Toews, Kane lead Blackhawks past Avs
The official game recap Colorado Avalanche vs Chicago Blackhawks.Jonathan Toews had a goal and Patrick Kane had three assists to lead the Chicago Blackhawks to a 3-2 win against the Colorado Avalanche in a game played at breakneck speed at Pepsi Center on Wednesday.
The Blackhawks outshot the Avalanche 45-29 and have gone 3-1-0 with two games remaining on their 10-day "Circus Trip."
Bryan Bickell broke a 2-2 tie with 5:17 remaining in the third period when he put in the rebound of Kane's shot. Toews, who scored a second-period goal, muscled his way through the Avalanche defense and took a shot that goalie Calvin Pickard stopped. Bickell scored from the edge of the crease.
Colorado's Ryan O'Reilly tied the game 2-2 at 3:36 of the third period with his first goal in 11 games during a goal-mouth scramble. Alex Tanguay and Nick Holden took whacks at the puck before O'Reilly managed to chip it under the crossbar.
Pickard kept the score tied with a save against Marian Hossa breaking down the slot at 8:21 after a turnover. The puck bounced off Pickard's pad and slid toward the open left corner of the net, but Pickard managed to knock it away with his stick.
The Blackhawks used power-play goals from Toews and Andrew Shaw that came 2:31 apart in the second period to take a 2-1 lead.
Maxime Talbot gave the Avalanche a 1-0 lead at 7:35 of the period with his first point in seven games. Marc-Andre Cliche passed to Talbot in front for a shot that went underneath Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford's pad.
Chicago, which has scored at least one power-play goal in six consecutive games, tied the game at 11:50 on Toews' goal with Tomas Vincour in the penalty box for high sticking on Kane. Brent Seabrook fired a shot that got through Pickard, and Toews skated behind him to tap the puck inside the left post on the Blackhawks' 25th shot of the game.
Pickard, a 22-year-old rookie, made 42 saves without giving up a goal in 95:33 of playing time covering two consecutive appearances in relief of Reto Berra to backstop the Avalanche to come-from-behind wins against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday and the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday.
Shaw, who missed the three previous games with an upper-body injury, put the Blackhawks in front 2-1 at 14:21 after he drew a holding penalty from Holden. Kane passed to Shaw for a one-timer in the left circle that skimmed inside the near post.
The Avalanche and Blackhawks were scoreless after a fast-paced first period. Pickard made 13 saves, and Crawford stopped nine shots.
Pickard made a save against Hossa on a 2-on-1 rush and stopped Toews' stab at the rebound at 4:55 of the first while the Blackhawks were killing off a penalty to Duncan Keith for hooking. Pickard thwarted Hossa skating down the middle at 12:00 and stopped Toews on the doorstop after a pass from Kane at 14:48 on a Blackhawks power play.
Crawford, making his 12th consecutive start, made a sliding save against Tanguay on a clean shorthanded breakaway at 15:30. Tanguay, wearing a full face shield to protect a facial fracture, played in his first game since getting hurt Nov. 20 against the Washington Capitals.
The Avalanche went 0-for-2 on the power play and are in a 1-for-31 slump over an 11-game stretch.
-- by Rick Sadowski for NHL.com --
Eurolanche.com, Worldwide, eurolanche@eurolanche.com
27/11/2014 - 07:00
