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Blackhawks outscore Blues

Dec 1, 2010 - 7:19 AM Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews both scored twice and the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the St. Louis Blues, 7-5, at United Center.

Tomas Kopecky had a goal and three assists while Patrick Sharp and Troy Brouwer also scored for the Blackhawks, who have won three straight and have captured six of their last eight games overall.

Corey Crawford finished with 21 saves in the victory for Chicago, which apparently suffered no loss of firepower despite learning that forward Marian Hossa will miss 2-to-3 weeks with a lower-body injury.

David Backes tallied a goal and three assists while Patrik Berglund and Brad Boyes were among the goal scorers for the Blues, who have dropped three straight on the heels of a three-game win streak.

Ty Conklin allowed all seven goals on 24 shots in the losing effort.

"We obviously needed to play a little bit longer before we gave up that sixth goal," Blues head coach Davis Payne said.

Trailing 5-1 late in the second period, the Blues began to chip away at their deficit. With 2:30 to go in the middle session, Eric Brewer's wrister from the slot through traffic made its way past Crawford.

Alex Pietrangelo's second goal of the season -- a slap shot from the right point -- at 3:17 of the third brought the visitors within 5-3, and less than three minutes later, Boyes cut the Chicago lead to one with a rebound wrister from the low slot.

However, Kane followed with his second goal of the night. Viktor Stalberg's shot from the left circle hit the near post and caromed to the right side of the crease, where Kane was all alone for the tap in at 13:42.

Both teams scored one more time -- a Toews power-play redirection in front at 15:33 and a Backes deflection from the slot off a Pietrangelo blast at 17:21 -- before the netminder was pulled for the extra attacker, but the Blackhawks held on.

The Blues have now dropped three straight in Chicago.

"It's easy to feel you're losing the game all of a sudden. The momentum swung so much in their favor," Toews said. "Everybody on the bench stayed positive. I think we really showed our team identity tonight."

After Kopecky's third goal of the season opened the scoring 4:38 into the game, Berglund's one-timer near the right post after a pass across the crease from the bottom of the left circle by Vladimir Sobotka knotted the contest at 1-1 with 3:01 to go in the first period.

The hosts took a 2-1 edge into the first intermission after Sharp tallied with 57 seconds to go. On a 2-on-1 rush, Sharp carried down the right-wing side, faked a pass, held the disc until the top of the crease and used a deke move to light the lamp from in close.

A fluke goal gave Chicago a two-goal lead on the power play 2:46 into the second stanza. During a routine dump-in, the puck found a kink along the glass and caromed directly into the low slot, where Brouwer was in the right place at the right time and deposited his fifth goal into the open net. Conklin had skated behind the net expecting to stop the puck for his defenseman.

Another Chicago power-play tally, this one at the 9:16 mark, made it 4-1 after Toews successfully put home a stuffer at the right post while Matt D'Agostini was in the box for a cross-checking minor.

Kane's 10th goal less than two minutes later gave the Blackhawks a 5-1 lead.

Game Notes

St. Louis has lost six of its last seven road games and fell to 4-7-2 this season away from home...Sharp has 16 goals this season...The Blackhawks were 3-for-5 on the power play, while the visitors failed on all three of their chances with the extra skater...Chicago finished November 7-6-1...It was the highest scoring game between the clubs since a 6-6 tie in Chicago on December 26, 1990.