Blackhawks clip Canucks
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Vancouver, BC (SportsNetwork.com) - Patrick Sharp, Jonathan Toews and Brandon Saad each registered a goal and an assist during Chicago's four-goal flurry midway through the second period that boosted the Blackhawks to a 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday at Rogers Arena.
Chicago trailed 2-0 early in the second, but Marian Hossa, Saad, Toews and Sharp each scored in a 7:41 span to help the Blackhawks snap a four-game slide.
Saad added an empty-netter late in the third and Corey Crawford posted 28 saves in the triumph.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Chris Higgins and Tom Sestito each scored once, while Roberto Luongo allowed four goals on 39 shots for Vancouver, which has lost three of its last four games.
Sestito's one-timer from the slot staked Vancouver to a 2-0 lead at the 2:44 mark of the second period, but the Blackhawks responded with five unanswered goals to run away with the contest.
Hossa started the outburst with Chicago on the power play at 6:30, ripping a wrister past Luongo from the low right side following some nice tic-tac-toe passing from the visitors.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Saad tied the game just over three minutes later when he deflected a Sheldon Brookbank point blast past Luongo to make it 2-2 at 9:39.
"It was disappointing losing the lead so quickly," Luongo said.
Chicago jumped in front just over a minute later, as Toews pounded a loose puck over Luongo's pad from in front for a 3-2 lead at 10:47.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sharp capped Chicago's four-goal frame with 5:49 on the clock when he rifled a wrister from atop the left circle that beat Luongo glove-side to make it 4-2.
"We're never out of the game," Crawford said. "We always have confidence in our guys to score goals."
Crawford registered 10 saves over the final 20 minutes, while Saad's empty- netter at 19:22 accounted for the final margin.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Higgins got the Canucks on the board just 16 seconds into the game, sneaking a backhander through Crawford's five-hole from the slot to give Vancouver an early edge.
Game Notes
The Canucks have been held to a pair of goals or fewer in nine of their last 10 games ... Vancouver played a fourth consecutive game without center Henrik Sedin, who is out with a rib injury ... Chicago went 2-for-3 on the power play, while Vancouver went 0-for-3 ... Sharp scored his 27th of the season.