The Chicago Blackhawks win their third straight game defeating the Florida Panthers by a final score of 3-1, also earning their their fifth consecutive home victory.
The game was scheduled to be at 7:30pm CT, but puck drop got pushed back to 8:00pm CT after the Florida Panthers team bus arrived an hour and a half late to the United Center due to inclement weather.
It was a pretty even first period until Jonathan Toews notched his 27th goal of the season on a breakaway off of a quick, long one-touch pass from Patrick Kane in the neutral zone.
Keaton Ellerby was guilty of a boarding call on Andrew Shaw that gave the Blackhawks a late power play. With seconds winding down in the period, Duncan Keith blasted a shot that snuck by a screened Jose Theodore to give the Blackhawks a 2-0 lead.
A little under 7 minutes into the second period, Patrick Kane started a play by passing the puck to himself off the boards that led to a 2-on-1 breakaway and finished it by burying home his 11th goal of the season. Kane finally snapped his 7-game scoring drought and recorded his first multi-point game since December 5th vs Phoenix.
Jonathan Toews committed his second penalty of the game seconds into the third period, and Panthers defenseman Jason Garrison scored on the ensuing power play to cut the Blackhawks lead to 2 goals, but that’s all they would get.
Ray Emery got the nod between the pipes for the first time in 8 days and just the third time in a month. He didn’t look rusty one bit. He contested 19 shots tonight, stopped 18 of them, and collected another win improving his season record to 11-3-2.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The Blackhawks hit the road and head into Nashville to take on the Predators tomorrow night; puck drop at 7:00pm CT!