National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Minnesota 5, Chicago 3
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, October 26, 2013
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Referees: Chris Rooney, Kelly Sutherland
Linesmen: Brad Lazarowich, Mark Wheler
Attendance: 21521

Wild 5, Blackhawks 3: Jason Pominville scored a pair of goals in his 600th career game as Minnesota handed Chicago its first regulation home loss.

Niklas Backstrom turned aside 33 shots for his first win of the season while Zach Parise, Kyle Brodziak and rookie Justin Fontaine scored goals as the Wild won their third straight and halted the Blackhawks' seven-game point streak (5-0-2).

Bryan Bickell scored in his fourth consecutive game and Patrick Kane and Marcus Kruger added goals for Chicago, which was facing Minnesota for the first time since its first-round playoff win. Corey Crawford made 20 saves for the Blackhawks, who have surrendered 11 goals in back-to-back defeats.

Parise netted the only tally of the opening period, stuffing home the rebound of defenseman Ryan Suter's blast with the man advantage at 12:39. Brodziak redirected a shot past Crawford 63 seconds into the middle session for a 2-0 lead before Bickell got Chicago on the board with just over six minutes left in the period.

Pominville made it 3-1 with a snap shot from the slot with 2:18 remaining in the second and put the game out of reach midway through the third. Kane's power-play tally 3 1/2 minutes later gave the Blackhawks a glimmer of hope until Fontaine answered with 4:21 to play for a 5-2 advantage.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Blackhawks had an apparent second-period goal by LW Jeremy Morin disallowed after a video review lasting nearly 10 minutes revealed that C Andrew Shaw's high stick clipped the puck and knocked it into the net. ... Backstrom, making his first start since Oct. 8, improved to 6-8-1 lifetime against Chicago. ... Blackhawks C Michal Handzus was not in the lineup due to an upper-body injury and "could be out for a little bit," according to coach Joel Quenneville.
Top Game Performances
 
Minnesota   Chicago
Jason Pominville 2 Points Nick Leddy 2
Jason Pominville 2 Goals Bryan Bickell 1
Mikael Granlund 2 Assists Nick Leddy 2
Zach Parise 1 Power Play Goals Patrick Kane 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Niklas Backstrom .917 Save Percentage Corey Crawford .800
Niklas Backstrom 33 Saves Corey Crawford 20
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Minnesota 25 5 1-5 6-7 14 28
Chicago 36 3 1-7 4-5 10 29
Upcoming Games
  • Chicago will play their next game on the road against Minnesota. The Blackhawks have a W/L % of .571 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • Minnesota will play their next game at home against Chicago. The Wild have a W/L % of .800 after a win and .286 after a loss.