Perry scored in the second as Anaheim ended Chicago’s seven-game winning streak despite being outshot 43-26 on the night.
Corey Crawford stopped 25 shots for the Blackhawks. They lost for the second time in their past 14.
Bernier’s second shutout this season and 14th of his career helped the Ducks pull ahead of idle Edmonton for second place in the Pacific Division. Bernier made his sixth straight start with John Gibson sidelined by a lower-body injury.
Perry stopped a 10-game scoring drought with his 12th goal at 17:44. He hadn’t connected since scoring twice on Feb. 9 at Buffalo.
Saturday, March 4, 2017
Blackhawks beat Islanders 2-1 in SO
CHICAGO (AP) — Artemi Panarin scored with 1:14 left in regulation and then had the clinching goal in the shootout, helping the Chicago Blackhawks beat the New York Islanders 2-1 on Friday night for their sixth consecutive victory.
Jonathan Toews also scored in the tiebreaker as Chicago pulled within one point of idle Minnesota for the top spot in the Western Conference. Corey Crawford made 31 saves in his first start since Feb. 23.
After Toews beat Thomas Greiss with a wrist shot, Crawford turned away Joshua Ho-Sang. Patrick Kane was stopped by Greiss and Nikolay Kulemin shot it off the right post before Panarin finished off the victory for the Blackhawks.
Greiss made 30 stops for New York, and Brock Nelson scored his 14th goal in the second. The Islanders had won four of five, including a 5-4 victory at Dallas on Thursday night.
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Blackhawks beat Penguins 4-1
CHICAGO (AP) Patrick Kane had his second hat trick in three games, Scott Darling made 36 saves and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 on Wednesday night for their fifth straight victory and 10th in 11 games.
Richard Panik also scored to help Chicago pull within three points of first-place Minnesota in the Central Division and Western Conference. Kane, last season’s MVP, has a team-leading 27 goals – scoring 12 times and adding seven assists in his last 11 games.
Scott Wilson scored for Pittsburgh as the Penguins fell short again after a 3-2 loss at Dallas on Tuesday night. It was the first meeting this season between the last two Stanley Cup winners.
Darling started a second straight game in place of Corey Crawford, the No. 1 goalie who has been fighting an illness. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 25 shots for Pittsburgh in his first start in two weeks.
Richard Panik also scored to help Chicago pull within three points of first-place Minnesota in the Central Division and Western Conference. Kane, last season’s MVP, has a team-leading 27 goals – scoring 12 times and adding seven assists in his last 11 games.
Scott Wilson scored for Pittsburgh as the Penguins fell short again after a 3-2 loss at Dallas on Tuesday night. It was the first meeting this season between the last two Stanley Cup winners.
Darling started a second straight game in place of Corey Crawford, the No. 1 goalie who has been fighting an illness. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 25 shots for Pittsburgh in his first start in two weeks.
Monday, February 27, 2017
Blackhawks forward Jonathan Toews named NHL's Second Star of the Week
Chicago Blackhawks forward Jonathan Toews was named the National Hockey League's Second Star of the Week on Monday for the week ending Feb. 26, 2017.
Toews recorded multi-point efforts in each of the Blackhawks three games (4-5-9) as Chicago won all three contests to improve their overall record to 39-18-5 (83 points), second in the Central Division. On Feb. 21, Toews matched career highs for goals (3) and points (5) in a game, including the winning tally, in a 5-3 victory over the Central Division-leading Minnesota Wild. The Blackhawks captain then notched two assists in a 6-3 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Feb. 23 before closing out the week with one goal and one assist in a 4-2 triumph over the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 26. The 28-year-old Winnipeg, Man., native is currently riding a six-game point streak (5-8-13).
Nashville's Filip Forsberg was named the first star, while Calgary's Johnny Gaudreau was named the third star.
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Talbot leads Oilers past Blackhawks 3-1
By MATT CARLSON
Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) -- Cam Talbot made 38 saves, Connor McDavid scored his 20th goal and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1 on Saturday night for their third straight win.
Matt Benning and Milan Lucic also scored for Edmonton in the opener of its season-high six-game road trip. McDavid, who leads the NHL in points, fired into an empty net with 27 seconds left.
Talbot, the NHL's busiest goalie in games and minutes played, lost a shutout bid when Richard Panik scored his 15th goal with 4:47 left. Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews earned his 600th NHL point with a nice pass on the play.
Chicago had won five straight - all on the road. It was its first home game since Jan. 26.
Corey Crawford made 19 saves for the Blackhawks, who were coming off a 5-1 victory at Edmonton last Saturday in their final game before their bye week.
The Blackhawks outshot the Oilers 12-4 in a scoreless first period and had ample chances, including shots by Marian Hossa and Artemi Panarin that clanked off the post.
Chicago dominated again for much of the second, outshooting Edmonton 16-9, but trailed 1-0 after 40 minutes.
Benning opened the scoring with a fluke power-play goal at 5:02. Benning's centering pass from the right corner deflected in off the skate of Chicago defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk, who was in the crease.
The Oilers were awarded a power play after Blackhawks rookie Ryan Hartman was penalized for instigating a fight with Edmonton's Eric Gryba after Gryba shoved him into the boards.
Lucic made it 2-0 at 9:50 of the third. He skated into the right circle, pulled up and stopped, then fired a low shot between Crawford's pads.
NOTES: Edmonton D Kris Russell missed his fifth straight game with a lower-body injury. Oilers D Darnell Nurse (ankle surgery) missed his 33rd game but has resumed skating and is expected to rejoin the team on its trip. ... Blackhawks D Brent Seabrook skated in his 900th game. The 31-year-old Seabrook, Chicago's first-round draft pick in 2003, is in his 12th season with the team. ... Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky, who played his first NHL game against the Blackhawks at Chicago Stadium in 1979, attended the contest.
UP NEXT
Oilers: Visit Tampa Bay on Tuesday.
Blackhawks: Visit Buffalo on Sunday.
Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) -- Cam Talbot made 38 saves, Connor McDavid scored his 20th goal and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1 on Saturday night for their third straight win.
Matt Benning and Milan Lucic also scored for Edmonton in the opener of its season-high six-game road trip. McDavid, who leads the NHL in points, fired into an empty net with 27 seconds left.
Talbot, the NHL's busiest goalie in games and minutes played, lost a shutout bid when Richard Panik scored his 15th goal with 4:47 left. Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews earned his 600th NHL point with a nice pass on the play.
Chicago had won five straight - all on the road. It was its first home game since Jan. 26.
Corey Crawford made 19 saves for the Blackhawks, who were coming off a 5-1 victory at Edmonton last Saturday in their final game before their bye week.
The Blackhawks outshot the Oilers 12-4 in a scoreless first period and had ample chances, including shots by Marian Hossa and Artemi Panarin that clanked off the post.
Chicago dominated again for much of the second, outshooting Edmonton 16-9, but trailed 1-0 after 40 minutes.
Benning opened the scoring with a fluke power-play goal at 5:02. Benning's centering pass from the right corner deflected in off the skate of Chicago defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk, who was in the crease.
The Oilers were awarded a power play after Blackhawks rookie Ryan Hartman was penalized for instigating a fight with Edmonton's Eric Gryba after Gryba shoved him into the boards.
Lucic made it 2-0 at 9:50 of the third. He skated into the right circle, pulled up and stopped, then fired a low shot between Crawford's pads.
NOTES: Edmonton D Kris Russell missed his fifth straight game with a lower-body injury. Oilers D Darnell Nurse (ankle surgery) missed his 33rd game but has resumed skating and is expected to rejoin the team on its trip. ... Blackhawks D Brent Seabrook skated in his 900th game. The 31-year-old Seabrook, Chicago's first-round draft pick in 2003, is in his 12th season with the team. ... Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky, who played his first NHL game against the Blackhawks at Chicago Stadium in 1979, attended the contest.
UP NEXT
Oilers: Visit Tampa Bay on Tuesday.
Blackhawks: Visit Buffalo on Sunday.
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Panik scores twice and Blackhawks roll over Oilers 5-1
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) -- Richard Panik scored twice and set up another goal and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 on Saturday night for their fifth straight win.
Patrick Kane had a goal and two assists and Trevor van Riemsdyk and Artem Anisimov also scored for the Blackhawks, who had lost three in a row before their recent run.
Patrick Maroon scored for the Oilers, who have lost four of five.
Scott Darling made 30 saves for Chicago. Cam Talbot started in goal for Edmonton and allowed four goals on 20 shots before being relieved by Laurent Brossoit.
Edmonton started the scoring 4:01 into the opening period when Connor McDavid deftly stole a puck from defender Niklas Hjalmarsson and sent a backhand pass in front to Maroon, who beat Darling for his 19th goal of the season.
The Blackhawks scored less than two minutes later when Panik walked in from the point to take a pass and blasted a shot past Talbot.
Chicago surged ahead midway through the first with a power-play goal as Kane was able to bank a shot off Talbot's skate from behind the net during a scramble in front for his 19th of the year.
The Hawks made it 3-1 before the nine-minute mark of the second period when Edmonton's Oscar Klefbom had a chance to clear but instead put it right on van Riemsdyk's stick, and he beat Talbot high to the glove side.
Chicago scored another power-play goal late in the second period, when Panik swatted in a rebound during another scramble for his 14th of the season.
Brossoit came in to replace Talbot for the third.
Anisimov battled hard in front of the net to add another goal, his 20th, with four minutes left in the third.
NOTES: The Oilers were returning from their five-day break, while it was the last game for the Blackhawks before starting theirs. ... It was the second of three meetings between the two teams this season. The Oilers won the previous game at home on Nov. 21, when Talbot recorded a shutout in a 5-0 victory.
UP NEXT
Blackhawks: Are off until Feb. 18, when they host Edmonton.
Oilers: Host Arizona on Tuesday night.
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) -- Richard Panik scored twice and set up another goal and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 on Saturday night for their fifth straight win.
Patrick Kane had a goal and two assists and Trevor van Riemsdyk and Artem Anisimov also scored for the Blackhawks, who had lost three in a row before their recent run.
Patrick Maroon scored for the Oilers, who have lost four of five.
Scott Darling made 30 saves for Chicago. Cam Talbot started in goal for Edmonton and allowed four goals on 20 shots before being relieved by Laurent Brossoit.
Edmonton started the scoring 4:01 into the opening period when Connor McDavid deftly stole a puck from defender Niklas Hjalmarsson and sent a backhand pass in front to Maroon, who beat Darling for his 19th goal of the season.
The Blackhawks scored less than two minutes later when Panik walked in from the point to take a pass and blasted a shot past Talbot.
Chicago surged ahead midway through the first with a power-play goal as Kane was able to bank a shot off Talbot's skate from behind the net during a scramble in front for his 19th of the year.
The Hawks made it 3-1 before the nine-minute mark of the second period when Edmonton's Oscar Klefbom had a chance to clear but instead put it right on van Riemsdyk's stick, and he beat Talbot high to the glove side.
Chicago scored another power-play goal late in the second period, when Panik swatted in a rebound during another scramble for his 14th of the season.
Brossoit came in to replace Talbot for the third.
Anisimov battled hard in front of the net to add another goal, his 20th, with four minutes left in the third.
NOTES: The Oilers were returning from their five-day break, while it was the last game for the Blackhawks before starting theirs. ... It was the second of three meetings between the two teams this season. The Oilers won the previous game at home on Nov. 21, when Talbot recorded a shutout in a 5-0 victory.
UP NEXT
Blackhawks: Are off until Feb. 18, when they host Edmonton.
Oilers: Host Arizona on Tuesday night.
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Kane-Anisimov-Panarin line leads Blackhawks past Jets, 5-2
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) -- Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks finally beat the Winnipeg Jets.
Kane and linemates Artem Anisimov and Artemi Panarin each scored and combined for seven points to help the Blackhawks beat the Jets 5-2 on Friday night. Winnipeg won the first four games between the teams this season, outscoring Chicago 14-5.
"I think we had a great first. That's the way we want to play right there," Kane said. "Every line was going, we had a couple good power plays. We didn't score on them, but had some chances, got the lead and great period overall. That's the way we want to play."
Duncan Keith's late goal was the winner, and Marian Hossa also scored.
The goaltenders were busy in the fifth and final meeting of the season between the Central Division rivals.
Chicago's Corey Crawford made 28 saves in his 22nd victory of the season.
"I think, definitely, we played really good in our end," Hossa said. "Obviously, Corey stood on his head tonight, but I think overall we're improving defensively which is a good sign."
Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck stopped 31 of the 34 shots he faced.
"(Hellebuyck was) real good," Jets coach Paul Maurice said. "Busy overall, for sure early which is tough. You'd love to see him ease into a game. It was lots of action to the net early in the game."
Bryan Little and Adam Lowry scored for Winnipeg.
"I thought we had a bit of a slow start. I thought they came out hungry and controlled a lot of the play early in the game and got that goal right away," Little said. "I thought we did a good job in the second and the third battling back and getting our chances and making it a close game."
Kane opened the scoring at 15:37 of the opening period with his 18th of the season, firing a one-timer off Panarin's long cross-ice feed to beat Hellebuyck low to the glove side.
The goal was Kane's 269th, moving him past Tony Amonte for the most goals by an American in Blackhawks history, and into sixth on the overall franchise list.
Little found the equalizer for Winnipeg at 1:43 of the second, quickly grabbing a net-side rebound off a Tobias Enstrom point shot.
Anisimov scored late in the second. Kane set up Panarin for a one timer and Anisimov buried the rebound, moving him into a brief tie with Hossa for the team lead in goals at 19.
Keith added his goal with less than three minutes remaining, scoring his fifth of the season on a point-blast to make it 3-1. Hossa moved back into the team goal lead with a short-handed empty-netter, and Panarin added another into an empty net to ice it with 16 seconds left.
UP NEXT
Jets: Host Tampa Bay on Saturday,
Blackhawks: At Edmonton on Saturday.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) -- Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks finally beat the Winnipeg Jets.
Kane and linemates Artem Anisimov and Artemi Panarin each scored and combined for seven points to help the Blackhawks beat the Jets 5-2 on Friday night. Winnipeg won the first four games between the teams this season, outscoring Chicago 14-5.
"I think we had a great first. That's the way we want to play right there," Kane said. "Every line was going, we had a couple good power plays. We didn't score on them, but had some chances, got the lead and great period overall. That's the way we want to play."
Duncan Keith's late goal was the winner, and Marian Hossa also scored.
The goaltenders were busy in the fifth and final meeting of the season between the Central Division rivals.
Chicago's Corey Crawford made 28 saves in his 22nd victory of the season.
"I think, definitely, we played really good in our end," Hossa said. "Obviously, Corey stood on his head tonight, but I think overall we're improving defensively which is a good sign."
Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck stopped 31 of the 34 shots he faced.
"(Hellebuyck was) real good," Jets coach Paul Maurice said. "Busy overall, for sure early which is tough. You'd love to see him ease into a game. It was lots of action to the net early in the game."
Bryan Little and Adam Lowry scored for Winnipeg.
"I thought we had a bit of a slow start. I thought they came out hungry and controlled a lot of the play early in the game and got that goal right away," Little said. "I thought we did a good job in the second and the third battling back and getting our chances and making it a close game."
Kane opened the scoring at 15:37 of the opening period with his 18th of the season, firing a one-timer off Panarin's long cross-ice feed to beat Hellebuyck low to the glove side.
The goal was Kane's 269th, moving him past Tony Amonte for the most goals by an American in Blackhawks history, and into sixth on the overall franchise list.
Little found the equalizer for Winnipeg at 1:43 of the second, quickly grabbing a net-side rebound off a Tobias Enstrom point shot.
Anisimov scored late in the second. Kane set up Panarin for a one timer and Anisimov buried the rebound, moving him into a brief tie with Hossa for the team lead in goals at 19.
Keith added his goal with less than three minutes remaining, scoring his fifth of the season on a point-blast to make it 3-1. Hossa moved back into the team goal lead with a short-handed empty-netter, and Panarin added another into an empty net to ice it with 16 seconds left.
UP NEXT
Jets: Host Tampa Bay on Saturday,
Blackhawks: At Edmonton on Saturday.
Sunday, February 5, 2017
Van Riemsdyk scores late, Blackhawks beat Stars 5-3
DALLAS (AP) – In a period that included goals from stars Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, a rare one from Trevor van Riemsdyk proved to be the difference.
Van Riemsdyk put in a rebound for his second goal of the season with 4:03 left, lifting Chicago over the Dallas Stars 5-3 on Saturday night. Goalie Kari Lehtonen stopped a close-range shot by Artem Anisimov, but van Riemsdyk followed to put the puck under Lehtonen and make it 4-3.
The 25-year-old van Riemsdyk has five goals in 130 career games. Rookie Gustav Forsling also scored his second of the season for the Blackhawks, who are in second place behind Minnesota in the Central Division.
"We're going to need everybody," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. "Talk about everybody or anybody, not just worried about the young guys. We need everyone to be progressing at a good rate here. Our last two games, there were a lot of good things."
Van Riemsdyk's older brother, James, also had a late game-winning goal on Saturday, helping the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Boston Bruins 6-5.
Toews added an empty-net goal in the final second for his 10th of the season. Kane tied the game with his 17th goal just 35 seconds after Seguin put the Stars ahead 3-2 at 9:24.
Kane beat defenseman John Klingberg, skated across the goal mouth and put the puck into the right side of the net.
"We're behind and all of a sudden Kane makes an extremely amazing play with quickness and beats (Lehtonen) with a nice move and we're back in the game," Quenneville said. "Another nice finish on the winner and we'll take it. We came back in a situation where lately our thirds haven't been great."
Dallas is 0-18-2 when trailing after two periods.
"When we took the lead, I would want (the Blackhawks) to earn it," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. "They didn't earn it.
"The numbers don't describe the real bad plays and the numbers don't mean anything if you make a play you don't need to make. We know Kane's on the ice. John struggled on that play."
Benn tied it 40 seconds into the third, and Radek Faksa also scored for Dallas. Lehtonen made 31 saves.
Corey Crawford stopped 31 shots for Chicago, and the Blackhawks are 4-0 against Dallas this season. Ryan Hartman (12th) and Forsling scored in the second period for the Blackhawks.
To start the second, Faksa chased down the puck low in the left faceoff circle and sent a shot from a sharp angle behind Crawford eight seconds in.
Hartman took a pass from Tanner Kero on the edge of the left circle and beat Lehtonen at 6:34.
With the score tied, Lehtonen stopped a breakaway by Kane at 8:08. Just 26 seconds later, Forsling fired a shot from the blue line through the slot and over a screen by Marcus Kruger, who ducked as the puck passed him.
Benn's goal was on a backhand from the left of the net.
NOTES: Faksa's goal was the fastest in the second period in Dallas' 23 seasons. The previous fastest was 13 seconds. The fastest in any period was by Joe Nieuwendyk seven seconds into a game at Detroit on Nov. 13, 1998. ... The Blackhawks had lost three of four games before Saturday. ... Dallas finished a season-high six-game homestand 2-2-2. ... Anisimov has gone 13 games without a goal. He and Marian Hossa each had two assists. Hossa has 41 points (21 goals, 20 assists) in 45 career games vs. Dallas.
UP NEXT
Blackhawks: Play their fourth of six straight on the road when they visit Central Division leader Minnesota on Wednesday.
Stars: Will travel to Toronto for the first leg of a two-game Canadian road trip Tuesday.
Van Riemsdyk put in a rebound for his second goal of the season with 4:03 left, lifting Chicago over the Dallas Stars 5-3 on Saturday night. Goalie Kari Lehtonen stopped a close-range shot by Artem Anisimov, but van Riemsdyk followed to put the puck under Lehtonen and make it 4-3.
The 25-year-old van Riemsdyk has five goals in 130 career games. Rookie Gustav Forsling also scored his second of the season for the Blackhawks, who are in second place behind Minnesota in the Central Division.
"We're going to need everybody," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. "Talk about everybody or anybody, not just worried about the young guys. We need everyone to be progressing at a good rate here. Our last two games, there were a lot of good things."
Van Riemsdyk's older brother, James, also had a late game-winning goal on Saturday, helping the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Boston Bruins 6-5.
Toews added an empty-net goal in the final second for his 10th of the season. Kane tied the game with his 17th goal just 35 seconds after Seguin put the Stars ahead 3-2 at 9:24.
Kane beat defenseman John Klingberg, skated across the goal mouth and put the puck into the right side of the net.
"We're behind and all of a sudden Kane makes an extremely amazing play with quickness and beats (Lehtonen) with a nice move and we're back in the game," Quenneville said. "Another nice finish on the winner and we'll take it. We came back in a situation where lately our thirds haven't been great."
Dallas is 0-18-2 when trailing after two periods.
"When we took the lead, I would want (the Blackhawks) to earn it," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. "They didn't earn it.
"The numbers don't describe the real bad plays and the numbers don't mean anything if you make a play you don't need to make. We know Kane's on the ice. John struggled on that play."
Benn tied it 40 seconds into the third, and Radek Faksa also scored for Dallas. Lehtonen made 31 saves.
Corey Crawford stopped 31 shots for Chicago, and the Blackhawks are 4-0 against Dallas this season. Ryan Hartman (12th) and Forsling scored in the second period for the Blackhawks.
To start the second, Faksa chased down the puck low in the left faceoff circle and sent a shot from a sharp angle behind Crawford eight seconds in.
Hartman took a pass from Tanner Kero on the edge of the left circle and beat Lehtonen at 6:34.
With the score tied, Lehtonen stopped a breakaway by Kane at 8:08. Just 26 seconds later, Forsling fired a shot from the blue line through the slot and over a screen by Marcus Kruger, who ducked as the puck passed him.
Benn's goal was on a backhand from the left of the net.
NOTES: Faksa's goal was the fastest in the second period in Dallas' 23 seasons. The previous fastest was 13 seconds. The fastest in any period was by Joe Nieuwendyk seven seconds into a game at Detroit on Nov. 13, 1998. ... The Blackhawks had lost three of four games before Saturday. ... Dallas finished a season-high six-game homestand 2-2-2. ... Anisimov has gone 13 games without a goal. He and Marian Hossa each had two assists. Hossa has 41 points (21 goals, 20 assists) in 45 career games vs. Dallas.
UP NEXT
Blackhawks: Play their fourth of six straight on the road when they visit Central Division leader Minnesota on Wednesday.
Stars: Will travel to Toronto for the first leg of a two-game Canadian road trip Tuesday.
Friday, February 3, 2017
Kane, Blackhawks beat Coyotes 4-3 to snap 3-game skid
By JOSE M. ROMERO
Associated Press
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- The first period was one of Chicago's best all season, but it gave way to a penalty-ridden second. Through it all, the Blackhawks found a cure for their ailing power play and stopped a three-game slide.
Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist, Duncan Keith added two assists and the Blackhawks defeated the Arizona Coyotes 4-3 on Thursday night.
Chicago led twice by three goals but yielded three in the second period and had to hold on. Ryan Hartman, Marian Hossa and Artemi Panarin also scored for the Blackhawks.
Christian Dvorak and Brendan Perlini each had a goal and an assist for the Coyotes. Oliver Ekman-Larsson also scored for Arizona.
The Blackhawks scored twice in 72 seconds during the first period, their initial goal coming 15 seconds into a power play. Kane's left-handed shot pinged off the crossbar and down into the cage at 8:44.
Hartman made it 2-0 at the 9:56 mark, his long shot zipping through several players in front and past Arizona goalie Mike Smith.
"One of our best periods in a long time," Hossa said. "It's nice to have a few power-play goals to be able to give us some confidence."
Smith finished with 22 saves, but several kept the Coyotes in the game. Corey Crawford turned aside 24 shots for Chicago.
The Blackhawks, who entered with one goal on their last 20 power plays, scored on the man advantage again at 14:15. Hossa, stopped by Smith on a breakaway early in the game, zoomed past defender Alex Goligoski and fired in on the move for a 3-0 lead.
Hossa's 19 goals lead the Blackhawks this season.
"Power play did some nice things. Great shot by Kaner, showed some speed in the middle, did some good things in the zone as well," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. "Nice to get that going. That really helped us get off to such a great start in the game."
Many in the sellout crowd of 17,125 wore Blackhawks jerseys. Coyotes fans finally got their chance to cheer when defenseman Luke Schenn and Chicago's Andrew Desjardins threw punches late in the period.
Schenn got the better of the fight, leaving Desjardins bloodied, but took the worst of the punishment as far as penalty minutes. Schenn was handed seven minutes for fighting and instigating, and a 10-minute misconduct.
Two quick penalties nine seconds apart to start the second period gave the Coyotes a 5-on-3 power play, and Ekman-Larsson scored off a pass from Radim Vrbata to cut the Blackhawks' lead to 3-1. Arizona has scored in the second period of six straight games.
Panarin made it 4-1 at 5:24 with his 18th goal of the season. Kane helped set it up when he fought for a loose puck, and was credited with an assist.
The Coyotes benefited from 10 second-period minutes in penalties against the Blackhawks and made it 4-2 at 14:24 when Dvorak got a deflection of Shane Doan's shot past Crawford. Perlini scored at 15:51 to cut the margin to one, and the Blackhawks had to kill what started as a 5-on-3 disadvantage in the closing minutes of the period.
Crawford did the splits to block a try from Alex Burmistrov during that Coyotes power play.
"There's lots of try there. I'd just like to see our execution a little better, a little less thinking about the game and a little more doing in the game early," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said.
Arizona pulled Smith for an extra attacker with 1:25 to play, but couldn't come up with a tying goal.
"I liked how we stabilized the game in the third period," Quenneville said.
NOTES: The Blackhawks are 14-3-4 in their last 21 games against Arizona, and 9-2-1 on the road. ... Chicago served three delay-of-game penalties in the second period. ... Smith passed Bob Essensa for most saves in franchise history. Smith needed 14 to surpass Essensa and has 8,064. ... Coyotes forward Max Domi returned from a broken hand. Domi, out since Dec. 9, needed surgery and missed 23 games. "It's going to take him some games to get up to speed," Tippett said.
UP NEXT
Blackhawks: At the Dallas Stars on Saturday, the third stop on a six-game road swing. It's the team's second-longest trip this season.
Coyotes: At the San Jose Sharks on Saturday before returning home for the next two games.
Associated Press
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- The first period was one of Chicago's best all season, but it gave way to a penalty-ridden second. Through it all, the Blackhawks found a cure for their ailing power play and stopped a three-game slide.
Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist, Duncan Keith added two assists and the Blackhawks defeated the Arizona Coyotes 4-3 on Thursday night.
Chicago led twice by three goals but yielded three in the second period and had to hold on. Ryan Hartman, Marian Hossa and Artemi Panarin also scored for the Blackhawks.
Christian Dvorak and Brendan Perlini each had a goal and an assist for the Coyotes. Oliver Ekman-Larsson also scored for Arizona.
The Blackhawks scored twice in 72 seconds during the first period, their initial goal coming 15 seconds into a power play. Kane's left-handed shot pinged off the crossbar and down into the cage at 8:44.
Hartman made it 2-0 at the 9:56 mark, his long shot zipping through several players in front and past Arizona goalie Mike Smith.
"One of our best periods in a long time," Hossa said. "It's nice to have a few power-play goals to be able to give us some confidence."
Smith finished with 22 saves, but several kept the Coyotes in the game. Corey Crawford turned aside 24 shots for Chicago.
The Blackhawks, who entered with one goal on their last 20 power plays, scored on the man advantage again at 14:15. Hossa, stopped by Smith on a breakaway early in the game, zoomed past defender Alex Goligoski and fired in on the move for a 3-0 lead.
Hossa's 19 goals lead the Blackhawks this season.
"Power play did some nice things. Great shot by Kaner, showed some speed in the middle, did some good things in the zone as well," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. "Nice to get that going. That really helped us get off to such a great start in the game."
Many in the sellout crowd of 17,125 wore Blackhawks jerseys. Coyotes fans finally got their chance to cheer when defenseman Luke Schenn and Chicago's Andrew Desjardins threw punches late in the period.
Schenn got the better of the fight, leaving Desjardins bloodied, but took the worst of the punishment as far as penalty minutes. Schenn was handed seven minutes for fighting and instigating, and a 10-minute misconduct.
Two quick penalties nine seconds apart to start the second period gave the Coyotes a 5-on-3 power play, and Ekman-Larsson scored off a pass from Radim Vrbata to cut the Blackhawks' lead to 3-1. Arizona has scored in the second period of six straight games.
Panarin made it 4-1 at 5:24 with his 18th goal of the season. Kane helped set it up when he fought for a loose puck, and was credited with an assist.
The Coyotes benefited from 10 second-period minutes in penalties against the Blackhawks and made it 4-2 at 14:24 when Dvorak got a deflection of Shane Doan's shot past Crawford. Perlini scored at 15:51 to cut the margin to one, and the Blackhawks had to kill what started as a 5-on-3 disadvantage in the closing minutes of the period.
Crawford did the splits to block a try from Alex Burmistrov during that Coyotes power play.
"There's lots of try there. I'd just like to see our execution a little better, a little less thinking about the game and a little more doing in the game early," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said.
Arizona pulled Smith for an extra attacker with 1:25 to play, but couldn't come up with a tying goal.
"I liked how we stabilized the game in the third period," Quenneville said.
NOTES: The Blackhawks are 14-3-4 in their last 21 games against Arizona, and 9-2-1 on the road. ... Chicago served three delay-of-game penalties in the second period. ... Smith passed Bob Essensa for most saves in franchise history. Smith needed 14 to surpass Essensa and has 8,064. ... Coyotes forward Max Domi returned from a broken hand. Domi, out since Dec. 9, needed surgery and missed 23 games. "It's going to take him some games to get up to speed," Tippett said.
UP NEXT
Blackhawks: At the Dallas Stars on Saturday, the third stop on a six-game road swing. It's the team's second-longest trip this season.
Coyotes: At the San Jose Sharks on Saturday before returning home for the next two games.
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Johnson rallies Lightning in 3rd for 5-2 win over Blackhawks
Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) In the third period, Tyler Johnson and the Tampa Bay Lightning looked more like the slick-skating group that dashed to the 2015 Stanley Cup final than a team that's been languishing near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings this season.
Johnson scored two goals 30 seconds apart early in the third, leading Tampa Bay past the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 on Tuesday night to end a three-game slide.
Brian Boyle had a goal and an assist, and Nikita Nesterov and Nikita Kucherov also scored for the Lightning, who broke loose for three goals in a 3:57 span to erase a 2-1 deficit. Alex Killorn set up both of Johnson's goals, and Valtteri Filppula had two assists to help Tampa Bay win for just the third time in 11 games.
The Lightning have been battered by injuries this season, including a critical one to sniper Steven Stamkos, who hasn't skated since sustaining a meniscal tear to his right knee in mid-November. But they rallied impressively against the Blackhawks, who beat Tampa Bay in six games for the 2015 NHL championship.
''It's big for us,'' Johnson said. ''Every point matters right now, so we needed to get that in the third period.
''It's nice being back here and realizing we were two wins away from a Stanley Cup,'' he added. ''Pretty much the exact same team. We know what we can do. It's a matter of doing it.''
Killorn said the Lightning ''had a chat'' about the 2015 final on Tuesday morning at United Center - and that might have made a difference.
''We have a lot of guys in this room that can play, a team that can do some special things,'' he said. ''Once we were reminded of that, we played a lot better tonight.''
Jonathan Toews had a goal and an assist, and Duncan Keith also scored for the Blackhawks, who had their three-game winning streak stopped. Chicago lost for only the third time in its last 10.
Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy made 34 saves, getting the start and delivering a strong performance after he relieved Ben Bishop for the third period of the Lightning's 5-3 loss at Arizona on Sunday.
''Their goalie was excellent tonight,'' Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. ''I think we've only generated as much offense in one or two games as we did tonight.''
Corey Crawford blocked 31 shots for the Blackhawks.
After Nesterov tied it 2-all off a faceoff 2:47 into the third, Johnson put Tampa Bay ahead for the first time at 6:14. He beat Crawford with a rising shot from the right circle after taking Killorn's feed.
Johnson made it 4-2 at 6:44 from the edge of the crease with his 15th goal after Killorn's pass from behind the net. Killorn had fired wide, then retrieved the puck and dished in front.
''We just kept on going,'' Johnson said. ''Wanted to use our speed, wanted to use our transition.''
Kucherov added an empty-netter - his team-leading 18th goal - with 2:05 left.
Toews stayed hot after getting the game-winning goal and three assists Sunday in a 4-2 victory over Vancouver. In his previous six games, the Blackhawks' captain had just two assists.
Toews' effort in this one was overshadowed by the Lightning's late burst.
''You can expect a team like that to come at us the way they did in the third,'' Toews said, ''but I think our answer just wasn't there.''
Sharp goaltending at both ends limited the score to 1-1 after a freewheeling first period filled with chances.
Toews opened the scoring at 10:23, completing a cross-ice give-and-go with Richard Panik. Toews got to the edge of the crease and tipped in Panik's feed after slipping behind Lightning star defenseman Victor Hedman.
Boyle tied it with 1:25 left in the period after taking Filppula's long feed and plowing between Chicago's top defensive pairing of Keith and Niklas Hjalmarsson. Boyle broke in, faked Crawford to the ice and then slid the puck past him with a forehand move.
Keith put Chicago ahead 2-1 at 1:26 of the second on a shot from the left point that glanced in off Vasilevskiy's glove.
NOTES: Tampa Bay RW J.T. Brown returned after missing seven games with an upper-body injury. ... Lightning D Jason Garrison sat out his second game with an illness. ... The Blackhawks activated C Marcus Kruger (hand) from injured reserve, but he didn't play. Kruger was injured on Dec. 30 at Carolina. ... Chicago C Dennis Rasmussen played despite missing the morning skate with an illness. ... Blackhawks D Michal Kempny was back in the lineup after being benched in the third period on Sunday.
UP NEXT
Lightning: Conclude their six-game road trip at Florida on Thursday night.
Blackhawks: Host the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night.
CHICAGO (AP) In the third period, Tyler Johnson and the Tampa Bay Lightning looked more like the slick-skating group that dashed to the 2015 Stanley Cup final than a team that's been languishing near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings this season.
Johnson scored two goals 30 seconds apart early in the third, leading Tampa Bay past the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 on Tuesday night to end a three-game slide.
Brian Boyle had a goal and an assist, and Nikita Nesterov and Nikita Kucherov also scored for the Lightning, who broke loose for three goals in a 3:57 span to erase a 2-1 deficit. Alex Killorn set up both of Johnson's goals, and Valtteri Filppula had two assists to help Tampa Bay win for just the third time in 11 games.
The Lightning have been battered by injuries this season, including a critical one to sniper Steven Stamkos, who hasn't skated since sustaining a meniscal tear to his right knee in mid-November. But they rallied impressively against the Blackhawks, who beat Tampa Bay in six games for the 2015 NHL championship.
''It's big for us,'' Johnson said. ''Every point matters right now, so we needed to get that in the third period.
''It's nice being back here and realizing we were two wins away from a Stanley Cup,'' he added. ''Pretty much the exact same team. We know what we can do. It's a matter of doing it.''
Killorn said the Lightning ''had a chat'' about the 2015 final on Tuesday morning at United Center - and that might have made a difference.
''We have a lot of guys in this room that can play, a team that can do some special things,'' he said. ''Once we were reminded of that, we played a lot better tonight.''
Jonathan Toews had a goal and an assist, and Duncan Keith also scored for the Blackhawks, who had their three-game winning streak stopped. Chicago lost for only the third time in its last 10.
Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy made 34 saves, getting the start and delivering a strong performance after he relieved Ben Bishop for the third period of the Lightning's 5-3 loss at Arizona on Sunday.
''Their goalie was excellent tonight,'' Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. ''I think we've only generated as much offense in one or two games as we did tonight.''
Corey Crawford blocked 31 shots for the Blackhawks.
After Nesterov tied it 2-all off a faceoff 2:47 into the third, Johnson put Tampa Bay ahead for the first time at 6:14. He beat Crawford with a rising shot from the right circle after taking Killorn's feed.
Johnson made it 4-2 at 6:44 from the edge of the crease with his 15th goal after Killorn's pass from behind the net. Killorn had fired wide, then retrieved the puck and dished in front.
''We just kept on going,'' Johnson said. ''Wanted to use our speed, wanted to use our transition.''
Kucherov added an empty-netter - his team-leading 18th goal - with 2:05 left.
Toews stayed hot after getting the game-winning goal and three assists Sunday in a 4-2 victory over Vancouver. In his previous six games, the Blackhawks' captain had just two assists.
Toews' effort in this one was overshadowed by the Lightning's late burst.
''You can expect a team like that to come at us the way they did in the third,'' Toews said, ''but I think our answer just wasn't there.''
Sharp goaltending at both ends limited the score to 1-1 after a freewheeling first period filled with chances.
Toews opened the scoring at 10:23, completing a cross-ice give-and-go with Richard Panik. Toews got to the edge of the crease and tipped in Panik's feed after slipping behind Lightning star defenseman Victor Hedman.
Boyle tied it with 1:25 left in the period after taking Filppula's long feed and plowing between Chicago's top defensive pairing of Keith and Niklas Hjalmarsson. Boyle broke in, faked Crawford to the ice and then slid the puck past him with a forehand move.
Keith put Chicago ahead 2-1 at 1:26 of the second on a shot from the left point that glanced in off Vasilevskiy's glove.
NOTES: Tampa Bay RW J.T. Brown returned after missing seven games with an upper-body injury. ... Lightning D Jason Garrison sat out his second game with an illness. ... The Blackhawks activated C Marcus Kruger (hand) from injured reserve, but he didn't play. Kruger was injured on Dec. 30 at Carolina. ... Chicago C Dennis Rasmussen played despite missing the morning skate with an illness. ... Blackhawks D Michal Kempny was back in the lineup after being benched in the third period on Sunday.
UP NEXT
Lightning: Conclude their six-game road trip at Florida on Thursday night.
Blackhawks: Host the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night.
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Hinostroza rallies Blackhawks to 6-4 win over Avalanche
By PAT GRAHAM
AP Sports Writer
DENVER (AP) -- Vinnie Hinostroza scored twice in the third period, including the go-ahead goal with 11:49 remaining, and the Chicago Blackhawks rallied for a 6-4 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night.
Tanner Kero had two goals and Nick Schmaltz and Brent Seabrook also scored for Chicago, which snapped a two-game skid.
The Blackhawks switched around their line combinations, breaking up the Jonathan Toews-Marian Hossa tandem in an effort to spark the offense. It certainly worked with Hinostroza, Kero and Hossa combining for eight points. Hossa had three assists.
Matt Duchene had two goals and Blake Comeau and Matt Nieto also scored for the last-place Avalanche, who wrapped up a four-game homestand with a 1-3 mark. This game felt more like a road game, though, with all the Blackhawk fans in attendance.
The loudest cheer of the night came when Hinostroza scored the game-winner by tapping a shot past Semyon Varlamov.
Colorado pulled Varlamov with around 35 seconds remaining, but couldn't get anything past Corey Crawford. Kero added an empty-netter with 10.6 seconds left.
Hinostroza tied the game at 4 early in the third period when he took a long pass from Seabrook and skated in all alone, lifting a wrist shot over Varlamov.
The 22-year-old Hinostroza entered with four career goals.
There were a combined four goals scored in a frenzied second period, with Colorado taking a 3-2 lead on Nieto's first goal of the season. The advantage lasted all of 19 seconds as Kero answered.
On the play, Hossa had his first assist of the night to give him 600 for his career. He's the 32nd player in NHL history to record 500 goals and 600 assists.
In the first period, Duchene scored a rare power-play goal for the Avalanche. They were 2 of 41 on the man advantage over the last 11 games before Duchene tipped Nathan MacKinnon's shot past Crawford.
Given how far they're fallen, the Avalanche could soon be looking at a possible shake-up. Duchene, the team's leading goal scorer, captain Gabriel Landeskog and defenseman Tyson Barrie have been frequently mentioned in trade rumors. The trio are part of the core that general manager Joe Sakic has been trying to build around for the last few seasons.
"I believe in the guys we have in this room," Barrie said. "It's about learning, but you can only say that for so long.
"It would be a lot of fun to win with these guys. I don't think we're too far off."
NOTES: Schmaltz scored his second goal of the season. The 20-year-old center was recalled from Rockford of the American Hockey League last Saturday. ... Seabrook scored his first goal since Nov. 18 at Calgary. ... F Rene Bourque played in his 700th NHL game.
UP NEXT
Blackhawks: At Boston on Friday.
Avalanche: Start a two-game trip, beginning Thursday in Anaheim.
AP Sports Writer
DENVER (AP) -- Vinnie Hinostroza scored twice in the third period, including the go-ahead goal with 11:49 remaining, and the Chicago Blackhawks rallied for a 6-4 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night.
Tanner Kero had two goals and Nick Schmaltz and Brent Seabrook also scored for Chicago, which snapped a two-game skid.
The Blackhawks switched around their line combinations, breaking up the Jonathan Toews-Marian Hossa tandem in an effort to spark the offense. It certainly worked with Hinostroza, Kero and Hossa combining for eight points. Hossa had three assists.
Matt Duchene had two goals and Blake Comeau and Matt Nieto also scored for the last-place Avalanche, who wrapped up a four-game homestand with a 1-3 mark. This game felt more like a road game, though, with all the Blackhawk fans in attendance.
The loudest cheer of the night came when Hinostroza scored the game-winner by tapping a shot past Semyon Varlamov.
Colorado pulled Varlamov with around 35 seconds remaining, but couldn't get anything past Corey Crawford. Kero added an empty-netter with 10.6 seconds left.
Hinostroza tied the game at 4 early in the third period when he took a long pass from Seabrook and skated in all alone, lifting a wrist shot over Varlamov.
The 22-year-old Hinostroza entered with four career goals.
There were a combined four goals scored in a frenzied second period, with Colorado taking a 3-2 lead on Nieto's first goal of the season. The advantage lasted all of 19 seconds as Kero answered.
On the play, Hossa had his first assist of the night to give him 600 for his career. He's the 32nd player in NHL history to record 500 goals and 600 assists.
In the first period, Duchene scored a rare power-play goal for the Avalanche. They were 2 of 41 on the man advantage over the last 11 games before Duchene tipped Nathan MacKinnon's shot past Crawford.
Given how far they're fallen, the Avalanche could soon be looking at a possible shake-up. Duchene, the team's leading goal scorer, captain Gabriel Landeskog and defenseman Tyson Barrie have been frequently mentioned in trade rumors. The trio are part of the core that general manager Joe Sakic has been trying to build around for the last few seasons.
"I believe in the guys we have in this room," Barrie said. "It's about learning, but you can only say that for so long.
"It would be a lot of fun to win with these guys. I don't think we're too far off."
NOTES: Schmaltz scored his second goal of the season. The 20-year-old center was recalled from Rockford of the American Hockey League last Saturday. ... Seabrook scored his first goal since Nov. 18 at Calgary. ... F Rene Bourque played in his 700th NHL game.
UP NEXT
Blackhawks: At Boston on Friday.
Avalanche: Start a two-game trip, beginning Thursday in Anaheim.
Monday, January 16, 2017
Surging Wild beat Blackhawks 3-2 for Western Conference lead
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHICAGO (AP) Playing on the road for the second straight night against one of their biggest rivals, Devan Dubnyk and the Minnesota Wild rallied to another impressive victory.
Not much to complain about for Wild coach Bruce Boudreau.
”They just refuse to lose at this stage,” he said.
Dubnyk made 33 saves, Jason Pominville scored in the third period and Minnesota beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 on Sunday to grab sole possession of the top spot in the Western Conference.
Nino Niederreiter and Chris Stewart also scored as Minnesota earned its fourth straight win and improved to 17-1-1 since Dec. 4. The Wild also beat the Blackhawks for the eighth straight time.
”To beat this team eight times in a row is really something,” said Boudreau, who was behind the bench in Anaheim when the Ducks were eliminated by the Blackhawks in the 2015 Western Conference finals. ”I don’t understand how you can do it. I wish I had had that knowledge a couple years ago.”
Minnesota (28-9-5) jumped in front for good when Marco Scandella shot the puck behind the net and it caromed right to Pominville standing all alone on the right side of the crease. He knocked it into the open net for his sixth of the season at 5:08.
Minnesota defenseman Ryan Suter was sent off for tripping with 22.4 seconds left, but Chicago was unable to get a good look even with the 6-on-4 advantage.
”It’s a big game, just point-wise,” Dubnyk said. ”If we want to be in first place, we’re going to have to win games against these guys.”
Patrick Kane scored twice on a whopping 12 shots for the Blackhawks (27-14-5), who were coming off an ugly 6-0 loss at Washington. Artem Anisimov, battling an illness, had two assists, and Corey Crawford made 29 stops.
”Frustrating. Even though it was 2-0, at 2-2 you still feel good being in a tie game going to the third at home playing a team playing on back-to-back nights,” Kane said. ”Tough not to get anything out of that game.”
Chicago coach Joel Quenneville called Friday night’s performance against the Capitals a failure ”across the board,” and he went with seven defensemen for the Blackhawks’ first game of the season against Minnesota. He also leaned heavily on Kane, who has six goals and 12 assists in his last 14 games.
”Kaner had the touch tonight,” Quenneville said.
The reigning NHL MVP beat Dubnyk on the stick side at 4:33 of the first, and then added his 14th of the season in the second. The winger dug the puck out of the faceoff circle and snapped it over Dubnyk’s left shoulder for a 2-0 lead at 4:16.
Minnesota got one back after Anisimov was sent off for tripping at 5:04 of the second. Jonas Brodin’s long shot went off Wild center Mikael Granlund in front and dropped to the ice near Niederreiter, who slammed it in for his 12th.
Stewart tied it at 2 when he beat Crawford on the short side from the left circle with 9 minutes left. Stewart also scored in Minnesota’s 5-4 victory at Dallas on Saturday night.
”We didn’t have the best legs right from the get-go, but I feel like we found a way,” Niederreiter said. ”Then we kind of find a rhythm and kept going.”
NOTES: Kane played more than 27 minutes in his first multigoal game of the season. … The Blackhawks scratched forwards Andrew Desjardins and Jordin Tootoo. … D Nate Prosser and RW Kurtis Gabriel were inactive for Minnesota.
UP NEXT
Wild: Begin a four-game homestand Tuesday night against New Jersey.
Blackhawks: Visit Colorado on Tuesday night.
CHICAGO (AP) Playing on the road for the second straight night against one of their biggest rivals, Devan Dubnyk and the Minnesota Wild rallied to another impressive victory.
Not much to complain about for Wild coach Bruce Boudreau.
”They just refuse to lose at this stage,” he said.
Dubnyk made 33 saves, Jason Pominville scored in the third period and Minnesota beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 on Sunday to grab sole possession of the top spot in the Western Conference.
Nino Niederreiter and Chris Stewart also scored as Minnesota earned its fourth straight win and improved to 17-1-1 since Dec. 4. The Wild also beat the Blackhawks for the eighth straight time.
”To beat this team eight times in a row is really something,” said Boudreau, who was behind the bench in Anaheim when the Ducks were eliminated by the Blackhawks in the 2015 Western Conference finals. ”I don’t understand how you can do it. I wish I had had that knowledge a couple years ago.”
Minnesota (28-9-5) jumped in front for good when Marco Scandella shot the puck behind the net and it caromed right to Pominville standing all alone on the right side of the crease. He knocked it into the open net for his sixth of the season at 5:08.
Minnesota defenseman Ryan Suter was sent off for tripping with 22.4 seconds left, but Chicago was unable to get a good look even with the 6-on-4 advantage.
”It’s a big game, just point-wise,” Dubnyk said. ”If we want to be in first place, we’re going to have to win games against these guys.”
Patrick Kane scored twice on a whopping 12 shots for the Blackhawks (27-14-5), who were coming off an ugly 6-0 loss at Washington. Artem Anisimov, battling an illness, had two assists, and Corey Crawford made 29 stops.
”Frustrating. Even though it was 2-0, at 2-2 you still feel good being in a tie game going to the third at home playing a team playing on back-to-back nights,” Kane said. ”Tough not to get anything out of that game.”
Chicago coach Joel Quenneville called Friday night’s performance against the Capitals a failure ”across the board,” and he went with seven defensemen for the Blackhawks’ first game of the season against Minnesota. He also leaned heavily on Kane, who has six goals and 12 assists in his last 14 games.
”Kaner had the touch tonight,” Quenneville said.
The reigning NHL MVP beat Dubnyk on the stick side at 4:33 of the first, and then added his 14th of the season in the second. The winger dug the puck out of the faceoff circle and snapped it over Dubnyk’s left shoulder for a 2-0 lead at 4:16.
Minnesota got one back after Anisimov was sent off for tripping at 5:04 of the second. Jonas Brodin’s long shot went off Wild center Mikael Granlund in front and dropped to the ice near Niederreiter, who slammed it in for his 12th.
Stewart tied it at 2 when he beat Crawford on the short side from the left circle with 9 minutes left. Stewart also scored in Minnesota’s 5-4 victory at Dallas on Saturday night.
”We didn’t have the best legs right from the get-go, but I feel like we found a way,” Niederreiter said. ”Then we kind of find a rhythm and kept going.”
NOTES: Kane played more than 27 minutes in his first multigoal game of the season. … The Blackhawks scratched forwards Andrew Desjardins and Jordin Tootoo. … D Nate Prosser and RW Kurtis Gabriel were inactive for Minnesota.
UP NEXT
Wild: Begin a four-game homestand Tuesday night against New Jersey.
Blackhawks: Visit Colorado on Tuesday night.
Saturday, January 14, 2017
Capitals rout Blackhawks 6-0 to extend winning streak to 8
WASHINGTON (AP) Jay Beagle can’t explain his offensive success against the Chicago Blackhawks.
It’s much easier to see why his Washington Capitals are rolling against everybody.
Beagle scored twice to solidify his status as a Blackhawks killer and Washington blew out Chicago 6-0 on Friday night to win its eighth consecutive game. In a showdown of the NHL’s hottest teams, the Capitals looked the part and the Blackhawks fell flat, ending their winning streak at four.
During their eight-game run to vault to the top of the league standings, the Capitals have snapped five opposing winning streaks of three or more.
”We’re playing good hockey right now and we’re starting to get confident in our game, in our structure,” said Beagle, who has eight goals this season and is just two shy of tying his career high. ”Getting these wins against great teams can only build that confidence, and we just got to keep going moving forward.”
Beagle’s inexplicable, self-admitted ”weird” showing of six goals in eight career games against the Blackhawks notwithstanding, this winning streak has been built on contributions from almost every player. Three different lines were in on the scoring Friday as all six goals came at even strength.
But the biggest piece of the streak is goaltender Braden Holtby, who looks to be back in Vezina Trophy form. Holtby stopped all 24 shots he faced against the Blackhawks and is 9-2-2 with a 1.34 goals-against average, .950 save percentage and five shutouts in his past 14 games.
Holtby and the Capitals haven’t allowed an even-strength goal in five games dating to when he was pulled against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 3.
”I worked on a few things that I wanted to get better at, but we’ve been playing pretty well through that stretch, too,” said Holtby, who leads the league with six shutouts. ”There’s still things to work on, but our game and my game are going in the right direction.”
Chicago’s game was going in the right direction but took a nosedive Friday. A would-be goal from Vinnie Hinostroza was called back for goaltender interference and Corey Crawford was pulled after allowing five goals on 30 shots. There were no positives to be found.
Coach Joel Quenneville called it a failure ”across the board.”
”It was a big game to start with and we didn’t meet the challenge,” Quenneville said. ”Let’s forget about this one because there’s nothing good about it.”
It’s all good right now for the Capitals, who had four short-handed shots to the Blackhawks’ two on the power play. In reaching 61 points, they passed the Columbus Blue Jackets – who played later at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night – for first in the Metropolitan Division, the Eastern Conference and the NHL.
Coach Barry Trotz has eased the minutes burden on Alex Ovechkin and his top players and been rewarded with scoring depth. He was pleased that ”all four lines were pulling on the rope” against Chicago, just the latest in a line of top teams Washington has beaten.
Just in 2017, the Capitals have ended the Maple Leafs’ winning streak at five, the Blue Jackets’ at 16, the Montreal Canadiens’ at three, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ at five and then the Blackhawks’ at four. Now they have their own winning streak, which center Nicklas Backstrom said ”doesn’t matter.”
”Obviously you know it’s eight in a row, but you’re playing every other day so you just try to reset and get back to work,” Backstrom said. ”We’ve just got to play good next game.”
NOTES: D Karl Alzner became the first player in Capitals franchise history to play 500 consecutive regular-season games. Alzner joined Keith Yandle and Jay Bouwmeester as the only defensemen since 1943-44 to play 500 games in a row. Baseball ironman Cal Ripken Jr. was featured in a video message congratulating Alzner on the achievement. … Washington improved to 23-3-3 when scoring first. … D Michal Rozsival returned to the Blackhawks’ lineup after missing six consecutive games as a healthy scratch, replacing Michal Kempny.
UP NEXT
Blackhawks: Host the Central Division-rival Wild on Sunday, their first game against Minnesota this season. The Wild trail the Blackhawks by just two points and have played five fewer games.
Capitals: Try to make it nine straight when they host the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday at 1 p.m., moved back from 12:30 as a domino effect from the Steelers-Chiefs AFC playoff game shifting to prime time because of weather in Kansas City.
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