RECAP: Blackhawks Fall to Panthers, 4-3

The Blackhawks fell in a 3-0 hole and couldn't complete the comeback as they fell to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night at the United Center, 4-3.

CHI 3, FLA 4
WRITTEN
Full Box Score
THREE THINGS: Rough Night, Birthday Boy and Appreciative 'Q'
**IN THEIR WORDS**: Joel Quenneville Returns to the United Center
VIDEO
HIGHLIGHTS: Blackhawks vs. Panthers
WATCH: Kane Honored for 1,000 Points
WATCH: Quenneville Honored in Return to UC
RAW: Toews on Loss to FLA
RAW: Lehner on Loss to FLA
GALLERY
GALLERY: Blackhawks vs. Panthers
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Kirby Dach snapped a 13-game goalless drought on his 19th birthday and added an assist on Patrick Kane's third-period goal for his third multi-point night of the season. Dach now has points in two straight games.
STAT OF THE NIGHT: Duncan Keith notched an assist on Drake Caggiula's third-period goal to pull into 10th place all-time in Blackhawks scoring with his 597th career point.
UP NEXT: The Blackhawks head into the All-Star break and their league-mandated bye week following next weekend's activities in St. Louis. They'll next be in action on Feb. 1 in Arizona against the Coyotes.

GAME RECAP

After a scoreless opening 20 minutes, the Panthers struck first at 4:43 of the middle frame as Evgenii Dadonov tapped a loose puck home with a backhander at the side of Robin Lehner's net for a 1-0 lead.
Frank Vatrano scored the first of his three goals on the night 91 seconds later, beating Lehner glove-side from the top of the circle at the 6:14 mark of the second to make it a 2-0 game.
Vatrano would strike again at the 10:04 mark of the second, putting a shot five-hole off a rush for a 3-0 lead.
The birthday boy Dach got the Blackhawks on the board at the 13:33 mark, doing his best Kane impersonation on No. 88's night by going top shelf with a backhander over Sergei Bobrovsky's shoulder off the rush.

The Panthers answered back in the period's final minute as Vatrano completed the hat trick at the 19:23 mark. Jonathan Huberdeau picked up a deflected puck and found Mike Hoffman in the corner, whose centering feed deflected off Vatrano and past Lehner for a 4-1 lead after two periods.
Chicago pulled within two once again early in the third as Caggiula tipped home an Erik Gustafsson one-timer from the point on the power play at the 4:00 mark to cut the Florida lead to 4-2.

Kane made it a game late, striking with the extra attacker from the left-side dot with a one-timer at 18:45 of the third to make it a 4-3 game.