Blackhawks record key win over Wild
CHICAGO -- Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin each had a goal and an assist, and the Chicago Blackhawks held on for a 4-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday afternoon.
Trevor van Riemsdyk and Marian Hossa also scored for the Blackhawks. Chicago (43-20-5) pulled within one point of Minnesota for the top spot in the Central Division and Western Conference.
Eric Staal and Mikael Granlund scored for the Wild. Minnesota (43-18-6) lost for the fourth time in the past six games.
Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford made 42 saves on 44 shots to improve to 27-15-3. Crawford denied several high-quality scoring chances by the Wild, including a breakaway by Erik Haula in the third period.
Minnesota goaltender Devan Dubnyk allowed two goals on the first two shots he saw and was replaced 4:38 into the first period. Backup netminder Darcy Kuemper turned aside 19 of 21 shots in relief.
Kane opened the scoring 51 seconds into the first period. He ripped a wrist shot from the low slot for his 30th goal of the season and his 10th in the past eight games.
Less than four minutes later, Chicago increased its lead to 2-0 on a one-timer by Panarin. Kane slid a backhand pass to Panarin to set up the goal.
Minnesota cut the deficit to 2-1 with 9:30 remaining in the first period. Defenseman Marco Scandella fired a shot from the blue line, and Staal tapped the rebound beneath Crawford's pads for his 22nd goal.
The Blackhawks made it 3-1 on van Riemsdyk's fifth goal with 14:32 to go in the second period.
Granlund fired a pinpoint wrist shot to pull the Wild within 3-2 in the first minute of the third period.
Hossa finished the scoring on a breakaway with 6:18 remaining in the third period.
NOTES: Wild C Martin Hanzal did not play because of an illness. Hanzal's absence created an opportunity for C Jordan Schroeder, who played for the first time in five games. ... Blackhawks D Niklas Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya returned to the lineup after sitting out Friday night against the Detroit Red Wings. ... Wild G Darcy Kuemper appeared in his 100th career game. ... Blackhawks RW Tomas Jurco and C Dennis Rasmussen were healthy scratches. ... Wild D Gustav Olofsson missed his second straight game because of an upper-body injury. ... The Blackhawks signed C John Hayden to a two-year contract that runs through the 2017-18 season. Hayden recently completed his senior campaign at Yale.