Blackhawks Beat Stars With Help Of Patrick Kane's Game-Winner
DALLAS (AP) — Patrick Kane scored the go-ahead goal and assisted on another, and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Dallas Stars, 3-2, on Saturday night.
Chicago erased a 2-1 deficit with second-period goals by Ryan Hartman at 2:59 and Kane on the power play at 7:40 against Stars goalie Antti Niemi.
With Blackhawks to the left of the net occupying Niemi, Kane skated in from the right and put in a pass from Artem Anisimov.
The Blackhawks scored 11 seconds into the game when Richard Panik scored his seventh goal by wristing in the rebound of a shot by Kane. Dallas took a 2-1 lead into the second period after goals by Brett Ritchie at 7:21 of the first and Curtis McKenzie at 9:49.
Chicago goalie Corey Crawford held the Stars scoreless after that, including a power play for the final 1:49, and finished with 31 saves.
Niemi made 29 saves.
Panik entered the game leading the NHL by scoring on 46 percent of his shots on goal.
Ritchie tied the score when he skated into the slot, took a pass from Antoine Roussel and put in a wrist shot off Crawford's left arm.
Less than 3 minutes later, Stephen Johns sent a shot from the right point. There followed a scramble with three players from each team around Crawford. Rookie Gemel Smith poked at the puck, which went in off McKenzie's right skate.
Hartman ended a 32-second flurry of four good chances for Chicago by driving a slap shot from the right faceoff circle past Niemi to tie the game at 2.
Chicago had a 3 ½-minute power play in the second after a double minor to Dallas' Devin Shore, but the Stars killed off that opportunity.
NOTES: The Blackhawks activated LW Andrew Desjardins from injured reserve on Saturday, but he was inactive. He has not played this season because of a foot injury, but is expected to play at home on Sunday. D Trevor van Riemsdyk (right arm injury) went on IR. . Kane's 46 points (20 goals, 26 assists) against Dallas are his most against any team, in only 36 games. . Kane had the game's only power-play goal. The Blackhawks were 1 for 6, and the Stars 0 for 2. . McKenzie scored his first goal of the season. Two of his six career goals have come against Chicago. Smith received his first assist in his sixth NHL game. . Dallas' Jason Spezza didn't play in the third period because of a lower-body injury.
UP NEXT
Blackhawks: They return home for Sunday's second game of a back-to-back against Dallas.
Stars: They flew Saturday night to Chicago for Sunday's game.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
