CHICAGO — Melker Karlsson, Evander Kane, Kevin Labanc, Tomas Hertl and Logan Couture each had a goal and an assist, and the San Jose Sharks rallied to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 7-3 on Sunday night for their fourth straight win.
San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture (AP Photo/Matt Marton)
Marcus Sorensen and Barclay Goodrow also scored for the Sharks, who connected for three unanswered goals in the second period to take charge. Brent Burns had three assists for San Jose, which has won six of seven and climbed into a tie with Anaheim for second in the Pacific Division.
Chicago goalie Corey Crawford left the game with 1:30 left in the first period after the back of his head struck the right post during a goalmouth pileup. He allowed two goals on eight shots and exited with the Blackhawks leading 3-2.
Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome and Brendan Perlini scored in the first period for last-place Chicago, which lost for 10th time in its last 11 games despite grabbing an early 2-0 lead. Cam Ward replaced Crawford and gave up five goals on 35 shots.
Martin Jones started in goal for San Jose, but was replaced by Aaron Dell late in the first after allowing Chicago’s three goals on four shots. Dell blocked all 16 shots he faced as the Sharks roared back.
The 33-year-old Crawford was pulled from a Dec. 23, 2017, game at New Jersey with a concussion, then missed the remainder of the 2017-18 season and the first five games of 2018-19. He returned on Oct. 18 against Arizona and was 6-14-2 with a 3.23 goals-against average in 22 games entering Sunday’s contest.
The Blackhawks opened the scoring for only the second time in their last 13 games and led 3-2 after one period. Opponents had outscored Chicago 27-8 in the first period during that span.
The Blackhawks scored on their first two shots, 47 seconds apart early in the first period, to grab a quick 2-0 lead.
DeBrincat opened the scoring 2:34 in. Jones got his right pad on DeBrincat’s 35-foot shot from the left circle, but the puck rolled over and in. Strome made it 2-0 from the slot on a deflection of Connor Murphy’s shot from the right point.
The Sharks tied it 2-all midway through the first on goals 42 seconds apart by Karlsson and Sorensen.
Karlsson beat Crawford on the stick side with a wrist shot from the circle at 9:58 to cut Chicago’s lead to 2-1. Sorensen tied it from the crease when he swept in a backhander from the crease after taking a pinpoint pass from Joe Thornton.
Perlini put Chicago back in front, 3-2, at 12:54 on a rebound after Dylan Sikura broke in and was stopped by Jones. Dell replaced Jones at the start of a penalty to San Jose’s Brenden Dillon a minute later.
Crawford was injured with 90 seconds left in the first.
Crawford had just made a pad save on Couture, who had broken in off the wing. As Couture cut across the crease, Strome tried to cut him off and slashed him.
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At the same moment, Kane plowed into Strome from behind and Strome tumbled into Crawford, forcing the goalie into the goalpost. Kane was assessed a minor penalty for goaltender interference.
The Sharks scored three times on 14 shots against Ward in the second period to take a 5-3 lead.
Kane tied it 3-all at 4:21 of the period with a power-play goal, firing in a rebound of Brett Burns’ shot from the points.
Goodrow put San Jose ahead 4-3 at 7:36 with a midair deflection of Justin Braun’s drive from the top of the slot.
Couture made it 5-3 with 3:44 left in the second when Dillon’s shot from the point struck the shaft of his stick and flipped past Ward.
Labanc scored on wrist shot from the circle with 6:57 left in the third to make it 6-3. Hertl completed the scoring with 1:33 left
NOTES: Labanc the game early in the second period after being hit in the face by a stick, but returned. … Blackhawks C Artem Anisimov (concussion protocol) missed his second game. He suffered the injury in the third period of Wednesday’s 6-3 win over Pittsburgh. . Chicago D Gustav Forsling (shoulder) and D Brandon Davidson (knee) have resumed skating.
UP NEXT:
Sharks: At Minnesota on Tuesday.
Blackhawks: Host Nashville on Tuesday
Matt Carlson, The Associated Press
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