The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Washington Capitals 3-2 in a shootout at Capital One Arena on Saturday night, winning consecutive games for the first time since mid-November.
Nick Foligno scored the decisive goal in the sixth round of the shootout for Chicago (16-18-7). Spencer Knight made 32 saves for the Blackhawks. For Washington (21-15-6), the loss dropped the Capitals to 0-5 in shootouts this season. Logan Thompson stopped 31 shots in the defeat.
First Period
Ryan Donato gave Chicago an early 1-0 lead just 73 seconds into the game when he tipped in a shot by Ilya Mikheyev from the center point.
Washington responded at 4:46 of the first period when Dylan Strome tied the game 1-1. Knight made a pad save on Ethen Frank's shot from the slot, but Strome scored into the open net on the rebound with a snap shot from the left circle. Frank and Trevor van Riemsdyk assisted on the goal.
Second Period
Teuvo Teravainen put the Blackhawks ahead 2-1 with a power-play goal at 4:24 of the second period. Teravainen roofed a shot from the left post on a cross-crease pass from Tyler Bertuzzi at the goal line. Andre Burakovsky also assisted on the play, marking his third straight game with a goal.
Third Period
Ryan Leonard tied the game 2-2 at 11:18 of the third period. Knight initially blocked Matt Roy's shot from the point, but Leonard retrieved the rebound and backhanded it up and over Knight's stick side. Anthony Beauvillier also assisted on the goal.
Overtime and Shootout
Neither team scored in the five-minute overtime period, sending the game to a shootout.
Nick Lardis scored for Chicago in the second round. The shootout extended to six rounds, where Sonny Milano gave Washington a brief lead. Former Capitals forward Andre Burakovsky tied it for the Blackhawks. Jakob Chychrun then failed to score for Washington, and Foligno ended the game with his shootout goal.
"I was like a little kid, actually, when he (coach Jeff Blashill) called my name," Foligno said. "I remember, like, popping up and looking at him all excited. I didn't even give him a chance to second-guess it. I went right on the ice. It felt good to score that for the guys."
The goal was particularly meaningful for Foligno, who entered the shootout 0-for-13 in his career.
Injuries
The Capitals lost forward Tom Wilson to an apparent leg injury late in the first period after a collision with Chicago defenseman Connor Murphy. Wilson, who was selected earlier in the week for Canada's Olympic team, did not return to the game. Washington was also without forward Aliaksei Protas due to a lower-body injury.
Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said Wilson will be evaluated Sunday but indicated he doesn't believe the injury "is too bad." Protas' status remains to be determined.
Notable Performances
Spencer Knight's 32 saves helped secure Chicago's second consecutive victory. Teuvo Teravainen has now scored in three straight games for the Blackhawks.
Ilya Mikheyev has 10 points (five goals, five assists) over his last 11 games against Washington.
Andre Burakovsky recorded an assist against his former team and scored the tying goal in the shootout.
Season Context
The victory marked a positive turn for Chicago, which had struggled to string together consecutive wins. The Blackhawks improved their record to 16-18-7 on the season.
For Washington, the defeat continued a recent slide. The Capitals have posted a 3-6-2 record since earning points in 13 of 14 games from November 15 through December 11.
This was the first meeting between the teams since April 4, when Alex Ovechkin scored twice against Chicago to tie Wayne Gretzky's career record of 894 goals.
Next Up
The Blackhawks return home to host the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday.
The Capitals will host the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night.