Jonathan Toews scored 54 seconds into overtime to lift the Blackhawks to a 4-3 win over the Bruins to snap Chicago’s three-game winless streak Thursday at TD Garden in Boston.
Connor Murphy sprung Toews on a breakaway for the Chicago captain to score the game-winner on his backhand between Tuukka Rask’s legs. It was Toews’ franchise-record 14th career regular-season overtime goal to move into a tie for 10th place on the NHL’s all-time list.
Dylan Strome had a power-play goal and an assist in his first game back since missing three games with a concussion, and Murphy had two assists for Chicago (11-12-5). Ryan Carpenter scored a shorthanded goal and Alex DeBrincat tallied a goal for the first time in 12 games.
Erik Gustafsson and Calvin de Haan each recorded their 100th career NHL point with an assist. Robin Lehner made 37 saves for his first win in four games.
Joakim Nordstrom, Chris Wagner and Torey Krug scored third-period goals for the Bruins (20-3-6), who had their winning streak end at eight games but extended their point streak to 13 games. Rask made 26 saves in his first loss in seven outings.
Carpenter scored his first goal with the Blackhawks to make it 1-0 at 18:14 of the first period. Charlie McAvoy fanned on a pass then Carpenter knocked in a rebound off Murphy’s shot from a breakaway.
Strome tallied a power-play goal 37 seconds later to increase Chicago’s lead to 2-0. Gustafsson fired a shot from the point that Strome redirected into the net.
DeBrincat snapped a shot from the top of the left face-off circle that went off the crossbar and in just 17 seconds into the third period to make it 3-0.
Nordstrom trimmed the deficit to 3-1 at 1:49 when he collected a rebound in front off a David Backes shot and fired it past Lehner’s right arm. Gustafsson tripped over his own feet while trying to defend a 2-on-1, and Wagner capitalized by burying a wrist shot from the slot to bring Boston within 3-2 at 15:01. Krug tied it 3-3 at 17:27 to send the game to overtime.
The Blackhawks were 4-for-4 on the penalty kill against the Bruins, who have the league’s second best power play.
What’s next
Chicago plays the second half of a back-to-back Friday against the Devils at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.