VILLANOVA—DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright compared No. 6 Villanova to a vicious Mike Tyson in his prime.If the Wildcats were Tyson, then DePaul was flattened like Michael Spinks. This one was never in doubt.Scottie Reynolds scored 21 points, Maalik Wayns had 18 and the Wildcats cruised to another big home victory, 99-72 on Wednesday night.The Wildcats (13-1, 2-0 Big East) won their 34th consecutive game at their campus home, the Pavilion. Villanova’s last loss there was against DePaul three years ago to the day.The Blue Demons (7-8, 0-3) never put up a fight in their second successive loss to a top-15 conference opponent. They trailed 15-3 only 4½ minutes into the game and dropped their 22nd consecutive regular-season Big East game.Villanova would have KO’d any team with its first-half shooting. Reggie Redding hit back-to-back 3s during a 15-0 run and the Wildcats made 14 of their first 19 shots. The Wildcats went 6 for 8 on 3-pointers during the stretch that all but put this victory away.The Wildcats show no sign of tailing off a season after playing in their first Final Four in 24 years. The Big East favorites eked out a victory in the conference opener against Marquette and lost to city rival Temple last month, but have otherwise looked in prime position to make another deep NCAA tournament run.Reynolds wonders if a deep and talented Big East might be better than last season, when it landed three No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament.Wright said the Wildcats are not far off from where they were a year ago.

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Xavier Silas scored a game-high 24 points and Northern Illinois held off a late rally by Chicago State to win 99-93 Wednesday night.Von Steuben Alum Mike DiNunno added a season-high 20 points and Darion “Jake” Anderson posted 14 points and six rebounds for Northern Illinois (4-8), which notched its first road victory of the season.Chicago State (5-11), which lost its fourth in a row, was led by Christian Wall’s 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting.The Huskies led 50-30 at halftime, but the Cougars outscored Northern 63-49 in the second half. NIU held a 43-33 rebounding advantage and had 21 assists but committed a season-high 25 turnovers.Both teams shot well. The Huskies hit 57.4 percent and the Cougars 47.2 percent.The Huskies are 21-0 all time against Chicago State.Northern Illinois will open Mid-American Conference play at Ball State on Saturday.

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EVANSVILLE—Jackie Carmichael scored 20 points to lead four Illinois State players in double figures as the Redbirds defeated Evansville 82-63 Wednesday night.Carmichael scored 13 of his points in an early stretch that saw Illinois State (12-3, 3-1 Missouri Valley) take a 30-12 lead. The Redbirds led 42-25 at halftime.Osiris Eldridge had 18 points and eight rebounds for Illinois State. Lloyd Phillips had 11 points and nine assists and Tony Lewis scored 10 points. The Redbirds shot 50 percent from the field in the game while Evansville shot 31 percent. Denver Holmes scored a game-high 23 points for Evansville (6-8, 0-4). Colt Ryan had 12 points and James Haarsma had nine points and 11 rebounds for the Aces.

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PEORIA—Andrew Warren scored a career-high 26 points and Sam Maniscalco added 21 to lead Bradley past Indiana State 91-85 in overtime Wednesday night.Warren has scored at least 24 points in three of the first four Missouri Valley Conference games.Taylor Brown had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Braves (7-7, 2-2). Will Egolf added 10 points.Rashad Reed led Indiana State (10-5, 2-2) with 17 points. Harry Marshall added 16 points and Jordan Printy 15. Carl Richard had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Sycamores.Indiana State had 16 3-pointers, the most ever against Bradley, but was 0 of 3 from behind the arc in overtime. Bradley made 13 3-pointers, the most since beating East Tennessee State Nov. 29, 2008.Maniscalco’s 3-pointer with 2:36 left in the overtime gave Bradley the lead for good.

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CARBONDALE—Jordan Eglseder had 17 points and 14 rebounds Wednesday night to help Northern Iowa to a 61-49 victory over Southern Illinois.Adam Koch and Johnny Moran each added 11 points for the Panthers (13-1, 4-0 Missouri Valley), who never trailed and led by as many as 25 points midway through the second half.Tony Freeman, with 13 points, was the only player in double figures for the Salukis (9-4, 2-2).Northern Iowa scored the game’s first nine points, made 50 percent of its shots in the first half in building a 36-20 halftime lead. The Panthers slumped to 26 percent in the second half to finish at 39 percent, and made just six field goals after halftime, but went 10-for-14 from the free-throw line after the break.SIU shot 35 percent for the game, and trailed by double digits for all but the game’s first five minutes.

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As homecomings go, Jon Scheyer’s was about as good as it gets.The Duke star saw the familiar faces in the stands and heard the voices of those who had been part of his life — friends, teachers and family. About 500 of them cheering his every move. And they had plenty to get excited about Wednesday night.Scheyer scored 31 points on a variety of shots and led the fifth-ranked Blue Devils to an 86-65 victory against Iowa State.He called it an experience that was both emotional and a little weird.Scheyer, who scored more than 3,000 points for Glenbrook North High, shot 10 for 19 with four 3-pointers. And he did it on the court at the United Center. The Blue Devils (13-1) won their seventh consecutive game behind a balanced attack, a defense that forced 18 turnovers and aggressive rebounding.Nolan Smith added 20 points and Kyle Singler 15 for Duke.Marquis Gilstrap paced Iowa State (10-4) with 16 points. Leading scorer Craig Brackins, who came in averaging 17, had 12.Scheyer’s 3-pointer with the shot clock running down extended the Blue Devils’ lead to 50-35 early in second half. His three-point play about seven minutes in put the Blue Devils up 19 as they opened the second half with a 17-6 run.The Cyclones whittled it to 12 but Smith and Scheyer hit 3-pointers to put Duke back up by 17.With Chicago native Mike Krzyzewski as their coach, the Blue Devils are 7-0 at the United Center.It was Iowa State’s third game this season in Chicago. The Cyclones were 1-1 in the Chicago Invitational Challenge at UIC in late November, losing in the final to Northwestern.

Former Cub Andre Dawon was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame Wednesday, the sole inductee this year.Roberto Alomar, Edgar Martinez, Barry Larkin and Fred McGriff were new to the ballot this year, and Martinez was a test of how Hall voters assess players who were predominantly designated hitters.Holdovers include Mark McGwire, Bert Blyleven, Jack Morris and former Cub Lee Smith.Players needed to appear on at least 75 percent of the ballots to gain election.Dawson’s best season was his first as a Cub in 1987 when he batted .287 with 49 homers and 137 RBI’s.He was the National League MVP that year on a last place team.Dawson was a Cub for six seasons after spending 1976-1986 with Montreal.He finished his career spending 1993-94 in Boston and 1995-96 with Florida. His final stats were: a .279 batting average, with 438 homers and 1591 RBI’s.The induction ceremony will be held July 25 in Cooperstown, N.Y. No word yet on wether the “Hawk” will be inducted as a Cub or  Expo.

LES

Marian Hossa’s performance in the last two victories is exactly what the Blackhawks expected to see when they landed the free agent with a 12-year, $62.8 million contract.Hossa scored two goals for the second straight game and the Blackhawks beat the Minnesota Wild 4-1 on Tuesday to take over the NHL points lead.Hossa had to contend with more than a new team and different system when he first joined the Blackhawks. He also needed shoulder surgery and missed the first 22 games. Tuesday’s game was just his 21st of the season.His four-goal output in the last two games followed a scoring drought in which he only had one goal in nine games.The Hawks (30-10-3) has a four-game winning streak and 63 points, two more than Eastern Conference-leading New Jersey and San Jose.Cristobal Huet made 19 saves as the Blackhawks improved to a league-best 20-4-1 at home.Patrick Kane extended his scoring streak to nine games with a power-play goal early in the third that made it 3-1, and Hossa finished the scoring by following in his own rebound from the crease. Minnesota’s Guillaume Latendresse opened the scoring, and the Blackhawks’ John Madden also had a goal in the first period.Moments after he checked Josh Harding off the puck when the Wild goalie went behind the net, Patrick Sharp took a carom pass from Brian Campbell and found Hossa open in the left circle for the go-ahead score at 12:38 of the second.The goal came after Huet stopped a breakaway by Latendresse. He then snuffed Kyle Brodziak at the end of the Wild’s 3-on-1 break minutes later.Latendresse scored at 13:52 of the first, taking a centering pass and beating Huet from in front. Minnesota backup Harding, who entered with a 3-1 career record against the Hawks, finished with 29 saves, including a diving glove stop of Kane after he cut across the crease in the first period.But the Blackhawks broke through when Madden took a nice pass from Kris Versteeg, and after hitting the post on his first tip-in attempt, scored on his second to tie it.Kane’s goal from the left circle came seconds after a two-man advantage for the Blackhawks expired.

NOTES—The Wild have lost four straight…Hossa, who scored 40 goals last year for the Red Wings, has 10 so far this season….Niklas Hjalmarsson, who missed two games after being hit with a puck while sitting on the bench, returned to the Blackhawks lineup…..Cam Barker was scratched, and Owen Nolan sat out for the Wild.

CHARLOTTE—Gerald Wallace scored 32 points, Stephen Jackson and Flip Murray added 25 each and the Charlotte Bobcats held off a late rally to beat the Bulls 113-108 on Tuesday night for their third straight victory.Derrick Rose and John Salmons missed game-tying 3-point attempts in the closing seconds for the Bulls, who gave up seventh place in the Eastern Conference to the Bobcats despite wiping out a 13-point second-quarter deficit.Rose scored 10 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and Salmons added 19 for the Bulls in the fast-paced game that saw both teams shoot 51 percent.The Bobcats improved to 12-4 at home after consecutive road wins over Miami and Cleveland. But they had trouble putting away the Bulls, who dropped their second straight following a four-game winning streak.Rose, who hit 11 of 19 shots, keyed Chicago’s late surge with quick drives to the hoop. His shot in the paint with 2:08 left tied it at 105.Murray’s two free throws put Charlotte ahead before a series of missed shots and turnovers. It included Rose being blocked by Wallace with 27.8 seconds left. Officials ruled the ball went off Rose, but reversed the call after checking the replay.

CHAMPAIGN—D. J. Richardson scored 17 points to lead Illinois to a 59-42 Big Ten win over struggling Iowa Tuesday night.Richardson started the game on the bench for the first time in his college career. But he entered the game early for Illinois (10-5, 2-0) and hit five 3-pointers. He was 6-for-11 from the floor.The Illini went on a 20-1 run early in the first half to open up a 22-4 lead that Iowa (5-10, 0-3) couldn’t overcome.On Saturday, Illinois trailed by as many as 21 points in the first half against Gonzaga after a sluggish start that has become their signature this season.Afterward, Weber said he’d bench two or even three of his regular starters against Iowa, looking for an early-game spark and the sort of defense his team struggles to play.But with Bill Cole and Jeff Jordan starting for Richardson and Demetri McCamey, Illinois couldn’t find the basket early. The Illini made just one of their first seven shots.But Iowa was worse. Much worse.The Hawkeyes were 1-for-11 in the game’s first 11 minutes, and they didn’t get second chances off many of their misses, with just two offensive rebounds in the first half.When Richardson and McCamey walked onto the floor, Illinois found its touch. The Illini went on a 20-1 run that included three Richardson three-pointers and gave them a 22-4 lead with 9:32 to play in the half.Iowa’s only point during that nearly 9-minute stretch came on a free throw by Aaron Fuller.After trailing 37-15 at the half, Iowa scored nine of the second half’s first 11 points and closed the gap to 39-24 on a pair of free throws by Cole with just over 14 minutes to play.But the Hawkeyes went cold, allowing Illinois to pull away to a 53-31 lead with just over seven minutes to play on one of Richardson’s 3s.For the game Iowa shot 30.6 percent – 15-for-49. Illinois held a 38-29 rebounding edge over the Hawkeyes, whose tallest starter is 6-foot-7 Jarryd Cole.McCamey finished the night with nine points and led the Illini with seven assists.The start was the first for Jordan, a junior and the son of NBA legend Michael Jordan.Eric May led the Hawkeyes with nine points.Illinois moved into a tie atop the conference with Purdue and Wisconsin. Iowa is last in the Big Ten.

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TAMPA—Luke Harangody made a free throw with 1.9 seconds left, capping a season-best 36-point performance, and giving Notre Dame a 74-73 victory over South Florida on Tuesday night.The Fighting Irish (13-3, 2-1 Big East) squandered a 13-point second-half lead before Harangody’s first basket in more than 10 minutes wiped out a 71-69 deficit and Tyrone Nash sank two free throws for a 73-71 lead.Dominique Jones scored 26 for USF (10-4, 0-2) and Mike Mercer’s tip-in in the final minute set the stage for a dramatic finish. Harangody was fouled by Mercer trying to muscle a potential game-winning shot between a double team.The Notre Dame star made the first free throw, then missed the second to give USF one more chance to pull out a win. The Bulls called a timeout to set up a play, but were unable to successfully inbound the ball.

LAKE FOREST—The Bears are bringing head coach Lovie Smith back for a seventh season. But he’s done calling the defensive plays.The team also fired offensive coordinator Ron Turner and five other coaches on that side of the ball Tuesday after going 7-9 with Jay Cutler at quarterback and missing the playoffs for the third straight year following a Super Bowl run.The Bears had problems on offense and defense and fell far short of expectations after the blockbuster trade with Denver to get Cutler. But instead of bringing in a big-name coach like Bill Cowher, the Bears stuck with Smith, who has two years and $11 million left on his contract.Since George Halas retired after the 1967 season,the Bears have never hired anyone with NFL Head Coaching experience.General manager Jerry Angelo, who was also under scrutiny, said he asked ownership if they wanted to go with a high-profile coach and would have understood if they did. Phillips, meanwhile, said Angelo recommended keeping Smith for a seventh season and that money was “a non-factor.” But he had also made it clear: The Bears had better win next season. At the moment, they’re not in a good spot. They’ve finished 7-9 in two of the past three seasons, and are trying to overhaul their staff at a time when the coach appears to be on shaky ground and potential labor issues loom.Former St. Louis coach Mike Martz told the Associated Press he is interested in becoming the offensive coordinator and reuniting with Smith, his defensive coordinator with the Rams. He also said he hasn’t heard from the Bears.

Turner’s second stint as Bears offensive coordinator lasted five years, a run that included two playoff appearances but ended with the Bears ranked 23rd in yards per game and 29th in rushing. A frosty relationship with Cutler probably didn’t help, either.Also fired were coaches Pep Hamilton (quarterbacks), Rob Boras (tight ends), Harry Hiestand (line), and assistants Luke Butkus and Charles London.Smith said he will look outside for a defensive coordinator and that line coach Rod Marinelli is not a candidate for that job. For all the moves, though, Smith said he’s looking for coaches with similar philosophies. “Changing schemes and all that, I think you have to stay with what you believe in,” Smith said. “Obviously, you want a winning football team. … We’ve been in a position where we’ve won with the things that we believe in, so why can’t we do that?” The Bears dropped eight of 10 following a 3-1 start, and as the losses mounted, so did speculation about Smith’s job status. Angelo at one point refused to say that Smith would be back while insisting there was no need for a roster overhaul.

After finishing the season with wins over NFC North champion Minnesota and Detroit, Smith has a a 52-44 record since replacing Dick Jauron before the 2004 season.The Bears went from 11 losses to 11 wins in the first two years under Smith, who was St. Louis’ defensive coordinator, before going 13-3 in 2006 and making a run to the Super Bowl. Since then, the Bears are 23-25 and have finished below .500 twice.The problems this year were well-documented.Cutler was often scrambling for his life behind a struggling line and threw 26 interceptions, the most by a Bears quarterback since Sid Luckman’s club record 31 in 1947 and the most in the NFL since Brett Favre threw 29 for Green Bay in 2005. He was under pressure, but he also made bad decisions while running back Matt Forte faltered after a promising rookie season.There were a few positives, though.Cutler’s 3,666 yards passing were second-most by a Bears quarterback behind Erik Kramer’s 3,838 in 1995, and an inexperienced receiving corps showed some promise. Johnny Knox ranked seventh among rookies with 45 catches for 527 yards and Devin Aromashodu came on strong over the final month and finished with 298 yards.While the hammer fell on Turner, the defense wasn’t much better even with Smith as the de facto coordinator after stripping the play-calling duties from Bob Babich, who officially still held the title while serving as linebackers coach.The Bears lost star linebacker Brian Urlacher to a season-ending injury in the opener at Green Bay, a big loss for a team that was hoping to contend in the NFC, and the defense never showed the dominant form that led them to the playoffs in 2005 and 2006. They were 17th in yards allowed, 21st in scoring and 27th in third-down conversions allowed.Team owner Virginia McCaskey, who watched the news conference from an auditorium balcony, and the McCaskey family issued a statement that expressed support for the changes.

Kevin Durant didn’t reach 30 points for the first time in eight games and he didn’t lead his team in scoring for only the sixth time all season. Thanks largely to Russell Westbrook’s 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists, the Thunder won anyway, beating the Bulls 98-85.At 19-15, the Thunder aren’t great yet. But the league’s second-youngest team has won six of its last seven games and is turning heads with its exciting, aggressive style.And Westbrook is the point guard who runs the show.Westbrook and Durant took over the game in the third quarter, when the Thunder shot 65 percent to Bulls 22 percent. They scored eight points apiece during a 27-6 run, and the Bulls never seriously threatened.Derrick Rose scored 19 points and Joakim Noah had 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Bulls, who were booed repeatedly in the second half.Since reports emerged that coach Vinny Del Negro’s job was in jeopardy and general manager Gar Forman refused to give him a vote of confidence, the Bulls had won four straight.In Monday’s second half, Del Negro said, his team played the way it had before the winning streak.The Bulls led 56-49 early in the second half when they stopped scoring and the Thunder started hitting shots. Westbrook’s driving layup and Durant’s 3-pointer capped a 15-4 run that put Oklahoma City ahead to stay, 64-60, with 6:38 left in the third.After Luol Deng made a jumper, the Thunder scored the next 12 points for a 76-62 lead. At that point, Oklahoma City was 12 of 17 from the field in the quarter while the Bulls were 5 of 29.Rose outscored the Thunder 7-2 to pull the Bulls within 10 points with 3:33 to go. But Westbrook responded with a basket and Durant hit two free throws to wrap up the victory.

NOTES—The Bulls play the Bobcats in Charlotte Tuesday night,then face the Bucks at the Bradley Center Friday evening before returning to the United Center to host Minnesota Saturday night….Westbrook’s string of double-digit assist games was snapped at four. He had none in the first half….After the first quarter, officials took a basket away from Tyrus Thomas when a video review showed his shot at the 2:09 mark failed to beat the 24-second shot clock buzzer….It was Oklahoma City’s fifth victory in 19 games when failing to score 100 points. The team is 14-1 when it hits the century mark.

***The Bears 7-9 season is finished. Now what? Lovie Smith will meet with many of his players and his staff starting Monday at Halas Hall.GM Jerry Angelo was not visable in the Ford Field Press Box Sunday, no doubt trying to avoid having to take questions about the Coahing staff future.

***The Lions finished 2-14,and what’s sick about that is the fact that they IMPROVED on last year’s 0-16 mark by a couple of W’s. 2-30 over two seasons!

***What a New Year’s weekend this was. I covered overtime losses by the Northwestern Football team(in the Outback Bowl to Auburn in Tampa Friday)and the Illinois men’s Basketball team(Saturday to Gonzaga at the United Center)some 24 hours,and 1000 miles apart. Oh, and a difference of some 70*.

***NU’s loss to Auburn was the school’s 7th straight Bowl defeat. This was as winnable of a Bowl game they have had. The Wildcats marched up and down the field against Auburn’s defense all day, but Mike Kafka(who nearly threw 80 passes)was intercepted 5 times. There were also the three missed field goal tries by Stefan Demos, who is a good kicker,but who had a tough day. His try as time expired in the fourth quarter would have won the game for the Cats,but it sliced wide right. Then came his overtime try to tie the game,that hit the right upright.Demos was also hurt on that attempt when a Tiger rolled into him for “roughing the passer”.That gave NU a first down but they couldn’t reach the end zone,choosing to ‘go for it’ on fourth down rather than try a field goal with an inexperienced kicker try a FG. The fake with a ‘fukblerooskie’ was stuffed, thus ending the game.

***Illinois had a miserable start against the Zags Saturday,but after falling behind by 21, they rallied and took as much as an 8 point lead in the second half.The Bulldogs caught up,and made the plays late to win by two. The loss was a rare one for the Illini in the UC,which they call their “Home away from home”.

***Since the Bulls have all of a sudden won four in a row-including a win over defending Eastern Conferene Champion Orlando Saturday night, is the Vinny Del Negro watch off for now?

***OK, so the Cubs finnally pulled off a player addition for the first time since dumping Milton Bradley! They got Marlon Byrd. And why not? They have been ‘flipping the Byrd(bird)’ at Cub Fans for years!

LES

ROSEMONT—Georgetown’s success is all about sharing. Pass the ball on offense to the open man and help out your teammates on defense. It’s how the Hoyas win, a style that coach John Thompson III demands.Chris Wright scored 18 points and Austin Freeman had 17 for the Hoyas, who had four players in double figures and shot 57 percent.Georgetown (11-1, 2-0) led by 10 at halftime and then pulled away. The Hoyas entered having allowed 58 points per game and they gave up only 25 in each half to the struggling Blue Demons, holding them to 39 percent shooting.It was Georgetown’s ninth straight victory over the Blue Demons.DePaul (7-7, 0-2), led by Mac Koshwal’s 16 points, has lost 21 straight Big East regular-season games, dating to March 2008.DePaul’s leading scorer Will Walker was held to nine points—seven under his average—on 3-of-14 shooting.DePaul had whittled an 11-point deficit to two before the Hoyas scored the final eight points of the half for a 35-25 lead. Wright hit a 3-pointer as he was falling down with about 8 seconds left, capping the run.Georgetown built the lead to 13 in the second half, holding DePaul to two baskets in the first 5 minutes. When Hollis Thompson got inside for a basket and Freeman made a 3-pointer on a nice pass from Wright, Georgetown was up 49-34 with 9:27 left.Moments later, Wright caught the Blue Demons napping on an inbounds pass and hit a layup to push the lead to 17.DePaul made a mini-run to cut it to 11 with just under 4 minutes left, but Freeman hit a 3-pointer. The Blue Demons didn’t get closer.

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NORMAL—Lloyd Phillips scored 21 points, including four 3-pointers, and Illinois State used an 11-0 second-half run to defeat Southern Illinois 68-61 Sunday night.Osiris Eldridge scored 14 points for the Redbirds (11-3, 2-1 Missouri Valley) and Dinma Odiakosa had 10 points and nine rebounds.An Odiakosa layup with 8:22 remaining gave Illinois State the lead for good at 49-47, followed by a Phillips 3 and two more Odiakosa baskets. Tony Lewis made two free throws to put the Redbirds ahead 58-47 with 4:45 to play.Kevin Dillard scored 16 points for the Salukis (9-3, 2-1). Justin Bocot had 13 points, Tony Freeman had 11 and Anthony Booker had eight points and 10 rebounds for Southern Illinois, which led 29-24 at halftime.

Blackhawks backup goalie Antti Niemi was good again, just not quite perfect.Marian Hossa scored twice and Niemi stopped 22 shots, but lost his shutout bid late in the third period of the Hawks 5-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night.Kris Versteeg, Troy Brouwer and Jonathan Toews also scored for the Blackhawks, who won their third straight. With 61 points, the Hawks are tied atop the NHL standings with the San Jose Sharks. The Blackhawks have won 12 of 15.With the Blackhawks ahead 5-0, Niemi was seeking his fifth shutout in 11 starts this season, but Petteri Nokelainen scored the first of his two goals with 3:21 left. He connected again 1:19 later.Niemi, however, stopped several tough chances before the Hawks built their lead. The Ducks also misfired or hit the post on others as they lost their third straight and fell for the fifth time in six games.Had Niemi held on for the shutout, he would have tied Phoenix’s Ilya Bryzgalov — who has played in 37 games — for the NHL lead. Niemi has been in 13 games overall, including two stints in relief of No. 1 starter Cristobal Huet.Anaheim’s Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 23 saves.Patrick Kane set up two goals, extending his point streak to eight games. The Blackhawks forward has seven goals and seven assists during the run.Both teams played for the second consecutive night and for the third time in four days. Neither club was sharp early as both failed to convert several close-in chances in the scoreless first period.Blackhawks defenseman Brian Campbell faked Giguere to the ice about six minutes in, but slid the puck through the crease and wide of an empty net.About two minutes later, Anaheim’s Kyle Chipchura hit the right post while Niemi was out of position. Niemi then made a point-blank stop on Nokelainen during a Ducks power play with 9:30 left in the first.Versteeg made it 1-0 at 6:21 of the second, capping a rush that began after Niemi stopped Corey Perry on a 2-on-1 rush with a sliding glove save.Versteeg slipped behind the defense without the puck and took a pass from John Madden just inside the blue line. Versteeg moved unchecked across the crease and beat Giguere with a high shot.Brouwer made it 2-0 with 4:15 left in the second. He took Kane’s feed from behind the net, skated in, and shoveled in a backhander with Giguere down.Hossa’s first goal, at 1:14 of the third, pushed the lead to three goals. His second, during a power play 2:27 later, made it 4-0.Toews made it a five-goal edge with 6:10 left when he tipped in Kane’s pass.

NOTES—

Anaheim C Ryan Getzlaf, who entered the game tied with Perry atop the Ducks’ scoring list, missed his fourth game because of a leg laceration. RW Teemu Selanne sat out his 15th due to a broken hand….Niklas Hjalmarsson missed his second game after being struck in the head with a puck while on the bench during a win over New Jersey on Thursday. Jordan Hendry took his place in the lineup.