Blackhawks Use Shootout To Top Stars In Season Opener
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) -- Patrick Kane scored the only goal in a shootout and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Dallas Stars 3-2 in the season opener at the American Airlines Center on Thursday night.
Stars forwards Jason Spezza, Tyler Seguin, and Ales Hemsky couldn't beat Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford in the shootout.
Dallas dominated the first 40 minutes of the game, outshooting Chicago 24-11. But it's Chicago that drew first blood.
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On the team's third shot, defenseman Duncan Keith beat Kari Lehtonen with a soft shot from the right wall to give Chicago a 1-0 lead with :44 seconds remaining in the opening period.
"It was a tough first goal, but I really think he looked like himself after that first goal," said head coach Lindy Ruff after the game. "He made some in tight saves and a couple where he looked really quick. I got to give him credit for shaking that one off because that's a tough one to let in. The way we're playing. He came back real strong for us. "
The Stars highly-skilled power play received a lot of acclaim this preseason, and it's already paying off.
In the second period, defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson received a double minor for a high stick near the face of Patrick Eaves. It didn't take long for Dallas to capitalize.
Ten seconds later and on his 31st birthday, an unmarked Trevor Daley found space and fired a shot from the right circle to even the score 1-1.
"We talked about it the whole start of the year. Stick with it; it's gonna come," said Daley. "There's gonna be ups and downs. We're not gonna go out there and score every time on the power play. We have to stick with it, find ways, and put the puck in the net."
Dallas continued to pressure, outshooting the Hawks 16-8 in the second period.
At the 10:13 mark, Ryan Garbutt drove the zone and lost the puck trying to move it to his forehand. Cody Eakin gathered the puck and wristed it over the glove of Corey Crawford for a 2-1 lead.
But it was all Chicago from there on out.
Dallas was whistled for four penalties in the final period, giving Chicago the bulk of possession.
"The power plays gave them a little momentum in the third period, got us on our heels," said Ruff.
And it was a power play that ultimately sent the game to overtime. After a Jordie Benn holding call, Patrick Sharp converted a slap shot with 8:50 remaining to tie the game 2-2.
After a scoreless four-on-four overtime, the game was decided by Kane's shootout goal.
Though unhappy with the result, Ruff was encouraged to see his team dominate for large stretches against a team that reached the Western Conference Finals last season.
"You can't criticize one guy's effort in that game, because the effort was tremendous. I thought we basically dominated the game for the first 40 minutes...At the end of the night, we probably doubled them up on opportunities. We've just got to be a little bit better at finishing."
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