Artemi Panarin scored his 29th goal this season, but Kevan Miller scored with 9 minutes, 15 seconds left in regulation to give the Boston Bruins a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday at United Center in Chicago.
It was the first game for Chicago since it clinched the Central Division and the top seed in the Western Conference on Saturday. The Hawks finish the regular-season 26-10-5 at home.
Boston extended its winning streak to five games and vaulted over Toronto and Ottawa for second place in the Atlantic Division with 92 points. Toronto and Ottawa are tied at 91 points.
Boston opened up a two-goal lead in the first period behind goals from Ryan Spooner and Patrice Bergeron.
Panarin and Jordin Tootoo scored in the second and third, respectively, for Chicago. Brent Seabrook recorded the secondary assist on both goals.
Anton Khudobin stopped 41 of 43 shots for the win while Corey Crawford made 26 saves in the loss.
Here’s how it happened:
First Period
Before the game started, Patrick Kane took a puck to the face when Marian Hossa’s shot bounced off the crossbar and into Kane’s face. Kane left warmups early to receive medical treatment, but returned for the opening puck drop and played throughout the game.
Boston got on the board early when Zdeno Chara’s shot from the left point skipped off Spooner’s stick in front of the net for a 1-0 lead at 6:34.
Rasmussen came close to tying up the score when he picked up a rebound off the boards. Trevor van Riemsdyk blasted a shot wide of the net, and Rasmussen skated to the net and tapped the rebound right into Khudobin’s chest.
Khudobin would make two more big stops on Hossa and Panain to keep it 1-0 before Bergeron gave Boston a 2-0 lead. Marchand skated up to the right circle before sending a feed to Bergeron, who sent a one-timer past Crawford on the power play.
Second Period
Panarin cut the lead in half when he blasted a shot past Khudobin and teammate Richard Panik, who was laying in the net after taking a hit. Panarin’s initial shot attempt was blocked by Panik’s right shoulder while he was in the crease, but the Russian forward gathered the rebound and found the back of the net for his 29th goal of the season. Panik was credited with an assist on the bizarre, no-look pass.
Third Period
Panik started off the period with a quality chance. He took a rebound off a shot from Niklas Hjalmarsson and lifted a shot to the net and had another chance on a wraparound.
Miller gave the Bruins a two-goal lead at 9:15 of the third when he made a move around Hjalmarsson at the blue line then fired a shot past Crawford from the left circle.
The Hawks had a quick response just 25 seconds later when Tootoo made it 3-2. Rookie John Hayden shook Brandon Carlo near the lower right circle before sending a pass below the goal line around Riley Nash to Tootoo for his second goal of the season.
SCH 3 Stars
- Khudobin (41 saves)
- Miller (Game-winning goal)
- Seabrook (2 assists)
What’s next?
The Hawks visit last-place Colorado on Tuesday night. The two teams are tied at 2 apiece in the season series with Chicago winning the last two by scoring 6 goals in each game.