Scott Powers, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Rapid Reaction: Blackhawks 5, Hurricanes 2

 

CHICAGO -- Here’s a quick look at the Chicago Blackhawks' 5-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes at the United Center on Monday:

How it happened: The new-look Blackhawks broke out of their scoring slump in a big way. The Blackhawks scored more than two goals, excluding empty-netters and shootout results, for the first time since Feb. 11. Captain Jonathan Toews accounted for the first two goals, including a short-hander. Brandon Saad and Marcus Kruger added second-period tallies to put the Blackhawks ahead 4-0. John-Michael Liles and Alexander Semin scored the Hurricanes’ two goals, in the third period. Marian Hossa accounted for the Blackhawks’ fifth goal. The Blackhawks killed off a five-on-three penalty for 1 minute, 14 seconds in the second period. The Hurricanes pulled starting goaltender Cam Ward after two periods. Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford made 27 saves.

What it means: Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman said earlier Monday that the team seemed to have a more positive vibe after he went out and acquired three players, including Kimmo Timonen and Antoine Vermette, at the trade deadline. The Blackhawks played like it. Saad scored his 20th goal of the season, a career high for the 22-year-old. The Blackhawks improved to 38-21-5, pulling within eight points of the Nashville Predators and four of the St. Louis Blues in the Central Division. The Hurricanes fell to 24-31-7.

Player of the game: Toews has been on a roll in recent weeks, scoring in four of the past five games. He reached 20 goals Monday for the eighth consecutive time in his career. He also tallied an assist in Monday's victory.

Stat of the game: Blackhawks defenseman Michal Rozsival was a plus-3 and had two assists after being a minus-4 over his previous two games.

What’s next: The Blackhawks host the Edmonton Oilers on Friday. The Blackhawks defeated them 7-1 on Nov. 22 and lost to them 5-2 on Jan. 9, with both games in Edmonton, Alberta.

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