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 The teams converted on each of their first two attempts, as David
Perron and captain Sidney Crosby scored on their respective
backhanded bids while Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews and Patrick
Kane responded in kind. Corey Crawford made a glove save on
Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang before Sharp skated in and wristed
a shot under the glove of Marc-Andre Fleury to seal the win.
Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson scored his first goal in 41 contests
for Chicago, which also posted a 3-2 shootout victory at Pittsburgh
on Jan. 21. Toews and Pittsburgh native Brandon Saad each recorded
an assist while Crawford finished with 36 saves to improve to 4-1-0
lifetime versus the Penguins.
Nick Spaling scored and Beau Bennett notched an assist while
registering a career-high nine shots for Pittsburgh, which saw its
two-game winning streak come to a halt. Brandon Sutter also picked
up an assist and Fleury turned aside 31 shots.
After a scoreless first period, Toews cleanly won an offensive-zone
faceoff and Saad edged Chris Kunitz off the puck before Hjalmarsson
wired a blast from the point that beat Fleury at 3:22 of the second.
The slim advantage held up until 3:54 of the third, when Bennett's
sharp-angle shot from below the right faceoff circle produced a
juicy rebound that Spaling shoveled past Crawford.
[to top of second column] |
GAME NOTEBOOK: Chicago RW Marian Hossa was held off the scoresheet,
ending a four-game goal-scoring streak that saw the 36-year-old
tally seven times. ... Crosby initially was whistled for a tripping
penalty late in the second period, but the officials elected to
rescind the call. ... Hjalmarsson's previous goal this season came
in a 5-2 win over San Jose on Nov. 9. ... Kane was whistled for four
minutes in penalties, matching his total over the previous 56 games.
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