Kane scores in game's closing seconds to give Hawks 4-3 win
Patrick Kane scored his 40th goal of the season with just 16.1 seconds remaining in regulation as the Blackhawks stunned the host Anaheim Ducks by posting a 4-3 victory Wednesday.
Just 15 seconds before Kane's tally, Corey Crawford - in his first start in more than two months - turned away a point-blank shot by Derek Grant. Ten seconds later, Jonathan Toews fed Brandon Saad, who raced into open ice and made a nifty move around Hampus Lindholm.
Saad then found Kane streaking down the right side.
Kane received the puck with his backhand, moved it to his forehand and fired the game-winner to give the Hawks 2 huge points.
As for Crawford, goaltenders often talk about how they don't mind "seeing a lot of rubber" and "getting a feel for the puck" early on in games.
Well, the exact opposite happened to Crawford as he waited, waited and waited some more until finally facing his first shot on goal at the 7:54 mark of the first period. As he had done 13,557 previous times in his career, Crawford saved that shot, plus the one that came just seconds later by Nick Ritchie from just a few feet away.
Crawford went on to make several other impressive saves, finishing with 29 overall.
"I thought our goaltender was our best player on the ice," Chris Kunitz told Steve Konroyd on NBCSports Chicago after the first period. "He made a lot of great saves. It's nice to see him back in the net."
The Hawks trailed 3-2 late in this one, but Alex DeBrincat scored his second goal with 4:54 remaining in regulation to tie it up. DeBrincat, who now has 36 goals, became the fourth player in team history to score 35 or more at age 21 or younger.
Despite getting the win, the Hawks didn't look particularly sharp. DeBrincat managed to score 13 seconds into a five-minute major that was given to Rickard Rakell early in the second period, but the Hawks ended up with just 1 more shot on goal and also allowed Anaheim to score short-handed at 4:22.
Rakell was also given a game misconduct for smashing Drake Caggiula into the boards. Caggiula was diagnosed with a concussion and did not return.
Still, a win's a win - something coach Jeremy Colliton's team desperately needed after dropping games to Colorado and Dallas over the weekend.
And the best part? Crawford - other than needing to sharpen up his skills while playing the puck behind the net - looked steady, sharp and very much like his old self.
"You don't want to see a teammate that has to be on his own page dealing with a long-term injury and just being disconnected from the rest of the locker room," Jonathan Toews told reporters beforehand. "You kind of feel for a guy that's not feeling like himself and not feeling 100 percent. …
"Personally just happy that he's healthy and he's feeling good. Hockey comes second after that."
The Hawks continue their three-game road trip with an afternoon game at Los Angeles on Saturday, then play at San Jose on Sunday.