CHICAGO — Jonathan Toews had three goals and two assists, Patrick Kane added two goals and two assists, and the Chicago Blackhawks handed the Washington Capitals their season-high fifth consecutive loss with an 8-5 victory on Sunday.
Brandon Saad and Alex DeBrincat also scored and Dylan Strome added an empty-netter as last-place Chicago stopped its own five-game slide. Collin Delia made 34 saves, including impressive stops on John Carlson and Tom Wilson in the second.
Washington’s defencemen accounted for each of its five goals while star forwards Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov were kept off the scoresheet. Carlson scored twice, Dmitry Orlov and Matt Niskanen each had a goal and an assist, and Brooks Orpik got his second of the season.
Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby allowed four goals on 11 shots before he was replaced by Pheonix Copley 2:30 into the second.
It was Washington’s first game in Chicago since Devante Smith-Pelly heard chants of “basketball, basketball, basketball” while the black forward was sitting in the penalty box in the third period of a 7-1 loss last February. The fans were promptly ejected, and then banned from Chicago’s home games.
Smith-Pelly was sent off for unsportsmanlike conduct in the second period of Sunday’s loss, but there was no sign of any incident.
Carlson trimmed Chicago’s lead to 4-3 when he blew a one-timer past Delia 3:09 into the third. Kane responded with a power-play goal, and Toews sent a wrist shot past Copley to make it 6-3 at 7:20.
It was Kane’s 14th goal in his last 14 games. He has seven goals and 12 assists during an eight-game point streak.
After Washington pulled within one again on goals by Carlson and Niskanen, Toews danced around Orlov and beat Copley with 5:03 remaining. Toews’ 21st goal made it 7-5 and completed his sixth career hat trick.
It was part of an up-and-down day for Orlov, who got his third goal of the season when his shot from the left boards went under Delia 15:24 into the second. But he also batted a puck out of the air and over Holtby to hand Toews his first goal 14:53 into the first.
NOTES: Blackhawks D Henri Jokiharju was a healthy scratch. The 19-year-old Jokiharju has no goals and 12 assists in 36 games in his first NHL season. “We’ve got some young players. Eighty-two game season, it’s hard to keep that level night-in and night-out,” coach Jeremy Colliton said. “So we may end up with a rotation where they’re able to, it’s not necessarily performance specifically why they’re coming out.” … First-year Capitals coach Todd Reirden is from nearby Deerfield, about 30 miles north of Chicago. “I didn’t have to get a lot of tickets. I do have a lot of passes,” a smiling Reirden said. The varsity and junior-varsity hockey teams from Deerfield High School were part of the group from Reirden’s hometown expected at the game. … Blackhawks F Brendan Perlini (concussion protocol) was scratched. John Hayden replaced him in the lineup.
UP NEXT
Capitals: Host the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night.
Blackhawks: Host the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.
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Jay Cohen can be reached at https://twitter.com/jcohenap
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Jay Cohen, The Associated Press