Blackhawks rally to beat Rangers 4-3

[March 10, 2012]  CHICAGO (AP) -- Defenseman Johnny Oduya scored his first goal for Chicago with 5:56 left in the third period to snap a tie in the Blackhawks' 4-3 comeback victory over the New York Rangers on Friday night.

Chicago handed the Eastern Conference-leading Rangers their third straight loss and fourth in five games.

Oduya connected from the left point with a shot that sailed past Henrik Lundqvist on the glove side to give Chicago a 3-2 lead, its first of the game. Oduya was acquired from Winnipeg just before the trade deadline.

Patrick Kane added an empty-net goal with 53 seconds left to make it 4-2. It stood up as the winner after New York's Brad Richards connected from the left circle 8 seconds later.

Chicago's Patrick Sharp scored 1:02 before Oduya to cap a nifty passing play with Marian Hossa and Kane, and tie it at 2. Rookie Andrew Shaw also scored to help Chicago win for the third time in four games.

Artem Anisimov and Brandon Prust also scored for New York.

Chicago's Ray Emery stopped 22 shots. He was making his fourth straight start, and also appeared in his seventh straight game, relieving Corey Crawford in two of them.

The Rangers, who have given up 19 goals in their last five games, opened with a tightened defensive effort and seemed to be in command. Lundqvist, who wasn't heavily tested until late, made 18 saves.

The game was the second this season between the Original Six. Chicago snapped a season-high, nine-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory in New York on Feb. 16.

The Rangers had several prime chances in the first period, but didn't connect until Anisimov opened the scoring with 47 seconds left following a botched Chicago clearing attempt.

When Kane couldn't handle the puck on the boards near the Chicago blue line, New York's John Mitchell slipped the puck to Anisimov alone in the slot. Anisimov took the pass with his back to Emery, then spun and tucked in a shot in the lower right corner.

The Rangers limited Chicago's offense for most of the second, but Shaw tied it at 1 with 5:32 left in the period on a tip of Oduya's shot from the left point.

Oduya fired into traffic, the puck struck the blade of Shaw's stick about 2 feet above the ice and flipped past Lundqvist.

Shaw fired a point-blank chance over the net 2:30 into the third.

A turnover at center ice led to Prust's goal at 7:11 of the third that gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead.

Emery dropped to the ice to stop Ryan McDonagh's shot from the top of the slot. But Prust was wide open just to the left of the net and easily slipped in the rebound.

Then the Blackhawks rallied with three goals in a 6:05 span to take the 4-2 lead.

NOTES: New York C Brandon Dubinsky sat out his second game after being injured in a fight with New Jersey's Ryan Carter early in a 4-1 loss Tuesday night at New Jersey. Dubinsky, who sustained a hand injury and a cut to the nose in the fight, is experiencing sinus pressure and is listed as day-to-day. ... Chicago C Jonathan Toews missed his ninth game because of an upper-body injury, believed to be a concussion. Toews skated for second straight day Friday morning. ... Blackhawks D Niklas Hjalmarrson returned after missing six straight games and 13 of 14 with a reported concussion. ... Chicago D Steve Montador missed his 15th game with an undisclosed upper-body injury, and D Sami Lepisto missed his first with a leg injury.

[Associated Press]

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