|
 Seabrook snapped in his 14th goal of the season 1:02 into overtime
and left winger Artemi Panarin had a four-point night to spark the
Blackhawks to a 5-4 victory over the Winnipeg Jets at the MTS
Centre.
Seconds after Winnipeg misfired on a two-on-one break, Seabrook
raced away with Panarin on an odd-man rush with only Jets winger
Nikolaj Ehlers back to defend. Panarin, a candidate to win the
Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie, slipped a perfect pass to
Seabrook and he let a shot go that goaltender Ondrej Pavelec had no
chance to block.
"That was huge for our team," Seabrook said. "It was nice to see us
bounce back (after trailing 4-3 in the third period). The resiliency
of this team was good to see, and I think it's definitely a
confidence booster going forward to know we can be down and get a
big goal and get it to overtime."
Panarin scored a pair of goals -- his 26th and 27th of the season --
and had two assists for the Blackhawks (45-26-7), who are third in
the Central Division. His second goal came with 4:45 left in the
third period to force overtime.
 Right winger Blake Wheeler netted his 22nd goal of the season and
second of the game less than four minutes earlier to give Winnipeg
the lead.
Right winger Patrick Kane scored his 40th of the season, left winger
Brandon Mashinter scored his fourth and defenseman Erik Gustafsson
chipped in a pair of assists for Chicago, which is 9-1-0 in their
last 10 stops in Winnipeg.
Defenseman Dustin Byfuglien scored his 18th goal and had two
helpers, while rookie winger Nic Petan netted his second of the year
to open the scoring. Center Mark Scheifele had two assists.
The lead changed hands four times between the division rivals,
separated by a 27-point chasm in the standings. The Jets (31-39-8),
winless in their last four games, sit last in the Central.
"It was a crazy game all game long. There was some looseness and
some great opportunities," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said.
"We've still got to be better."
The Blackhawks entered the contest 3-5-2 in their last 10 games,
including a 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.
Chicago's Scott Darling, who made 28 saves, wasn't particularly
enamored with his own play but admitted snatching the extra point
made it easier to accept.
"It's definitely the more important part. We're here to win,"
Darling said. "You never want to let in four goals but I'm happy
with the way we all battled and pulled it out there."
Winnipeg was 0 for 3 with the man advantage and has gone 10
consecutive games and 25 opportunities without a power-play goal.
Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews was struck on the right ear by a
clearing pass from teammate Michal Rozsival while killing a penalty
late in the second period and left the ice in obvious pain. The
Winnipeg product returned for third period and overtime, registering
the second assist on Seabrook's clincher.
Pavelec made 22 saves. He has still has not posted a victory over
the Blackhawks in eight NHL seasons, going back to when the
franchise was still in Atlanta.
[to top of second column] |
"Both teams made good plays. Both teams had scoring chances to score
goals. There's skill on both sides," Pavelec said. "That's one of
the best teams in the NHL, and we got a point. With the injuries we
have, all the young guys, good for them. We got the point, we lost
in overtime. I guess it's a process. It's going to take a while."
The duo of Scheifele and Wheeler has been tremendous for Winnipeg as
it winds down a mostly forgettable season. Wheeler has four goals
and six assists in his last seven games, while his center has three
goals and six helpers.
In five games since returning from an eye injury, Ehlers has a goal
and assist playing the left wing.
"They're skating really well and I think they're playing with a lot
of confidence," Wheeler said of his linemates. "That goes a long
way, especially with them being young guys. I've been around long
enough to not waver in my confidence in myself, and that's something
you have to earn in this league. It's something you have to develop,
and I think those guys are on their way to doing that."
Winnipeg hosts Minnesota on Sunday before concluding its season with
a three-game California road trip.
Chicago kicks off a three-game homestand Sunday afternoon against
Boston.
NOTES: Chicago D Duncan Keith was suspended six games Friday for a
slash he delivered to the face of Minnesota Wild forward Charlie
Coyle on Tuesday. He will miss five regular-season games and the
Blackhawks' first playoff contest. The Winnipeg native opted for a
telephone hearing with the NHL Player Safety Committee late in the
day. ... Blackhawks veteran RW Marian Hossa fell ill this week and
did not make the trip to Winnipeg. The Blackhawks were still missing
G Corey Crawford (upper body), while RW Richard Panik, C Dennis
Rasmussen and D Christian Ehrhoff were all healthy scratches. ...
The Jets were without RW JC Lipon (upper body), C Bryan Little
(upper body) and RW Anthony Peluso (upper body). ... Winnipeg D
Dustin Byfuglien answered questions following Friday's morning skate
about his crushing hit on Ottawa Senators forward Mark Stone on
Wednesday. "That's hockey. If you take that out of the game,
everyone might as well put figure skates on," the 6-foot-5,
260-pound defenseman said. "I'm glad he's OK and everything worked
out, but that's the way hockey is." Stone suffered a chest injury
and will miss at least two games.
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