Blackhawks 3, Avalanche 1
Patrick Sharp scored to snap a tie just over seven minutes into the third period and Corey Crawford turned aside 31 shots as the Chicago Blackhawks won the opener of a home-and-home set against the Colorado Avalanche with a 3-1 road triumph on Thursday.
Captain Jonathan Toews collected his second goal in as many contests and
Marian Hossa netted an empty net goal to seal the win for Chicago,
which has secured nine points in its last five games (4-0-1).
Colorado saw its five-game winning streak come to an end and has dropped both contests at the Pepsi Center this season. The Avalanche and Blackhawks will reconvene at the United Center in Chicago on Saturday.
With the game tied at 1-1, Andrew Brunette's shot was denied by Semyon Varlamov, but Sharp alertly collected the loose puck and netted his second goal of the season at the 7:20 mark.
Hossa scored in his third straight game with 70 seconds remaining to help Crawford even his career mark at 2-2-0 against the Avalanche.
Toews opened the scoring after accepting a feed from Daniel Carcillo and backhanding the puck past Varlamov with 3:58 remaining in the first period.
Defenseman Ryan O'Byrne leveled the contest with 4:33 left in the second after the puck caromed off him and past Crawford following Joakim Lindstrom's shot. The goal was the first for O'Byrne since April 3, 2010, and the third of his career.