Scott Darling stopped 39 of 40 and Jonathan Toews scored his seventh goal of the season as the Blackhawks beat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 on Friday at United Center. The Blackhawks gained four points in two nights, and now have a three-point lead in the Western Conference over Minnesota.
HAWKS
**RECAP: Darling leads Hawks to win over Hurricanes (SCH)
**Toews to wear Team USA gear after losing WJC bet to Kane (SCH)
**Hartman appreciates Team USA’s gold at WJC (CSN Chicago)
**Dog days of winter can be a grind both physically, mentally (Sun Times)
CENTRAL DIVISION
**RECAP: Reimer lifts Panthers over Predators (On The Forecheck)
**Preds ink Irwin to 1-year contract extension (On The Forecheck)
**RECAP: Avs end five-game losing streak in OT (Mile High Hockey)
**Stars send Nemeth to AHL for conditioning (PHT)
**What’s wrong with the Stars power play? (Defending Big D)
NHL
**RECAP: Maple Leafs use early lead to defeat Devils (Pension Plan Puppets)
**RECAP: Miller makes 44 saves, Canucks win sixth in row (Nucks Misconduct)
**RECAP: Kase gives Ducks first win in OT (Anaheim Calling)
**Canadiens’ Gallagher out ‘minimum’ 8 weeks after hand surgery (Habs Eyes On The Prize)
**Report: Hertl won’t rejoin Sharks until mid-to-late February (PHT)
**Bruins recall McIntyre, who could get a start this weekend (PHT)
**Rangers assign Buchnevich to AHL (Blueshirt Banter)
**Flyers’ Neuvirth expected to make first start in almost two months (PHT)
**Matthews wins bottle of wine from Babcock in world juniors bet (theScore)
HOCKEY WORLD
**Pionk helps No. 1 Minnesota-Duluth avert disaster, tie Colorado College (Duluth News Tribune)
**No. 11 Ohio State shuts out No. 2 Penn State (Black Shoes Diaries)
**No. 4 Harvard overpowers No. 15 Quinnipiac (USCHO)
**No. 7 North Dakota hands No. 18 Omaha worst loss in program history (Omaha World Herald)
**No. 3 Denver cruises past Arizona State (Denver Post)
**No. 12 Notre Dame wins fifth straight (ND Insider)
**Hockey East Frozen Fenway doubleheader postponed (SBNCH)
**OHL Friday roundup (OHL)
**Q&A with Hilary Knight (The Ice Garden)