Blackhawks 4, Panthers 0
Corey Crawford turned aside all 23 shots he faced and Patrick Kane and defenseman Brent Seabrook collected a goal and an assist apiece as the Chicago Blackhawks skated to a 4-0 home triumph over the Florida Panthers on Wednesday.
Viktor Stalberg and Tomas Kopecky also tallied and reigning Norris Trophy winner Duncan Keith and captain Jonathan Toews notched a pair of assists apiece for Chicago (40-25-8), which pulled into a tie for sixth place with the Nashville Predators (39-25-10) in the ultra-competitive Western Conference standings. The victory was the Blackhawks' 11th in their last 15 outings.
Crawford secured his fourth shutout of the season and fifth career by stopping eight shots in the first period, five in the second and 10 in the third.
For its part, Florida (29-35-10) was on the receiving end of a shutout for the second straight day. Henrik Lundqvist recorded his league-leading 10th shutout of the season on Tuesday as the New York Rangers collected a 1-0 triumph over the Panthers at Madison Square Garden.
Seabrook opened the scoring with 5:19 remaining in the second period. After Florida committed a too many men on the ice penalty, Seabrook made the Panthers pay with a one-timer from the left faceoff circle. The tally was Seabrook's fifth goal of the season and first since Feb. 11.
The owner of the NHL's second-best power play, Chicago continues to make hay while its foe is shorthanded. The Blackhawks have six power-play goals in their last five games.
Tomas Vokoun finished with 27 saves as the Panthers suffered their 10th loss in 13 contests.