Chicago sees three-game win streak end in highest-scoring game of the season
ByCarter Baum
Blackhawks.com
The Blackhawks saw their three-game win streak come to an end on Tuesday night in a wild, back-and-forth affair, falling to the Vancouver Canucks, 7-5, in the highest-scoring game of the season.
The Blackhawks were whistled for too many men at 3:02 of the first and killed off their 17th straight minor dating back to Dec. 15, but Vancouver struck just seconds after as J.T. Miller tipped home a Bo Horvat shot from the point at 5:04 for an early 1-0 lead. Chicago would answer back on a point shot of their own as Connor Murphy scored his fourth of the season at the 14-minute mark. Jonathan Toews forced a turnover along the end boards on a forecheck and Dominik Kubalik batted a bouncing puck to the near side, where Murphy stepped into a shot at the top of the circle to beat Jacob Markstrom to tie the game 1-1.
CHI@VAN: Murphy sneaks slap shot through short side
The deflected goals carried over into the high-scoring second period as Tanner Pearson tipped a shot home at 2:48. Jake Virtanen forced a turnover behind the Blackhawks net before banking a pass off the boards to Alexander Edler at the point. The defenseman's shot went off the stick of Pearson and over Robin Lehner's shoulder for a 2-1 lead. Once again, the visitors answered at 4:15 of the second as David Kampf's shot cleanly beat Markstrom off the rush. In a 2-on-2 break, Zack Smith drove the front of the net, taking a defender with him as Kampf cut across the top of the circles and used his winger as a screen in front to tie the game 2-2.
CHI@VAN: Kampf fires in wrist shot through screen
Patrick Kane gave the Blackhawks their first lead of the night just 2:20 later as Adam Boqvist fed the league's top scorer over the last decade at the top of the circle on ther power play. Kane ripped a one-timer over Markstrom's shoulder for a 3-2 lead.
CHI@VAN: Kane buries Boqvist one-timer for PPG
Jonathan Toews notched his 10th of the season less than two minutes later. The captain drove wide off a rush and threw a centering feed in front intended for Dominik Kubalik, but it deflected off the leg of Quinn Hughes and into the net for a 4-2 lead at 8:17 of the second period.
CHI@VAN: Toews nets friendly puck bounce off Hughes
Hughes scored a goal in the right directtion shortly after off a give-and-go with Miller on the power play. The defenseman fired a one-timer from the point that went through a Horvat screen in front and past Lehner to cut the Hawks lead to 4-3 at 10:20 of the second. The Canucks tied things up 4-4 off the stick of Elias Pettersson off a faceoff at the 11:45 mark of the period. The reigning Calder Trophy winner got a quick feed in the slot from Brock Boeser and put a one-timer just inside the post. Vancouver re-gained the lead at 8:10 of the third as a Bo Horvat centering feed off a rush deflected off the leg of Dennis Gilbert and into the back of the net for a 5-4 advantage. Kane notched his second of the night to tie things up, 5-5, at 13:44, beating Markstrom cleanly off the rush on with a wrister from the dot.
CHI@VAN: Kane finds twine with 2-on-1 goal off rush
The Canucks once again went ahead with just under five to play as Adam Gaudette took a wrist shot from the high slot peeling out from the top of the circle for a 6-5 lead at 15:49 of the third. Chicago pushed for the equalizer late, but Horvat found the empty net with under 10 seconds to play to seal a 7-5 win.