NHL Update: Chicago Blackhawks beat Pittsburgh Penguins, 3-2
Patrick Kane lit the lamp in the shootout, as Chicago Blackhawks exploded for a 3-2 win against Pittsburgh Penguins, at United Centre on Sunday.
Patrick Sharp and Bryan Bickell each also tallied a goal for Chicago, who had lost three of four games coming in. Corey Crawford made 24 saves in the win.
"There's a lot of skill on that line," Kane said. "We all try and make plays and set up different chances. All of us feel we can be better every game."
Brett Sterling and Matt Cooke both found the net for Pittsburgh, which has dropped three of its previous four contests. Marc-Andre Fleury turned away 29 shots in the losing effort.
Blackhawks drew first blood for a 1-0 lead midway through the opening stanza. The goal came when Niklas Hjalmarsson threw a pass from the left point to the low left side for Jonathan Toews, who quickly chipped it in front for Sharp, who fired an easy shot
over Fleury's glove.
However, Penguins pulled the game even at 1-1 with a short-handed goal with nearly seven minutes left in the middle session. It happened so when Maxime Talbot whipped a saucer pass from the top of the right circle to the low left side where Cooke deflected
it home.
Chicago went on the top, 2-1, again almost one minute into the final frame, as Bickell blasted a wrist shot from the outside left circle that made its way past Fleury's glove.
"They got a lucky goal. But we stuck with it and came back to tie the game," said Cooke.
Pittsburgh knotted it at 2-2 again with a little over three minutes left in the third period. The play was set up by Tyler Kennedy, who ripped a shot on net that was saved, but the rebound bounced out in open ice and Sterling knocked it into the net.
"Our team stayed with it and kept going," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. "We knew we were going to have to battle one out. ... We kept playing and we got the (late) goal and we'll take the point."
After Fleury stopped shots by Toews and Sharp in the shootout, Kane rushed in, faked to the forehand and jammed the puck in past the outstretched Fleury’s right pad to seal the win at 3-2.
Pascal Dupuis hit the post on the Pittsburgh's first attempt and then Crawford stopped shots by Kris Letang.
Kennedy was the last hope for Penguins, but Crawford stopped the lifted backhander to secure the win.
"We came back pretty hard right after that," said Crawford. "So I think that was the key for us tonight -- to not get down after they scored late,".
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