Recap
The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Minnesota Wild 5-3 on Tuesday evening. Next up is the Colorado Avalanche tomorrow night at the United Center in the first game of a home and home with the Avalanche.
The Minnesota Wild would get on the board first. Devin Setoguchi would score his fifth goal of the season at the 8:22 mark of the first period. But the Hawks would answer back in a furious fashion with four goals in five minutes and forty-three seconds. Brandon Saad would tie the game at the 13:02 mark when he put in a rebound off of a Niklas Hjalmarsson shot. Just 44 seconds later, the Hawks would take the lead when Bryan Bickell scored on a rebound. Then Saad would deliver a sneaky pass to Bickell who beat Niklas Backstrom with a wicked wrist shot over the glove. The Hawks would conclude the barrage of scoring at the 18:45 mark when Marian Hossa scored to highlight the celebration of his 1,000th game in the NHL. Hossa achieved the mark on Sunday in Detroit.
The Hawks would go into the locker room with a 4-1 lead and 17-6 edge in shots. Going into the second period the Wild would pull Backstrom in favor of Darcy Kuemper. There would be no scoring in the second period. The Minnesota Wild would score on the power play in the third period. Ryan Suter scored his 1st goal as a member of Minnesota at the 3:10 mark. The goal snapped a streak of 10 consecutive penalty kills by the Hawks. The Wild would draw closer when Kyle Brodziak scored after a scrum in front of the net. But the Hawks would answer back when the Hawks forced a turnover after an aggressive forecheck by Patrick Kane. Kane would score his 12th goal of the season when he put in a rebound off of a shot by Patrick Sharp. The Hawks would hold the Wild from there to extend the streak.
What it means
The Hawks have extended their unbeaten streak to 29 games and now are in sole possession of the second best streak in NHL history. The Hawks are now 20-0-3 on the season and will reach the halfway point of the season tomorrow night. With 43 points, the Hawks are in first place in the Western Conference and the NHL. Another record fell for the Hawks as they have won 10 games in a row which is the best ever in franchise history.
3 stars of the game
3. Marian Hossa- Hossa had another great game and it was a fitting way to celebrate the night in his honor. He had one goal on the night and was a plus 2. The goal was the tenth of the season for Hossa.
2. Brandon Saad- The kid just keeps on improving. With every game, Saad is gaining more confidence and becoming more and more dangerous. He had one goal and two assists on the night. In addition, Saad was a plus three on the night.
1. Bryan Bickell- Bickell had a fantastic game and had the goal that put the Hawks ahead for good. His two goals on the night give Bickell 5 for the season. He was physical all night and was credited with three hits.
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