RECAP: Blackhawks 8, Capitals 5

RAPID REACTION:In an eventful matinee meeting, the Blackhawks snapped their five-game skid by racking up a ton of goals, downing the Washington Capitals 8-5. They were spurred on by multi-point, multi-goal outings from Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, including a hat trick from the captain.
Brandon Saad powered his way to the Capitals net and scored his 15th goal of the season at 6:36 of the first, giving the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead. David Kampf recorded the lone assist.

Chicago got a fortunate bounce at 14:53 as Washington's Dmitry Orlov swiped at a floating puck with his glove, accidentally batting it into his own net. Toews was officially credited with the goal, giving the Blackhawks captain 19 on the season.
Alex DeBrincat buried a feed by Dylan Strome for his 25th goal of the season at 2:30 of the second period. The goal made it 4-1 for Chicago. Duncan Keith recorded the second assist.

There was plenty of physical play over the course of the game, with both clubs combining for seven penalties in the middle frame alone. One of the more aggressive moments came when Alex Ovechkin took a swing at Kane's head and took off his helmet. Connor Murphy chased down Ovechkin, resulting in two-minute roughing calls for both.
Orlov scored at 15:24 of the second to make it a 4-2 game. In the third, the Caps cut the lead to one when John Carlson hammered a one-timer past Delia at 3:09.

At 3:45, the Blackhawks responded to make it 5-3 with Kane's second of the afternoon, this one on the power play. Toews and Strome recorded the helpers.
Toews made it a 6-3 game with a snipe on a 2-on-1 rush at 7:20 of the final frame.
The Capitals wouldn't give up as Carlson roofed a shot at 10:38 of the third to make it a two-goal game once again. Matt Niskanen scored at 13:55 to make it 6-5.
Toews dangled his way to a hat trick at 14:57 of the third to make it a 7-5 game. He was assisted by Kane on the tally. Strome put the icing on the cake with an empty-netter in the game's final two minutes to make it 8-5.
KNEEL BEFORE SAAD:Saad's goal was a pretty display of power and individual effort as he skated through all three zones with the puck, shed a defender and scored to give Chicago an early lead.

THE CAT AND SHOWTIME STAY HOT:Kane's 28th goal of the season was an impressive way to keep his point streak alive. Kane now has points in eight straight (7G, 12A). DeBrincat has now scored seven goals in his last seven games.

EL CAPITAN:Toews had a big game himself, recording his first five-point out of the season with three goals and two assists. He also reached the 20-goal mark for the 12th straight season.
WHAT A SAVE:Delia made a wild save in the second period that drew a standing ovation from the United Center crowd.

TALKING POINTS:
"Kind of like a playoff-type atmosphere and a playoff-type game. Back-and-forth and it seemed like no matter how big our lead we couldn't make it big enough. Overall, I think it's a good win for us." - Patrick Kane on the win over Washington
"We can play together for a long time, you might not always get games like that. Obviously, I think today the chances we did get we converted. He was going a good job in his own end, chipping pucks out. Their D-men were really pressuring so we got some odd-man rushes." - Jonathan Toews on skating on the same line as Patrick Kane
WHAT'S NEXT:The Blackhawks host the New York Rangers on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. CT. They will be wearing their black Winter Classic jerseys and the first 10,000 fans through the doors will get a Patrick Kane bobblehead. The game can be seen on WGN or heard on WGN 720. FIND TICKETS