Kane lifts sizzling Blackhawks over Canadiens
CHICAGO -- Right winger Patrick Kane scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period and the Chicago Blackhawks held on for a 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night.
Right winger Marian Hossa and defenseman Gustav Forsling also notched goals for the Blackhawks. Center Jonathan Toews added a pair of assists.
Chicago (11-3-2) earned at least one point for the 11th consecutive game, which is the best streak in the NHL this season. The Blackhawks improved to 9-0-2 in their past 11 contests.
Defensemen Shea Weber and Andrei Markov each scored for the Canadiens. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Montreal (13-2-1).
Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford stopped 21 shots and made several stops in the final minute as the Canadiens played with an empty net.
Montreal goaltender Al Montoya fell to 3-2-1 despite making 32 saves.
Chicago opened the scoring with 7:54 to go in the first period. Forsling steadied the puck near the front of the blue line and ripped a rising slap shot past Montoya's glove side. The sequence marked the first career goal for Forsling, a 20-year-old rookie from Sweden.
Montreal evened the score at 1 on a fluke power-play goal in the first minute of the second period. Weber pinched in from the blue line and threw a sharp-angle shot toward the crease. Blackhawks defenseman Michal Kempny reached out with his stick to try to block the shot, but he inadvertently redirected the puck over Crawford's left shoulder. Weber was credited with his seventh goal.
Less than two minutes later, Montreal scored again to seize a 2-1 lead. Markov unloaded a rising wrist shot from the high slot for his second goal in the past five games.
Chicago pulled even at 2 on a power-play goal by Hossa with 8:31 remaining in the second period. Hossa scored on a rebound for his team-leading ninth goal.
A dazzling maneuver by Kane put Chicago ahead 3-2 with 3:37 to go in the second period. Kane split a pair of defenders and managed to lift a shot into the net as he tumbled to the ice.
NOTES: Blackhawks C Artem Anisimov returned after missing one game because of an upper-body injury. The 28-year-old anchored a line between LW Artemi Panarin and RW Marian Hossa. ... Canadiens RW Andrew Shaw faced his former team for the first time since he was dealt to Montreal in June. Shaw, 25, won two Stanley Cup championship rings in five seasons with the Blackhawks. ... Blackhawks LW Tyler Motte missed his third consecutive game because of a lower-body injury. ... Canadiens C Brian Flynn did not play for the second straight game because of an upper-body injury. ... Blackhawks RW Jordin Tootoo and D Michal Rozsival were healthy scratches. ... Canadiens D Greg Pateryn was a healthy scratch for the third game in a row.