The Chicago Blackhawks snapped a six-game losing streak with a 4-3 shootout victory over the Dallas Stars on Saturday night at American Airlines Center. Rookie Nick Lardis scored the decisive goal in the fourth round of the shootout.
First Period
Tyler Bertuzzi opened the scoring for Chicago at 3:20 of the first period with a snap shot, assisted by Alex Vlasic and Landon Slaggert.
Dallas responded at 11:31 when Nils Lundkvist scored on a slap shot, assisted by Mikko Rantanen and Wyatt Johnston. It was Lundkvist's first goal since the season opener after missing 25 games with a lower-body injury.
Second Period
Former Stars forward Jason Dickinson gave Chicago a 2-1 lead at 10:37 of the second period with a snap shot, assisted by Artyom Levshunov.
Dallas tied the game 2-2 at 11:32 when Justin Hryckowian scored with assists from Johnston and Rantanen. Hryckowian extended his point streak to five games.
Third Period
Rantanen put Dallas ahead 3-2 at 11:18 of the third period, finishing a play set up by Johnston and Sam Steel. Rantanen extended his point streak to six games and now has 39 assists this season, second in the NHL.
Bertuzzi tied the game 3-3 at 12:25 with his second goal of the night, a snap shot assisted by Connor Murphy and Vlasic. Bertuzzi, who has a team-high 18 goals, ended a seven-game pointless streak.
Overtime and Shootout
The teams played through a scoreless overtime period. In the shootout, Ryan Donato scored for Chicago in the first round, while Matt Duchene answered for Dallas in the second round.
In the fourth round, Lardis sent the puck past Jake Oettinger in his first NHL shootout attempt to win the game. Playing in just his sixth NHL game, Lardis was one of five rookies in the Blackhawks' lineup.
Goaltending
Arvid Soderblom made 28 saves through overtime for Chicago, snapping a personal five-game losing streak during which he had allowed 29 goals. It was Soderblom's 12th start as Chicago began a back-to-back.
Oettinger stopped 30 shots for Dallas.
Special Teams
In a matchup of standout special teams, Dallas' power play went 0-for-4 against Chicago's penalty kill, which is ranked fourth in the NHL.
By the Numbers
Chicago improved to 14-17-6 with the victory, earning their first win since star forward Connor Bedard was sidelined by a shoulder injury on December 12.
Dallas fell to 25-7-7, losing a second consecutive game after regulation following a four-game winning streak.
Johnston finished with three assists for Dallas, while Vlasic had two assists for Chicago.
The teams will meet again in Chicago on New Year's night. Chicago hosts Pittsburgh on Sunday night, while Dallas hosts Buffalo on New Year's Eve.