Bulls close out Regular Season by holding off Wizards. Face Nets in E.Conf Qtr-Finals starting Saturday night in Brooklyn

Chicago Bulls Logo - Red bull with script above head

With their star sidelined all season and just about everyone else in their rotation banged up at some point, the Bulls did not take the easy road to the playoffs.They got there, though — even if the outside expectations are a little lower this time.Carlos Boozer had 19 points and 15 rebounds and the Bulls locked up the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 95-92 victory over the Washington Wizards in the regular-season finale Wednesday night. Kirk Hinrich added 18 points and Nazr Mohammed added a season-high 17 for the Bulls, who will face the Brooklyn Nets in the first round.

The Bulls finished with the best record in the East the past two years but has ceded that distinction to the defending champion Miami Heat.

Considering all they’ve overcome, they’ll take it.

“We proved this year that we can beat the best and lose to the worst,” Joakim Noah said. “Up-and-down year. It’s been a tough year. I’m proud of the way we’ve handled so much adversity.”

They’ve dealt with the soap opera surrounding Derrick Rose and his season-long recovery from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, not to mention a long line of injuries to other key players.Yet here they are, about as healthy as they’ve been all season and hoping to stick around and not make this a one-and-done playoff appearance.They come in on a winning note, although this game sure wasn’t easy.They had to withstand A.J. Price going off for a career-high 24 points and John Wall finishing with 23 after a slow start, not to mention several big comebacks when the Wizards looked as though they were ready to be put away.The Bulls led by 21 late in the first quarter but allowed Washington to pull within a point in the second. The Bulls then got the lead back up to 11 in the third, but the Wizards rallied again.This time, Washington tied it at 85 on a 3-pointer by Price with just over three minutes left before the Bulls responded with seven unanswered points. Richard Hamilton fed Jimmy Butler for an alley-oop dunk, Hinrich hit a floater and Luol Deng nailed a 3 — after missing five of his first six field goal attempts — to make it 92-85 with 1:42 remaining.The Wizards cut it to 94-92 on a 3-pointer by Wall and a floater by Price with 26.1 seconds left. Hinrich then had a chance to make it a two-possession game but missed the first free throw before hitting the second to make it 95-92 with 17.1 seconds left.Taj Gibson blocked a 3-point attempt from the wing by Price with 10 seconds left, and Wall put up an air ball from long range at the buzzer with Butler guarding him, preserving the win for the Bulls.

“I was surprised [Gibson] got a piece of it,” Price said. “I told him he’s so long after he blocked the shot. I thought I had room. Had about four feet, but he still got a piece of it. Great defensive play by him.”

The Bulls appear to be healing with the playoffs set to begin.They had every key player available except Rose, although Noah (foot) and Gibson (knee) had their minutes limited for the second straight game after missing time because of their injuries.Noah played 14 minutes, did not score and grabbed one rebound. Gibson had eight points in 21 minutes, and it’s not clear if they’ll start or come off the bench when the Bulls open against the Nets.

“We’re just trying to figure out the best thing in terms of where their minutes are,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “But having them back is a big plus for us. Whatever they can give us, I feel confident they will get better as time goes along.”

The Wizards had their share of injuries, too, and a season that started with 12 straight losses ended with them dropping their sixth in a row. They were missing Emeka Okafor after he sprained his right ankle against Brooklyn on Monday.

“Great season for our team from where we started and where we finished,” Wall said. “We know where we can be if we play together and everyone stays healthy.”

NOTES—The Bulls took three of four from Brooklyn, winning twice at the United Center and once at the Barclays Center…..Boozer had his 13th double-double in 16 games and his 44th of the season…..Besides Okafor, Washington was also missing Bradley Beal (stress injury, right fibula), Nene (sore left foot), Martell Webster (strained abdomen), Trevor Ariza (sore left knee) and Leandro Barbosa (torn left ACL).

Fighting Illini coming to the Score-DePaul hoops to remain as well.

The Score 670

CHAMPAIGN—University of Illinois Director of Athletics Mike Thomas announced today that Learfield Sports’ Fighting Illini Sports Properties has secured WSCR 670 The Score as the newest radio affiliate on the statewide Illini Sports Network.  Thomas appeared live on The Mully & Hanley Show this morning, sharing news of the announcement with co-hosts Mike Mulligan and Brian Hanley.Terms of the new relationship with CBS Radio-owned 670 AM call for the station to carry Illini basketball starting with the 2013-14 athletic season and football in 2014.  The multi-year agreement encompasses football and men’s basketball.  Additionally, WSCR 670 The Score will broadcast Illinois’ coaches’ shows for men’s basketball and football concurrent with the respective schedule.  While a new alignment has been formed with 670 AM, long-time radio affiliate WIND-AM 560 will continue to carry football games and coaches’ shows throughout 2013 to listeners in the Chicago market.The Illini Sports Network is overseen by Fighting Illini Sports Properties, the multimedia rights holder for University of Illinois Athletics and a property of Learfield Sports.  The collegiate marketer negotiated the affiliate relationship with the 50,000-watt, all sports clear channel station on behalf of the university.

“This is very exciting news for Fighting Illini fans throughout the Midwest,” Thomas said. “The signal strength and coverage area of WSCR 670 The Score is tremendous, giving our fans the very best ability to listen to Fighting Illini football and basketball. WSCR 670 The Score has an outstanding reputation as an all-sports station in the Chicago market, which is a great asset in spreading the Fighting Illini brand through the region. We appreciate our relationship with WIND-AM 560 over the past several years, and through the upcoming football season. It’s been a great partnership. We look forward to working with WSCR 670 The Score in any way possible as our agreement begins with the 2013-14 men’s basketball season.”

Rod Zimmerman, senior vice president and market manager for CBS Radio in Chicago added, “We’re extremely proud to carry the Fighting Illini in the coming years, and we look forward to delivering the game action and coaches’ shows to our listening audience in the Chicago area and beyond to help extend the brand over the airwaves.  We’re also pleased that we’re able to continue to clear DePaul Blue Demons’ games on WSCR when not conflicting with an Illini game.”

“WSCR has incredible reach not just in the Chicago market, but much of the U.S. and parts of Canada, and we’re pleased to be able to bring the Fighting Illini to its listening audience,” said Fighting Illini Sports Properties’ General Manager Chris Andrews.  “We wanted to tap into 670’s strong signal strength and reputation as an exceptional AM station to reach as many Illinois fans as possible.”

Hawks get big games from Shaw and Toews, win 6th straight 5-2 over Dallas

The desperate Dallas Stars staged a comeback against the Blackhawks, they just couldn’t skate off with a victory.Andrew Shaw, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Marian Hossa scored in the third period after Dallas rallied to tie it, and the Blackhawks went on to beat the Stars 5-2 on Monday night for their sixth consecutive victory.Dallas’ Jamie Benn scored his second goal of the game early in the third period to knot it at 2, but Shaw scored only 1:24 later on a screened shot that goalie Richard Bachman said he didn’t see. A little over three minutes later, Hjalmarsson made it 4-2 — set up by a second effort by Hossa, who’s empty-net goal sealed the victory for the Blackhawks, who have points in nine consecutive games (8-0-1).

“When you play good defense, the offensive chances come, and when we got those chances, we buried them as much as we could,” Shaw said. “Overall, we played great in every aspect.”

The Blackhawks’ resilience was more than a matter of talent and execution, according to Shaw.

“Just heart,” he said. “You want to win every game you play. The feeling of winning is unbelievable. We work for each other and want to win every shift.”

The Blackhawks (33-5-4) became the first team to reach 70 points in the lockout-shortened, 48-game season. The Blackhawks moved 11 points ahead of idle Anaheim, which is second in the Western Conference, and six ahead of Eastern Conference-leading Pittsburgh in the overall standings.Jonathan Toews netted his team-leading 21st goal, and Viktor Stalberg also scored for the Blackhawks. Ray Emery made 16 saves and improved to 16-1.The Blackhawks, who started the season with points in their first 24 games to set an NHL record, are hitting another groove down the stretch.

“It does feel similar,” Toews said. “We’re down a goal, we’re up a goal, we find a way to come back and finish the job in the third period or even in overtime.We’re hungry to play every single night. That’s the No. 1 similarity. We’re having fun.”

The Stars’ five-game winning streak ended. Richard Bachman made 23 saves in his third straight start in place of No. 1 goalie Kari Lehtonen, who is out because of a lower body injury.Bachman has been in goal since relieving Lehtonen in the first period of the Stars’ 5-1 victory against Los Angeles on Tuesday.

“There’s a reason they’re the No. 1 team in the league,” Bachman said. “They’re a good squad. They capitalize, but we really hung in there for the majority of the game.Even to start that third, we gave ourselves a chance there. I’ve got to make one or two more saves to kind of put us in a better position.”

The Stars remained in ninth place in the Western Conference, two points below the postseason cutoff with six games remaining.Dallas rookie Alex Chiasson left the game with an upper-body injury in the first period after playing six shifts. Chiasson had six goals and an assist in his first six NHL games after being called up from Texas of the AHL earlier this month.Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp, the team’s leading goal scorer last season with 33, missed his second straight game and 16th of the past 18 because of an upper body injury.Toews scored the only goal of the first period on a tip-in with 7:06 left to cap a cross-ice passing play with Hossa and Brandon Saad.Stalberg used a burst of speed to give the Hawks a short lived 2-0 lead with 7:46 left in the second.Benn cut it to 2-1 just under two minutes later, capping a 3-on-1 break that resulted from a rare Hawk turnover.After Patrick Kane couldn’t handle the puck just inside the Chicago blue line, Benn, Ray Whitney and Loui Eriksson raced down the ice against Hjalmarsson. Benn fired a shot between Emery’s pads from the low edge of the right circle after a quick give-and-go with Whitney.Benn tied it at 2 with his 10th goal at 3:07 of the third on a screened shot from the high edge of the right circle.Shaw’s goal, also on screened shot, put the Hawks back in front 3-2 only 1:24 later. Shaw ripped a shot past Bachman from the right circle with Bryan Bickell and Dallas’ Trevor Daley tied up in front of the crease.Hjalmarsson scored at 7:46 of the third to give the Blackhawks a 4-2 lead, snapping a 27-game streak without a goal.Hossa’s empty-net goal with 27 seconds left completed the scoring

NOTES—A moment of silence was observed before the game for victims of the bombing at the Boston Marathon…..The Blackhawks have failed to score on 20 consecutive power-play chances, spanning nine games and dating to March 29……Hobey Baker Award winner Drew LeBlanc, signed by the Blackhawks last week, joined the team but didn’t play.

Boozer and Deng lead Bulls out of Florida with win over Magic

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ORLANDO—Carlos Boozer scored 22 points, Luol Deng added 18 and the Bulls snapped a two-game losing streak with a 102-84 victory over the Orlando Magic on Monday night.The win, which was the Bulls’ fifth straight over the Magic, also keeps alive their hopes of catching of Atlanta for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. They conclude their regular-season schedule at home Wednesday against Washington. The Bulls need to win that game and for Atlanta to split or lose their final two.Tobias Harris led Orlando with 20 points, and Maurice Harkless added 16.The Magic finish just 12-29 at home, their fewest victories in Orlando since they were 11-30 during the 2003-04.

Explosions kill two and injure many as Boston Marathon was winding up.

BOSTON—Two bombs exploded near the crowded finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, killing two people and injuring more than 125 others in a terrifying scene of broken glass, smoke and severed limbs, authorities said.
Police found and defused at least one other explosive device. Law enforcement sources tell CBS News correspondent Bob Orr that authorities found one other device that is intact and has not been detonated.

CBS News senior correspondent John Miller reports that a Saudi national is being questioned by authorities. He was seen “acting suspiciously” running from the explosion, and a civilian chased him down and tackled him. He was turned over to Boston police and is being questioned by the FBI. He is being cooperative and denies any involvement.

“This could mean a lot, or this could mean very little,” Miller said. “It’s too soon to call him a suspect.”

Miller reported earlier that authorities are also reviewing surveillance video that shows a man from behind carrying two backpacks near the site of the explosions. Authorities are not sure whether the subject in the video is linked to the blasts.

Boston police say no suspect has been taken into custody.

There was no word on the motive or who may have launched the attack, and authorities in Washington said there was no immediate claim of responsibility.

An FBI official told CBS News that officials are going to sweep the entire length of the marathon to look for any additional devices or any evidence they may find.

A third incident at the John F. Kennedy Library a few miles away and more than an hour later was initially believed to be another explosive device, but library and police officials later said it was an unrelated fire. No one was injured.

The twin blasts at the race took place almost simultaneously and about 100 yards apart, tearing limbs off numerous people, knocking spectators and at least one runner off their feet, shattering windows and sending smoke rising over the street.

Demi Clark, a runner from North Carolina who said she was the crossing finish line as the first blast went off, told CBSNews.com that “blood was everywhere instantly.”

“Nobody knew what to do – after the second one went off we were like, ‘the city’s under attack,'” Clark said.

As people wailed in agony, bloody spectators were carried to a medical tent that had been set up to care for fatigued runners.

“They just started bringing people in with no limbs,” said Tim Davey, of Richmond, Va. He said he and his wife, Lisa, tried to keep their children’s eyes shielded from the gruesome scene.

“They just kept filling up with more and more casualties,” Lisa Davey said. “Most everybody was conscious. They were very dazed.
President Obama said the United States does not know “who did this or why” but vowed that whoever is responsible “will feel the full weight of justice.”

“We will find out who did this and we will hold them accountable,” Mr. Obama said.

James Minicucci, who was arriving in Boston by car to meet friends at the finish line when the explosions happened, told CBSNews.com that the scene was “chaotic.”

“Some guy told us it was really bad, that several people lost their legs, there were amputations and not to go through to finish line area,” Minicucci said.

Some 27,000 runners took part in the 26.2-mile race, one of the world’s premier marathons and one of Boston’s biggest annual events. According to BuzzFeed, 17,584 finished before it was cancelled at 2:57p.m.

Rush hand Pittsburgh a Power failure. Win 45-14

Arena Rush Football

ROSEMONT—The Rush (2-2) earned their second consecutive victory 45-14 over the Pittsburgh Power (0-3). The Rush set a franchise record by holding Pittsburgh scoreless in the first half.It was also the first time the Power were blanked in the first half.

The Rush went into the locker room with a 14-0 lead following their best defensive half of the season. Pittsburgh was held scoreless in a half for the first time in the franchise’s three-year history. On the first drive of the game, newly assigned quarterback Daniel Southwick was pressured by Pittsburgh linemen Neil Purvis and Dominic Pittman, who each accounted for a sack. However, Southwick was able to connect with Reggie Gray on a fourth down attempt to keep the drive alive. Southwick had consecutive passes blocked by Pittsburgh lineman Darius Powell, but completed the shaky drive with a 19 yard touchdown to Gray on third down.

Pittsburgh had their first shot on offense with just less than eight minutes remaining in the first quarter. Jorrick Calvin’s broken up pass kept the Power out of the end zone as first quarter time expired. The Rush led 7-0 after the first quarter, however the ensuing first play of the second quarter was a 4th down and goal at the 2 yard line. The Rush defense held up the Power and collected its first stop of the game.

Southwick’s second drive in a Rush uniform lasted nearly five minutes. He connected with Jared Jenkins for a 12 yard touchdown to put the Rush up 14-0 with 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter.

Defensive lineman Brian McNally’s pressure forced Pittsburgh quarterback Jared Jefferson to throw an incomplete pass. Defensive pressure by the Rush forced a Jefferson fumble that was recovered by Derek Walker, the first fumble recovery of his career, just a couple plays later. Rush kicker Jose Martinez missed a field goal attempt on the Rush’s next possession and the Power went four and out on Jefferson’s four incomplete passes following the missed field goal.

The Rush marched to the Pittsburgh one yard line, but failed to score with one second remaining in the half. The Rush led 14-0 to end the half.

Pittsburgh quickly ended its scoring drought when FB Kirby Griffin punched in a three yard touchdown with 13 minutes remaining in the third quarter. Jefferson’s 33 yard scramble put the Power in position for the score.

The Rush brought in quarterback Carson Coffman due to the concussion-like symptoms  Daniel Southwick experienced at halftime. Coffman responded by setting up a 4 yard J.J. Payne touchdown run to put the Rush up 21-7. DB Jorrick Calvin’s tight defense on fourth down forced Pittsburgh to turn the ball over on their next possession.

Pittsburgh’s second score came at the end of the third quarter when Mike Washington caught a nine yard strike over the middle of the field from Jefferson to close the gap to 24-14. Reggie Gray’s 40 yard touchdown to start the fourth quarter put an end to any momentum that had built up on the previous drive. Coffman connected with Rodney Wright with eight minutes remaining in the game, extending the lead to 38-14.

Payne bulldozed into the end zone with one minute remaining to cap off the 45-14 Rush victory. Gray caught 10 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns in the game. Jenkins equaled Gray’s 10 receptions and grabbed one touchdown to go along with 73 yards. Southwick and Coffman combined for 238 yards passing and no interceptions. They threw two touchdowns each.
The Rush start a two game road trip Saturday night in Salt Lake City against the Utah Blaze.

Bulls get physical, but Heat win 105-93

Chicago Bulls Logo - Red bull with script above head

MIAMI—Carlos Boozer turned his shoulder and knocked Dwyane Wade to the floor, while Nate Robinson shoved LeBron James as the NBA’s reigning MVP leaped near the basket.All in the same sequence, no less.  It was physical, rugged and exactly what the Miami Heat needed as part of their preparations for the playoffs, which start this coming weekend. James scored 24 points, Wade finished with 22 and the Heat set a franchise record for home wins in a season by topping the Bulls 105-93 on Sunday.

“It was good, especially against this team,” said James, who had seven rebounds and six assists. “You’re definitely not just going to show up and win against these guys. You’re going to have to work for it. So for us, to continue to get better and for us to have a really physical game, good game, testy game, we liked it.”

The Bulls had more fouls (30) than field goals (29), the first time they have managed that in a regular-season game since Nov. 19, 2008.The Bulls sent Miami to the line a season-high 41 times, and at times were so reliant on the 3-point shot that they went more than 16 minutes to open the second half without a single 2-point basket.

“We’re trying to get ready,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And you play a team that’s physical like this, it gets you ready.”

The Bulls shot 35 percent, and were far better outside the 3-point arc (11-for-26, 42 percent) than inside it (18-for-56, 32 percent). Robinson missed 11 shots himself. Miami’s “Big Three” of James, Wade and Chris Bosh missed 12 — combined.

“That’s the best team in the NBA as of right now,” Robinson said.

Mario Chalmers and Chris Andersen each scored 15 for Miami, which improved to 36-4 at home – topping the 35-6 mark by the 2004-05 Heat. Bosh had 12 points, nine rebounds and four blocks for Miami, which also got 11 points from Mike Miller.Miami is at Cleveland on Monday, with Wade, Udonis Haslem and Shane Battier not even making the trip. James said he would be a game-time decision Monday, but “leaning toward” not playing against his former team.Boozer finished with 16 points and 20 rebounds for the Bulls, who snapped Miami’s 27-game winning streak last month. Luol Deng led in scoring with 19, Robinson and Kirk Hinrich scored 14 apiece and Jimmy Butler added 13 for the Bulls, who played without Joakim Noah (foot), Taj Gibson (knee), Richard Hamilton (one-game NBA suspension) and of course, Derrick Rose, who has been out all year while coming back from a knee injury.

“We just have to keep moving forward and concentrate on improving,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Hopefully we will get a couple of guys back soon. I don’t want us thinking about the playoffs. I want us thinking about the game [Monday] against the Orlando Magic.”

The loss keeps the Bulls in the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference, just behind Atlanta. Miami has wrapped up home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, and opens the postseason at home next weekend against the Milwaukee Bucks.The Bulls (43-37) are a game behind Atlanta (44-36), though they would own the head-to-head tiebreaker. They are at Orlando on Monday and plays host to Washington on Wednesday. Atlanta hosts Toronto on Tuesday and closes at the New York Knicks on Wednesday.

“We need to play well these last two games and get as healthy as we can be,” Hinrich said.

For the Heat, that get-healthy mission has been the mantra for a few weeks now, with Wade, James, Bosh, Haslem and Battier all among those dealing with nagging issues of late.And after Sunday, there might have been a few more bumps and bruises. There were no fewer than six instances of Heat players ending up on the floor in the first 6 minutes alone.

“We wanted to win,” Bosh said, “and we always want to protect home court.”

James made his first seven shots, one of them a dunk off a bounce pass by Chalmers to give Miami a 46-31 lead midway through the second quarter. The dunk was with such force, Hinrich found himself flinching to get out of the ball’s way.The Bulls bounced back quickly. A 23-10 run to end the first half got them within 56-54 at the break, and briefly took the lead when Jimmy Butler converted a four-point play to make it 61-60.But the Heat regained control before long. Up 78-71 with 3:40 left in the third, Wade tried to throw a soft lob to James, on the play where he got leveled by Boozer and Robinson sent James into an awkward collision with the basket stanchion.A clear-path foul against Boozer was called, the lead went to 82-71 on that sequence and the Heat still were up nine entering the fourth.

“I thought we played very well as a team from the start of the game to the end,” Wade said.

NOTES—Bosh had four blocked shots, the sixth time he’s done that since joining the Heat…..The Bulls allowed 30 first-quarter points for the third time in its last four games….. The Heat bench went into hysterics in the second quarter, when a young boy who was drawn up to look like Andersen — replete with the multi-colored neck tattoos — was shown on the scoreboard screens throughout the arena…..Butler, perhaps generously listed by the Bulls at 6-foot-7, took the opening tap against Bosh. Predictably, Bosh prevailed…..Media outlets from France, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Italy, Australia, China and Spain were among those in attendance.

Hawks blank Blues 2-0 as Crawford stops 30.

ST. LOUIS—Corey Crawford came away with the shutout in this one, not Brian Elliott. Crawford stopped 30 shots and Bryan Bickell and Marian Hossa scored to lead the Blackhawks to a 2-0 win over the St. Louis Blues on Sunday, ending Elliot’s bid for a fourth straight shutout.

“I felt good today, but I think the main thing is everyone is playing well,” Crawford said after his third shutout of the season. “We need everyone to play well every night and so far this year it’s been pretty much that for every game.”

Elliott, meanwhile, has shut out the Red Wings, Predators and Wild in succession on the road for a franchise record scoreless run of 189 minutes and 23 seconds. The road mark continues, but his overall shutout string ended at 214 minutes in the second period.The Blackhawks lead the NHL with 68 points, and have won five in a row. They’re 3-1 against the Blues, all with Crawford in net, with two shutouts.

“They check well and they play that tight game and don’t give up much space and time, and you’ve got to make sure when you get a chance, to get ahead of them,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “It’s a different game when you’re chasing that team.”
The Blues rarely tested Crawford until the third period and lost their second straight in front of a standing room crowd of 19,385 that had a healthy contingent of Blackhawks fans. St. Louis has seven games remaining, all but one at home.The Blues were sixth in the tightly bunched Western Conference with 48 points. Three teams were tied for the eighth just three points back.
“I don’t think we can dwell on any of the past games,” Blues captain David Backes said. “One of the things about the condensed schedule is if you start to dwell on your past or how good you’ve been, how bad you’ve been, quickly it can bite you.”

Bickell tapped in his own rebound on a rush early in the second period to end Elliott’s streak. Hossa’s short-handed goal off a faceoff win by Jonathan Toews came early in the third, 17 seconds after Duncan Keith was whistled for cross-checking Backes in front of the Chicago net.Coach Ken Hitchcock said the Blues needed more hard-nosed play and less fancy play.

“The first goal is a perfect example,” Hitchcock said. “We’re in a position to shoot the puck, we stickhandle it, try to put it through someone’s leg, and five seconds later it’s in our net.Not the way you’re going to win against good teams.”

The Blues were 0 for 3 on the power play and have scored on just six of their last 72 power plays.Elliot’s run has been an impressive return to form for a player who was benched early in the season and then sent on a two-week conditioning stint in the minors. He set franchise records with nine shutouts and had a shutout streak of 241 minutes and 33 seconds last season.

“He had some spectacular saves and a stretch that was pretty phenomenal,” Backes said. “The fact of the matter is we can’t live on a goose egg from the other team every night.”

This season’s streak ended on a rush that began when rookie Vladimir Tarasenko was dumped making a move in the Hawk zone. Bickell tapped a backhander off the post and then tucked in the rebound at 4:39 of the second for his third goal in five games and ninth overall.

“It bounced side to side and went right on the guy’s tape,” Elliott said. “I’m not concerned about the streak, it’s getting the win.”

Hossa scored his 15th of the season at 6:34 of the third on a one-timer that beat Elliott on the glove side with a shot the goalie said deflected off a shin guard in front. He said Toews made the play.

“Johnny told me where to stand basically and he’s so good on faceoffs, so when he won it cleanly and I tried to open up and hit a slap shot,” Hossa said. “Obviously, I didn’t hit it exactly where I wanted to, but there was a good bounce.”

The Blackhawks are 22-2-0 when scoring first and 23-1-2 when leading after two periods.
NOTES—The Blues wore white road jerseys and are autographing and auctioning them on stlblues.com to benefit their charitable trust, the 14 fund…..Patrick Sharp (upper body) was among the Blackhawks scratches…..Hossa has 18 goals and 31 points in 37 career games against the Blues…..The last goalie to post four straight shutouts was Brian Boucher of Phoenix Dec. 31, 2003-Jan. 9, 2004….Toews has three goals and three assists against the Blues this season

Hawks sweep Red Wings with 3-2 shootout win, clinch first Division Title in 3 years.

Brandon Saad scored in the fifth round of the shootout after Jonathan Toews tied the game late in regulation, and the Blackhawks clinched the Central Division title with a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night.With St. Louis losing to Columbus earlier Friday, the Blackhawks wrapped up the Central race for the first time since 2010 when they won the Stanley Cup. also increased its lead over Anaheim for the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs to six points.The shootout was tied 1-1 when Saad beat Jimmy Howard with a backhand shot. Corey Crawford then stopped Johan Franzen, sealing the win and giving the Blackhawks a four-game season sweep over Detroit.The Blackhawks were trailing 2-1 when Howard made a big pad save on Michael Frolik in the closing minutes. The puck ended up at the left point, and Johnny Oduya’s shot hit traffic in front. Toews then fired in the loose puck for his 20th goal, tying it with 2:57 left in regulation. The Hawks then had a 2-on-1 rush, but Bryan Bickell’s shot with about 50 seconds left hit the left post.The Blackhawks had a chance late in overtime when Viktor Stalberg sprinted down the right wing and tried to center the puck to Patrick Kane. The puck appeared to hit a Detroit defender, and Howard swept it aside.Stalberg beat Howard with a wraparound shot early in the second period. Two quick goals by Franzen and Cory Emmerton late in the period gave Detroit a 2-1 lead, but the Blackhawks answered down the stretch, winning their final game against the Red Wings as division foes.The teams have played 725 times, more than any other two NHL teams, but the rivalry between the Original Six franchises will have a different look next season because Detroit is headed to the Eastern Conference. Thanks to “Beavis” Bettman,the teams will go from playing six times per season to just twice.

NOTES—Duncan Keith played in his 600th game, and D Niklas Hjalmarsson played in his 300th. … Blackhawks F Dave Bolland has been practicing but remained sidelined by a lower body injury. … The Red Wings were without forwards Darren Helm (back) and Mikael Samuelsson (upper body). … F Drew LeBlanc of St. Cloud State agreed to a one-year contract with the Blackhawks on the same day he won the Hobey Baker Award as the nation’s top college player.