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Blackhawks need SO to post win 11th straight over Columbus

Mar 15, 2013 - 3:32 AM Columbus, OH (Sports Network) - While the Columbus Blue Jackets were able to extend one streak, they still couldn't prevent another from continuing.

Patrick Kane came through with the deciding goal in the shootout as the Chicago Blackhawks registered their 11th consecutive victory over the Blue Jackets with a 2-1 decision at Nationwide Arena.

Kane also assisted on Johnny Oduya's regulation score, while Jonathan Toews also tallied during the shootout portion to help Chicago end a string of two straight losses following a 24-game run of earning at least one point to begin the season.

"It's a way better feeling in here when we win," said Kane. It was a good fight for us, a tight-checking game. For us to come out and get two points, it's a good confidence boost. It's good to feel a win again."

Corey Crawford came up with 29 saves before turning aside 2-of-3 Columbus skaters in the shootout.

While Columbus fell despite a 39-save effort from Sergei Bobrovsky, it still managed to notch a point for a franchise-record ninth straight contest (5-0-4). Jack Johnson accounted for the Blue Jackets' lone marker.

"I think it's more disappointing than anything else," Columbus head coach Todd Richards said of the narrow loss. "Our goaltender played so well tonight."

The Blackhawks were able to force the shootout by successfully killing off a penalty late in the third period, then getting seven saves out of Crawford in the overtime session.

But Toews put one through the 5-hole of Bobrovsky to complete the first round, and Kane converted a backhand try after Crawford's pad save on Ryan Johansen. With the game resting in the balance, Columbus' Derick Brassard then skated in on Crawford, but lost control of the puck entering the crease.

Oduya broke the scoreless stalemate with 3:15 remaining in the second period. The Chicago defenseman jumped into the zone to take a feed from Kane before beating Bobrovsky glove-side with a wrister near the left circle.

The momentum was short-lived, however. The Blackhawks' Sheldon Brookbank was called for a holding penalty 19 seconds after Oduya's goal, and it took just over a half-minute for Columbus to cash in on the resulting power play.

Following a faceoff win by Brandon Dubinsky, Brassard worked the puck back to Johnson for a one-timer that found its way past Crawford 2:23 prior to the second intermission.

Chicago controlled the action nearly the entire third period, outshooting the Jackets by a 13-3 margin in what ended up as a scoreless frame due to the work of Bobrovsky. The Columbus netminder made a pair of strong stops on Toews during the stanza, one from in close early on and another a denial of a wraparound attempt by the Chicago captain with 2:44 left in regulation.

"I thought we played hard, but I thought we started to run out of gas in the third," Richards remarked. "Throughout the game I thought they were a little more fresh than we were."

Game Notes

The Blue Jackets haven't topped Chicago since a 4-3 win in the Windy City on Feb. 8, 2011, having gone 0-9-2 in 11 meetings since ... Kane registered his 400th career point when assisting on Oduya's goal, which gave the blueliner 100 NHL points ... Johnson's goal was the first by either team on the power play in the four matchups this season. Columbus entered the game 0-for-11 with the man advantage in the previous three games, with Chicago going 0-for-8 ... Anisimov returned to action after a three-game absence caused by a lower-body injury, but defenseman Nikita Nikitin was held out for the Blue Jackets due to a recurring upper-body ailment ... Columbus also sent center Nick Drazenovic to AHL Springfield prior to the game ... Chicago forward Jimmy Hayes made his season debut after being recalled from AHL Rockford on Tuesday.