Coyotes Beat Blackhawks 3-2 In Shootout
CHICAGO (AP) — Mikkel Boedker and David Schlemko scored shootout goals to lift Phoenix to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night, snapping the Coyotes' three-game losing streak and preserving their fading playoff hopes.
Schlemko beat Corey Crawford with a high shot for the deciding score in the third round of the tiebreaker to end Chicago's seven-game winning streak.
Patrick Kane had the lone shootout goal for Chicago against Mike Smith.
Rostislav Klesla and Radim Vrbata scored in the first period for Phoenix.
Chicago defenseman Brent Seabrook scored two power-play goals in regulation for his first two-goal game this season and second of his career.
Despite the loss, league-leading Chicago has points in 11 straight games (9-0-2).
Smith made 36 saves through overtime as he returned after missing two games with a lower-body injury. Smith frustrated the Blackhawks last season in the opening round of the playoffs, when Phoenix defeated Chicago in six games.
Crawford had 29 saves through overtime.
The Blackhawks were 2 for 4 on the power play against Phoenix. Chicago ended a string of 20 unsuccessful power-play chances over nine games on Friday night in a 5-4 overtime win over Nashville by scoring twice with the advantage.
The Blackhawks dominated early as Smith made with several close-in saves, including point-blank stops on Jonathan Toews and Brandon Saad to keep it scoreless.
Seabrook finally put Chicago ahead 1-0 with a power-play goal on a high screened shot with 8:40 left in the first. He fired from the top of the left circle with Chicago's Andrew Shaw and Phoenix's Zbynek Michalek tussling in front of the crease.
The Blackhawks' momentum ended abruptly 46 seconds later, when Klesla tied it a 1-all on a bouncing dump-in from center ice. Klesla lobbed a the puck toward the Chicago net from the left wing boards near the red line. Crawford dropped to his knees, and the puck bounded over him on a short hop.
Vrbata then gave the energized Coyotes a 2-1 lead with 5:20 left in the period, beating Crawford from the left circle on with traffic in in front of the net.
Seabrook had the only goal in the second, tying it at 2 at 3:39 into the period with his second power-play score. Kane skated into the corner with his back to the play, but took a quick look over his shoulder and slipped a backhand pass to Seabrook, who had pinched into the left circle. Seabrook was wide open, ripped a shot past Smith and then celebrated his hot goal-scoring hand by blowing on his glove.
Both goalies made sharp saves early in the scoreless third, and Chicago's Marcus Kruger fired wide on a prime chance about 5 minutes into the period.
Early in overtime, Smith made a lunging glove save on Seabrook, then a quick stop on Toews.
NOTES: Chicago G Ray Emery sat out his second game with a lower-body injury, so Carter Hutton backed up Crawford. ... Blackhawks LW Patrick Sharp (upper body) and D Michal Rozsival (upper body) also were scratches. Before the game, however, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said he expected the team would travel to Vancouver for Monday's game with the Canucks with a full roster. ... Phoenix D Derek Morris sat out with a lower-body injury and is day-to-day. ... The United Center crowd of the 22,272 was the Blackhawks' largest this season.
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