CHICAGO – Daniel Carcillo scored with just under a minute left in regulation and the Chicago Blackhawks extended their historic point streak to 24 games with a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche at United Center.
Carcillo picked up the game-winner after he tapped in a rebound in front of Colorado goaltender Semyon Varlamov with 50 seconds remaining.
Andrew Shaw and Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews scored Chicago's other two goals, while John Mitchell and Matt Duchene scored for Colorado.
Marian Hossa was a surprise scratch because of an upper-body injury that was announced soon after the opening puck drop.
The Blackhawks' bench also saw less bodies on it as the game went on as Shaw didn't come out for the third period and Patrick Sharp left the ice 7:49 into the third and went straight to the locker room after being driven hard into the boards by Ryan O'Byrne.
The lineup changes didn't hinder Chicago too much in the early going, but Ray Emery did have to make three big saves in the game's first six minutes to keep it scoreless. That stretch, however, led to Shaw's power-play goal at 9:51 of the first to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead.
Shaw tipped a point blast by defenseman Brent Seabrook past Varlamov, who finished with 28 saves in the game.
The power play came after Seabrook drove Patrick Bordeleau into the Avs bench with a hard check, and Cody McLeod picked up a roughing minor for crosschecking Seabrook to the ice from behind.
Chicago couldn't transfer the momentum from Shaw's tally into another goal before Mitchell's seventh tally of the season tied it 1-1 with just 1:40 left in the first. Ryan O'Reilly brought the puck into the Hawks zone and fed it to Kobasew, who then found Mitchell in the slot.
Mitchell, who had beated Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson to the net, pulled off a smooth forehand-backhand deke to lift the puck over Emery's left pad and into the net for the goal.
Duchene then put Colorado up 2-1 with 6:43 left in the second by taking a pass from PA Parenteau and flipping a shot from close range off Emery's body and into the net.
Toews tied the game at 2-2 for Chicago at 2:19 of the third period with a shorthanded goal.
The Avalanche and the Blackhawks will play each other again on Friday night in Denver, completing the home-and-home series.
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