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.
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.
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.
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.
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.