RECAP: Blackhawks Top Capitals in Shootout, 4-3

The Blackhawks opened their three-game road trip with a 4-3 shootout win over the Washington Capitals on Thursday night, a back-and-forth affair in the nation's capital that saw three different go-ahead goals followed within minutes by an equalizer.
Alex DeBrincat, Dominik Kubalik and Seth Jones scored in regulation while Marc-Andre made 25 saves in the win. Patrick Kane scored the lone goal in the shootout to capture the second point. In his first NHL game, Josiah Slavin found his first point with the primary assist on the game-tying goal in the third by Seth Jones.

POSTGAME LINKS
GAMECENTER: CHI at WSH
ANALYSIS: Blackhawks Add Offense to Shutdown Defensive Game
HIGHLIGHTS: Blackhawks at Capitals
GALLERY: Blackhawks at Capitals
INSIDER: McCabe on Improvements, Blocks and Murphy
BLACKHAWK OF THE GAME: DeBrincat padded his team goal scoring lead with his 13th tally of the season and added a primary assist for his fourth multi-point game of the season.
STAT OF THE NIGHT: The Blackhawks earned their first win in the nation's capital since Jan. 10, 2006, also a 4-3 win, but in overtime.
UP NEXT: The Blackhawks open a weekend back-to-back in New York on Saturday night against the Rangers before facing the Islanders on Sunday night.

GAME RECAP

CHI: 1, WSH: 0

1st - 19:00 - Alex DeBrincat (Patrick Kane, Seth Jones)

Late in the opening frame, Alex DeBrincat added to his team-leading goal total in transition with Patrick Kane. After the Blackhawks regained possession in their own zone, Seth Jones put a backhand pass into the path of DeBrincat in the neutral zone. DeBrincat played give-and-go with Kane in a 2-on-1 before getting the return feed in all alone, sliding a backhander past Vitek Vanecek for a 1-0 score.

CHI: 1, WSH: 1

2nd - 1:10 - Nic Dowd (Carl Hagelin, Garnet Hathaway)

The Capitals answered early in the second on a 3-on-2. Nic Dowd brought the puck into the zone, left it for Garnet Hathaway cutting in from the right, who found Carl Hagelin on the left flank. Hagelin sent it to Dowd in the slot, who tapped it home past Marc-Andre Fleury to complete the well-orchestrated rush, 1-1.

CHI: 2, WSH: 1

2nd - 12:57 - Dominik Kubalik (Alex DeBrincat, Kirby Dach) -- PP

Chicago scored their first power play goal since Nov. 12 in the second in transition again off a failed Capitals dump in from neutral ice. Seth Jones broke up the play and sprung it back the other way to Kirby Dach, who found Alex DeBrincat on the opposite side of the ice. DeBrincat entered the zone, pulled up and then hit Dominik Kubalik with a saucer pass to spring a breakaway in tight. Kubalik tucked a quick shot under the bar to break a 15-game goal drought and a give the visitors a 2-1 lead.

CHI: 2, WSH: 2

2nd - Evgeny Kuznetsov (Alex Ovechkin)

After getting help from his posts on a pair of occasions earlier in the second, third time was the charm for the Capitals as Evgeny Kuznetsov tapped home a rebound off the iron in the crease to make it a 2-2 game. Alex Ovechkin, from the slot, and put a chance past Marc-Andre Fleury and off the post, where Kuznetsov found the loose puck before the netminder could to tie the contest.

CHI: 2, WSH: 3

3rd - 0:57 - Garnet Hathaway (Nic Dowd)

The Capitals struck early for the second straight frame as Garnet Hathaway was sprung on a breakaway right out of the penalty box. Nic Dowd intercepted a pass and quickly found Hathaway all alone from the center line in. The winger put a shot glove side on Marc-Andre Fleury that the netminder got a piece of, but not enough as it trickled across the line for a 3-2 lead.

CHI: 3, WSH: 3

3rd - 11:56 - Seth Jones (Josiah Slavin, Jake McCabe)

Chicago tied the back-and-forth affair just past the midpoint of the third as Josiah Slavin found his first NHL point in his debut, feeding Seth Jones at the point for a blast from distance. Slavin brought the puck into the offensive zone while the Blackhawks were making a change and weaved through traffic deep into the end before turning back up the boards and finding the late-charging Jones. The defenseman took one stride and put a hard wrister on net that tied the game, 3-3.

CHI: 4, WSH: 3

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SHOOTOUT

Following a thrilling end-to-end overtime frame, the two teams went to the skills competition to decide the contest.
WSH: Evgeny Kuznetsov - MISS
CHI: Jonathan Toews - SAVE
WSH: Daniel Sprong - MISS
CHI: Patrick Kane - GOAL
WSH: Alex Ovechkin - SAVE