Blackhawks 5, Devils 3
Patrick Sharp’s second hat trick in five games lifted visiting Chicago to its first regulation victory at New Jersey since Dec. 30, 1997.
Brandon Saad, Sharp and Marian Hossa scored in a 4:04 span early in the third period to help extend the Blackhawks’ point streak to nine games (6-0-3). Antti Raanta made 24 saves to raise his record to 11-1-3 as Chicago improved to 6-0-1 against Metropolitan Division opponents.
Marek Zidlicky scored twice for the Devils, who lost to Chicago for the second time in 12 days. Fellow defenseman Andy Greene also tallied and Martin Brodeur stopped 19 shots in a rare consecutive start.
Sharp opened the scoring 1:34 into the second period with a wrist shot from the high slot that beat Brodeur to the glove side. He added his second of the game on a wrist shot from a sharp angle 2:44 into the third and completed the hat trick by sliding the puck past a sprawling Brodeur on a breakaway with 1:28 remaining in for his team-leading 25th goal.
Saad deflected Kane’s centering pass into the net 90 seconds into the third to snap a 1-1 tie and Hossa fired a wrist shot over Brodeur’s glove from the top of the left faceoff circle at 5:34 to give the Blackhawks a 4-1 lead. Zidlicky shoveled a quick shot past Raanta 1:35 later and buried a slap shot from the top of the left circle during a power play with 6:23 remaining to pull the Devils within one before Sharp put away the game.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Sharp has scored 14 goals in his last 13 games. … Chicago's Duncan Keith had three assists while fellow D Brent Seabrook and C Jonathan Toews each added two. … The Blackhawks failed to score a power-play goal for the first time in eight road games, finishing 0-for-3 with the man advantage.