Categories: What's New

Blackhawks survive back-and-forth game, edge Capitals in overtimeBen Popeon December 16, 2021 at 4:32 am

Caleb Jones scored in overtime to give the Blackhawks a 5-4 win. | AP Photos

The Hawks blew two leads but prevailed 5-4 on Caleb Jones’ overtime goal.

For 34 seconds during the second period of a 5-4 overtime win Wednesday over the Capitals, the Blackhawks’ offensive struggles ceased to exist.

With 6:05 left in the period, Alex DeBrincat scored a five-on-three goal off a cross-crease feed from Patrick Kane. With 5:47 left, Philipp Kurashev punched in a power-play centering pass from Kirby Dach. And with 5:31 left, MacKenzie Entwistle potted a rebound off a Brandon Hagel shot.

That three-goal explosion out of nowhere jumpstarted the Hawks, who ultimately tied their season high in goals and survived two Capitals comebacks thanks to Caleb Jones’ overtime goal.

DeBrincat had scored his second of the game to give the Hawks a 4-3 lead with five minutes left, but Conor Sheary dramatically equalized for the Capitals with three seconds left. Jones then poked in a rebound after a two-on-one rush with Kirby Dach.

For Kurashev, it was his long-awaited first goal of the season on his 34th shot on goal this season. And for Entwistle, it was an impressive return to action, as he was making his first NHL appearance since suffering a left ankle injury Nov. 7.

“I was in a walking boot for two weeks, just slowly getting my range of motion back,” Entwistle said Tuesday. “It’s a slow process with high ankle sprains. But [I’m] just happy to be back.”

Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury made 42 saves after being honored pregame — with his wife and kids on the United Center ice and with backup Kevin Lankinen presenting him with a special mask — for his 500th career win last week.

“Everyone was so nice,” Fleury had said Monday. “So many people reached out and congratulated me. It’s very crazy to get all that attention when I’m one who maybe doesn’t love it. But it’s good. I got to thank a lot of people for helping me get there.”