Blackhawks rally, beat Blues in shootout

[March 15, 2012]  CHICAGO (AP) -- Patrick Kane had the only score in a shootout and the Chicago Blackhawks beat NHL-leading St. Louis 4-3 Tuesday night, ending the Blues' five-game winning streak.

Kane was the first skater and made a nice fake before beating Jaroslav Halak. Chicago goalie Corey Crawford, who entered the game in the second period after starter Ray Emery was pulled, stopped T.J. Oshie, Andy McDonald and then David Perron in the shootout.

Brent Seabrook's long slap shot from the blue line on a power play sailed past a screened Halak and tied the game at 7:41 of the third. The score came on Chicago's fifth power play of the game and ended the Blues' streak of consecutive penalty kills at 51.

Jamie Langenbrunner, McDonald and Patrik Berglund had goals in the first period for St. Louis when the Blues opened up a 3-1 lead.

Chicago's Andrew Brunette opened the scoring and Viktor Stalberg added a goal in the second period.

Halak, who had a win streak of eight games before Tuesday, made nice stops on Kane and Marian Hossa in overtime and Kane had two other chances in the closing seconds of the extra period.

Halak finished with 43 saves.

The Blues managed only six shots in the first period, but three of them eluded Emery as St. Louis quickly erased a 1-0 deficit.

Brunette took a nifty pass from Hossa that split two defenders and then skated in and beat Halak at 2:51 of the opening period.

But the Blues responded 59 seconds later as Langenbrunner rifled a long shot from beyond the right circle that beat the apparently screened Emery.

About three minutes later, McDonald took a nice back pass from Perron and drove it past Emery for a 2-1 lead. Berglund then tipped in Barrett Jackman's hard shot from the left point to put the Blues up by two late in the first period.

Chicago got a goal late in the second when a shot by Marcus Kruger deflected off Halak, the puck hit Stalberg's in-step and then went between the goaltender's legs to make it 2-1.

NOTES: Chicago captain and star Jonathan Toews missed his 11th straight game with a concussion. ... McDonald scored his ninth goal of the season and fourth against the Blackhawks. ... The chippy first period included two fights, including one between Chicago's Brandon Bollig and the Blues' Ryan Reaves with four seconds left following Reaves' hard check on Jamal Mayers.

[Associated Press; By RICK GANO]

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