Chicago 2, Arizona 1
When: 10:00 PM ET, Thursday, March 12, 2015
Where: Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Referees:
Kelly Sutherland, Justin St. Pierre
Linesmen:
Brian Murphy, Darren Gibbs
Attendance:
17534
By SportsDirect Inc.
Blackhawks 2, Coyotes 1: Brad Richards snapped a 23-game goal drought and recorded his 900th career point with 7:11 remaining as visiting Chicago extended its point streak to four games (3-0-1).
Andrew Shaw scored a power-play goal - his first tally in 19 games - for the Blackhawks, who outshot Arizona 44-18. Corey Crawford improved to 4-0-1 in his last five games while helping third-place Chicago strengthen its hold on a playoff spot by increasing its lead to five points over Minnesota in the Central Division.
Rookie Tobias Rieder scored his third goal in five games for the Coyotes, who fell to 2-13-2 in their last 17 contests and 1-2-2 on their six-game homestand. Mike Smith stopped 16 shots in the first period, 17 in the second and nine in the third, keeping offensively challenged Arizona in the game.
Kris Versteeg maneuvered into the slot and sent a wrist shot on goal, and Richards was there to knock home the rebound over Smith's blocker. The Coyotes went on the power play with 38.5 seconds left after defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson suffered an apparent upper-body injury while being boarded by Joakim Nordstrom, but Arizona could not get off a shot as the Blackhawks improved to 5-1-1 in their last seven games.
Rieder took a pass from Mark Arcobello off the boards in the neutral zone and sped into the Blackhawks end before squeezing a shot between Crawford's pads at 4:53. Chicago got even when Shaw swept a backhander past Smith from in close 3:17 later on a rebound of defenseman Duncan Keith's shot from the point.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Shaw's goal was the Blackhawks' first on the power play in 14 tries since they scored after the hit that broke Patrick Kane's collarbone resulted in a penalty to Florida's Alex Petrovic on Feb. 24. ... Chicago C Antoine Vermette, who scored 53 goals in 215 games with Phoenix/Arizona before being traded Feb. 28, registered two shots in 16:04 in his first game against his former team. He was honored with a video tribute during the game. ... Arizona has scored 22 goals in its last 17 games.
Top Game Performances
Chicago |
|
Arizona |
Brad Richards 1 |
Points |
Tobias Rieder 1 |
Brad Richards 1 |
Goals |
Tobias Rieder 1 |
Marian Hossa 1 |
Assists |
Mark Arcobello 1 |
Brad Richards 1 |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Corey Crawford .944 |
Save Percentage |
Mike Smith .955 |
Corey Crawford 17 |
Saves |
Mike Smith 42 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Chicago
|
44 |
2 |
2-7 |
2-2 |
4 |
37 |
Arizona
|
18 |
1 |
0-2 |
5-7 |
14 |
19 |
Upcoming Games
-
Arizona will play their next game at home against New Jersey. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .298 after a loss.
-
Chicago will play their next game on the road against San Jose. The Blackhawks have a W/L % of .487 after a win and .750 after a loss.