Toews Has 2 Goals, 2 Assists In Blackhawks' Win Over Isles
CHICAGO (AP) — Jonathan Toews scored twice and assisted on both of Marian Hossa's goals to lead the Chicago Blackhawks past the slumping New York Islanders 4-1 on Tuesday night.
Toews recorded his first four-point game this season as the Blackhawks won their third straight and improved to 7-1-1 since Feb. 24 when leading scorer Patrick Kane broke his collarbone against Florida.
New York's Nikolay Kulemin scored at 5:29 of third period to end Corey Crawford's shutout bid, but the Islanders lost their season-worst fourth straight.
Although Crawford made 38 saves, he wasn't tested heavily by the goal-starved Islanders. New York has scored only one goal in each of its four consecutive losses.
The Islanders are five points behind the Atlantic Division-leading New York Rangers, who have played four fewer games.
Hossa, with 21 goals, reached the 20-goal mark for the 14th time in 16 full NHL seasons. The 36-year-old forward missed it only during his rookie season and in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign.
New York's Michal Neuvirth made 26 saves in his second straight start and fourth game with the Islanders since being acquired from Buffalo on March 2.
Jaroslav Halak, who established an Islanders record and a career-best for wins this season, sat out due to a lower-body injury. He didn't make the trip to Chicago and is listed as day-to-day.
Halak is 34-15-1 with a 2.46 goals-against average in 50 games this season.
Toews scored twice in the first period, both on backhanders that beat Neuvirth on the short side, to give the Blackhawks a 2-0 lead.
Toews opened the scoring 7:01 in when his centering attempt from the right corner — with his back turned — struck the stick of Islanders defenseman Calvin de Haan and deflected in just inside the right post.
Toews made it 2-0 with 3:56 left in the period when he shoveled the puck from the low edge of the right circle. It struck Neuvirth high on the left arm and carried into the net.
The Islanders failed to score during a 5-minute major power play that resulted when Andrew Shaw head-butted Brock Nelson at 5:30 of the second. New York managed only one shot during the long advantage after Shaw was ejected from the game.
Moments after Nelson missed a chance with Crawford down and out of position, Hossa was set up by Toews and scored with 6:05 left in the second to make it 3-0.
Toews battled New York's Thomas Hickey for the puck in the left circle and sent a pass across the slot to Hossa, who fired a one-timer past Neuvirth's glove.
Crawford denied Anders Lee on a close-in attempt with just over 2 minutes left in the second.
Hossa stretched Chicago's lead to 4-0 at 57 seconds of the third when Patrick Sharp's centering pass bounded off his left skate and into the net. The goal withstood a video review.
Kulemin cut it to 4-1 at 5:29 when he fired in a shot from the left circle after Tyler Kennedy's drive from the right side bounded to him off the skate of Chicago's Duncan Keith.
NOTES: Toews has one five-point game in his career, recorded in November 2011 at Anaheim. ... The Islanders recalled G Kevin Poulin from Bridgeport of the AHL to back up Neuvirth. ... Chicago F Joakim Nordstrom served the second game of a two-game suspension for a hit on Arizona's Oliver Ekman-Larsson on Thursday.
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