OTTAWA — Jonathan Toews scored in overtime as the Chicago Blackhawks rallied past the Ottawa Senators 3-2 on Tuesday night.
A pair of goals by Dominik Kubalik, who now has seven in his last five games, tied the game 2-2 early in the third after the Blackhawks (21-20-6) trailed 2-0 early.
Robin Lehner was solid, stopping 20 shots, as Chicago played the first of a three-game Eastern Canada road trip.
Connor Brown and Chris Tierney scored first-period goals for the Senators (16-22-8).
Rookie goaltender Marcus Hogberg started in net for the third straight game, making 27 saves.
Ottawa has just one regulation win in its last 14 games (3-5-6). The Senators are now winless in their past eight games (0-4-4).
Ottawa wasted no time getting things started as Brown scored 3:33 into the game, banging home a Dylan DeMelo rebound.
Tierney gave the home team a 2-0 lead less than four minutes later, scoring his seventh of the season as he tipped a pass from Thomas Chabot.
With time running out in the second Kubalik cut the Senators 2-0 lead in half as he deflected a Patrick Kane shot and beat Hogberg.
Kubalik then beat Ron Hainsey in a foot race 3:41 into the third and scored on Hogberg five-hole for his 18th of the season.
Lehner made an impressive two-pad stack save on Anthony Duclair to keep the game close early in the second, which seemed to spark the Blackhawks as they began to push back.
Toews had a wide-open net, but shot wide, leaving the captain shaking his head.
Tuesday’s game marked the return of Zack Smith, who was traded to Chicago for Artem Anisimov in the off-season. Smith’s 612 career games with Ottawa is ninth all time in franchise history. Smith has two goals and nine points through 39 games, while Anisomov has eight goals and ten points in 27 games with the Senators.
Notes
Nikita Zaitsev was back in Ottawa’s lineup for the first time since suffering an undisclosed injury Dec. 14. The Senators announced Nick Paul would likely miss a month due to a high ankle sprain.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 14, 2020.
Lisa Wallace, The Canadian Press