Kane, Blackhawks pull away from Flames
CHICAGO -- Right winger Patrick Kane scored a goal and dished out a pair of assists, and the Chicago Blackhawks pulled away for a 5-1 win over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night.
Center Artem Anisimov and left winger Artemi Panarin each finished with a goal and an assist for the Blackhawks. Chicago (6-3-1) won its third consecutive game and improved to 5-1-1 on home ice.
Right winger Michael Frolik scored the Flames' lone goal. Calgary (4-6-1) dropped its second straight game after winning the previous three in a row.
Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford stopped 33 of 34 shots to improve to 4-3-1.
Calgary goaltender Brian Elliott stopped 17 of 21 shots to fall to 3-5-0.
Anisimov scored the go-ahead goal on the power play to give Chicago a 2-1 edge with 12:16 to go in the third period. Kane threatened to shoot from the right circle but instead snapped a hard pass to Anisimov, who tapped in his seventh goal from the front of the crease.
Chicago increased its lead to 3-1 with 7:26 remaining in the third period. Rookie Tyler Motte charged to the net and swept a shot past Elliott's right leg pad for his third goal of the season.
Panarin added an empty-net goal with 3:01 to go to put Chicago on top 4-1.
Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson finished the scoring with an even-strength goal with 1:44 remaining.
A dazzling play by Kane opened the scoring for Chicago with 1:02 to play in the first period. The reigning Hart Trophy winner carried the puck across the blue line, maneuvered past Calgary defensemen Deryk Engelland and TJ Brodie, and ripped a wrist shot beneath Elliott's glove.
The sequence marked Kane's 19th goal in 33 career games against Calgary. No other player on the Blackhawks has scored more than nine career goals against Flames.
Calgary evened the score at 1 on a short-handed goal by Frolik with 12:54 left in the second period. Center Mikael Backlund slid a pinpoint pass to Frolik during a two-on-one rush, which developed after Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith broke his stick in the offensive zone.
Chicago finished 1-for-4 on the power play. Calgary was held scoreless in four power-play attempts.
NOTES: Blackhawks D Gustav Forsling returned after missing the previous two games due to an upper-body injury. ... Flames C Freddie Hamilton was a healthy scratch for the fourth consecutive game. ... Chicago D Michal Kempny was a healthy scratch for the second time this season. ... Calgary LW Matthew Tkachuk appeared in his fourth straight contest after sitting out a pair of games as a healthy scratch. ... Blackhawks LW Andrew Desjardins took part in Tuesday's morning skate and could return Sunday against the Dallas Stars, coach Joel Quenneville said. Desjardins, 30, has missed 10 games since he sustained in a lower-body injury in Chicago's preseason finale.