NHL Game Summary - Chicago at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane both scored during the shootout to lift the Chicago Blackhawks to a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday.
After David Perron's backhander rang off the post, Toews froze Marc-Andre Fleury and shot the puck under his pads for the first goal in the skills competition. Corey Crawford made pad stop in tight on Sidney Crosby and Kane stickhandled his way up the middle and ended the game with a shot stick side.
Marian Hossa tallied a goal and an assist, David Runblad also scored and Crawford made 33 saves for the Blackhawks, who halted a two-game skid heading into the All-Star break.
"I think we played smart tonight," said Toews. "It's a good road win."
Zach Sill scored his first NHL goal, Steve Downie lit the lamp and Fleury stopped 24 shots for the Penguins, who have lost four straight.
"We haven't played our best lately," Penguins head coach Mike Johnston said. "I don't like the shootout and don't know many people who do, but it's a tough way to finish a game."
Pittsburgh was playing without two of its top players as defenseman Kris Letang and forward Evgeni Malkin missed the game with undisclosed injuries sustained in Monday's loss to the Flyers.
Letang left the game after taking a hard hit from Philadelphia forward Zac Rinaldo into the boards during the first period and Malkin did not play late in the loss.
Trailing 2-0, Sill got Pittsburgh within one after taking Andrew Ebbot's backhanded pass from down low and sending a quick wrister over the glove of Crawford 5:21 into the second.
The Penguins crashed the net after Crawford gave up a rebound in front and Downie was there to jam it past the goal line for a tied game with 7:38 left in the middle stanza.
Crosby had a chance to put the Penguins ahead with 46 seconds left in the second, but his shot first went off Crawford and then the post.
Each team threatened in the third, but neither team was able to score, sending the game into overtime.
In the extra session, Marian Hossa deked around a diving defender and past Fleury's poke check, but lost control of the puck in tight. Kane exploded down the right wing and whipped a backhander on net, but Fleury stopped it in the waning seconds.
The Blackhawks struck first as Hossa skated across the blue line with the puck and dished it over to Rundblad, who ripped a shot past Fleury just 6:54 into the game.
After Perron went off for holding, Hossa's wrister from the right circle beat Fleury's blocker for a power-play goal and a 2-0 lead at 2:41 of the second period.