Most important, Chicago Blackhawks get the 2 points
Patrick Kane knows how fortunate the Chicago Blackhawks were Tuesday night to walk out of the United Center with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Florida Panthers.
"It could be a different feeling in here," Kane said moments after ripping home the game-winner on a breakaway with 2:36 left in extra time.
So true. It would have been an awfully somber room if not for the extraordinary play of Corey Crawford in the second period - when he turned away 17 shots - and during a four-second stretch in overtime just before Kane sent 21,000-plus fans home happy.
Crawford first saved an Aaron Ekblad wrist shot with 3:29 remaining, then somehow turned away Vincent Trocheck's wrister with 3:25 left while scrambling to his right. Crawford ended up on his butt, giving Ekblad a chance to win it with 3:21 left, but his shot rang off the crossbar.
"Crow kept us in the game," coach Joel Quenneville said. "We gave up high-quality stuff."
The Hawks came out strong in the first period but were on their heels for large chunks of the game after that. Jonathan Toews helped save the day by scoring his ninth goal of the season with 6:02 left in regulation.
The Hawks (15-11-5) took care of business by winning three straight at home against three of the worst teams in the NHL. But every game was hard-fought and could have gone either way.
So the question is, can they build on what might be considered some shaky momentum?
"They were must-win games," Toews said. "It's nice to get some confidence that we can score goals late … whether we're down a goal or two, or it's a 0-0, 1-1 game. We've got to carry that confidence going forward."
Brandon Saad scored the Hawks' other goal at 16:49 of the first period to make it 1-0. He buried a shot after taking a feed from Alex DeBrincat, who also assisted on Toews' third-period tally.
"Even though we're winning games we take the positives from it and we can still keep getting better," Saad said. "That's the mentality we've got to have.
"We can't sit back. We're in no position to do that. You see where we're at. We're all excited about climbing up, embracing this challenge and just keep getting better."
The Hawks lost Jan Rutta to an upper-body injury in the second period after the defenseman was crunched into the boards by Connor Brickley. Rutta didn't return, but Quenneville said he looked better after the game and is considered day to day.
Artem Anisimov set up the game-winning goal by stealing the puck from Mike Matheson at center ice, then zipping the puck to a streaking Kane.
Kane flew in all alone on James Reimer and whistled a shot past the Panthers' goaltender for his 11th goal on the season.
"They hit a crossbar (in OT); they had a couple chances," Kane said. "I guess we just capitalized on that situation. But nice to get the 2 points, especially when you're down one in the third."
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