Chicago 4, Buffalo 3
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, April 3, 2015
Where: First Niagara Center, Buffalo, New York
Referees:
Justin St. Pierre, Tim Peel
Linesmen:
David Brisebois, Mike Cvik
Attendance:
19070
By SportsDirect Inc.
Blackhawks 4, Sabres 3: Captain Jonathan Toews scored twice in a 47-second span late in the third period as visiting Chicago rallied to extend its winning streak to four games.
After chipping a backhander under the left arm of a fallen Anders Lindback with 1:43 remaining, Toews beat the netminder to the glove side from the inner edge of the right faceoff circle for his second game-winning goal in two nights. Defenseman Duncan Keith and Patrick Sharp also scored, Brandon Saad and Andrew Shaw each notched two assists and Scott Darling made 35 saves as the Blackhawks climbed within one point of first-place Nashville and St. Louis in the Central Division with four games remaining for each team.
Marcus Foligno registered his second two-goal performance of the season and Johan Larsson also tallied for the Sabres, who were denied their first three-game winning streak since capturing four in a row from Dec. 9-15. Blue-liner Rasmus Ristolainen recorded his first career three-point effort with a trio of assists after missing a game with the flu and Lindback turned aside 32 shots.
The Blackhawks took an early lead as Keith unleashed a blast from above the left faceoff circle that beat Lindback to the glove side 2:16 into the contest. Sharp doubled the advantage 6:20 later with a wrist shot from just inside the right circle that trickled past the netminder after he got a piece of the puck.
Buffalo halved the deficit with 6:50 left in the second period, when Foligno backhanded a rebound past Darling from the doorstep. Larsson forged a tie during a power play 5 1/2 minutes into the third, tipping Ristolainen's shot from the blue line, and Foligno slid his own rebound by the goaltender from in front at 12:42 to put the Sabres ahead.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Foligno, whose first goal ended a 23-game drought, also scored twice on Oct. 14 at Carolina. ... Keith's goal was his 10th of the season, marking the third time he has reached double digits and first since scoring a career-high 14 in 2009-10. ... Toews' two-goal performance was his fifth of the campaign. His game-winner was his seventh of the season, one shy of his career high set in 2010-11. ... Chicago swept the two-game season series, outscoring Buffalo 10-5 in the process.
Top Game Performances
| Chicago |
|
Buffalo |
|
Jonathan Toews 2 |
Points |
Rasmus Ristolainen 3 |
|
Jonathan Toews 2 |
Goals |
Marcus Foligno 2 |
|
Brandon Saad 2 |
Assists |
Rasmus Ristolainen 3 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
Johan Larsson 1 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Scott Darling .921 |
Save Percentage |
Anders Lindback .889 |
|
Scott Darling 35 |
Saves |
Anders Lindback 32 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Chicago
|
36 |
4 |
0-3 |
2-3 |
13 |
38 |
| Buffalo
|
38 |
3 |
1-3 |
3-3 |
13 |
31 |
Upcoming Games
-
Buffalo will play their next game on the road against NY Islanders. The Sabres have a W/L % of .409 after a win and .232 after a loss.
-
Chicago will play their next game at home against St. Louis. The Blackhawks have a W/L % of .532 after a win and .742 after a loss.
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