Patrick Kane records another 4-point night as Blackhawks rout Maple Leafs
Another game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, another four-point night for Patrick Kane.
The basement-dwellers of the NHL standings couldn't contain the league's leading scorer once again as the 27-year-old scored a goal and added three helpers in a 7-2 Chicago Blackhawks win, prompting announcer Pat Foley to claim Kane could top 200 points with more games against Toronto.
In the only other meeting between the two teams this season on Jan. 15, Kane scored the first regular-season hat trick of his career and added an assist in a 4-1 win for the Blackhawks. He now has three four-point nights on the season, with his first coming against the Edmonton Oilers in November.
Kane increased his league-leading point total to 82, leaving his nearest competitors for the Art Ross Trophy in his dust. Dallas Stars forward Jamie Benn and Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson are tied for second with 63 points.
.@NHLBlackhawks forward @88PKane, the 1st overall pick in the 2007 #NHLDraft, is the 1st from his draft class to record 400 career assists.
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 16, 2016
The victory ends a three-game winless skid for the Blackhawks, and kept them level with the Stars atop the Central Division with 79 points. Scott Darling was stellar for the home side, making 35 saves in the win, while opposing netminder James Reimer struggled with just 25 stops on 32 shots.
Patrick Kane serenaded with chants of "MVP... MVP... MVP" during post-game on-ice interview... Hawks score season-high 7 goals v Leafs
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) February 16, 2016
Andrew Shaw and Duncan Keith both finished with three-point nights. Shaw, Brandon Mashinter, Brent Seabrook, Artemi Panarin, Teuvo Teravainen, and Viktor Svedberg accounted for the Chicago's other six goals.
The Blackhawks will play their next two games on the road, visiting the New York Rangers on Wednesday before taking to the ice outdoors at TCF Bank Stadium on Sunday against the Minnesota Wild. The Maple Leafs will begin a four-game homestand against the Rangers on Thursday.