Brent Seabrook has been suspended three games for his hit to the head of Blues captainDavid Backes in St. Louis on Saturday.Seabrook came in hard on the forecheck, lining up Backes for a hit with the Hawks on the power play. However when he came in on the hit the puck was already well gone off the stick of Backes and he was in a dangerous position. The result was a booming hit with the principal point of contact being Seabrook’s shoulder right to the face of Backes. There’s not much dispute, though; it was a bad hit. What’s interesting, though, is to hear the explanation from the NHL above. There is no talk about the contact to the head in the discipline, just mentions of the hit being examples of interference and charging. No matter what way you get there, though, the result is the same: a bad hit worthy of a three-game suspension. Backes was severely dazed — we can all assume what he suffered on the hit — and had to leave the game. Seabrook, meanwhile, earned a five-minute major and a game misconduct. The hit from Seabrook already cost the Blackhawks huge in one game as the Blues scored on the man advantage with 6.4 seconds left to force overtime and then won it in the extra period to go up 2-0 in the series. Now it’s going to cost them big in the next three games* (*if necessary).Seabrook played all 82 games this season and had 7 goals with 34 assists while averaging 22:16 per game as one of the Blackhawks’ most important defensemen. Clearly it’s a pretty massive loss for them. Of course the Blues potentially missing Backes for a few games is massive for them too but it has the Blackhawks in a really precarious spot now heading to the United Center.

The Blues get to celebrate another overtime goal as they put the defending Stanley Cup champions in a big hole. (USATSI)

ST. LOUIS—Vladimir Tarasenko and St. Louis were in trouble Saturday before a vicious hit by Brent Seabrook provided an opening for the Blues.That little crack was all St. Louis needed to put another dent in the Blackhawks’ bid for a second straight Stanley Cup title.Seabrook’s blow to the head of David Backes led to a 6-on-4 power play for St. Louis that ended with Tarasenko’s tying goal with 6.4 seconds left in regulation, and low-scoring defenseman Barret Jackman ended the game with a drive through traffic, giving the Blues their second straight 4-3 overtime victory over the Blackhawks and a 2-0 series lead.

“Those seeing-eye shots, I couldn’t believe it went in,” Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said.
St. Louis took the opener in triple-overtime and fought off a Chicago rally in a game that began less than 39 hours later.Game 3 is Monday night in the United Center.

Corey Crawford tossed his equipment around in the locker room before meeting with reporters. He said he was screened a bit on the game-winner, adding, “I had my pads together, but there was a little space there and it just kind of squeezed through.” Addressing the tying goal, Crawford said: “It’s frustrating, but whatever. I’m not going to cry about it. We’ve just got to work harder.”

Jackman is the longest-tenured Blues player in a career dating to 2002, and totaled three goals and 15 points in the regular season. He has two career playoff goals, both in overtime and both giving the Blues a 2-0 series lead, also stunning the Kings in the first round in 2012 — although the Kings recovered to take four straight.

“We were taking some big hits and kept our composure,” Jackman said. “And in the end, one squeaks in.”

St. Louis rallied after Seabrook received a five-minute major and game misconduct penalty for his hit on Backes that could lead to a suspension for one of the Hawks top defensemen. The Blues captain had to be helped off the ice, went straight to the locker room and did not return for the extra period.

“I have no thoughts on the hit, that’s up the league,” Hitchcock said. “How do you think he is? Not great. Let the league deal with it.”

Seabrook said he wasn’t trying to hurt Backes.  “I feel bad seeing a guy like that on the ice,” Seabrook said. “I’ve been there myself. I wasn’t trying to target his head or do anything like that.”

Blackhawks coach Joel Quennevillle didn’t want to comment on the hit until he had taken a closer look. At the time, he was worried about the game situation.
“We’re almost through it and I was like `Oh, my God,'” Quenneville said. “I was more worried about killing the major.”

Instead of retaliating, the Blues stuck up for Backes by sticking to the game plan.Shattenkirk said repercussions from the hit are “not for us to focus on.We really have to keep just pushing forward,” he added. “Whatever happens, just keep a positive mindset, a clear mind.”

Tarasenko’s second goal of the series was a wrist shot that banged off the right post and in. Kevin Shattenkirk had a goal and two assists for the Blues, who also got a goal from Chris Porter.Duncan Keith, Seabrook and Michael Rozsival scored in a span of five shots to put the Blackhawks up 3-2 early in the third. But Seabrook’s penalty proved costly and the Blackhawks got no help from a power play that went 0 for 4 and is 0 for 9 since Seabrook scored on their first chance in Game 1.Tarasenko made the most of the Blues’ 6-on-4 advantage after pulling goalie Ryan Miller.Keith’s goal late in the second ended a scoring drought of 119 minutes and 27 seconds for the Blackhawks since a three-goal first period in Game 1. Before the Hawk’s rally, Miller stopped 53 consecutive shots.A Blues checking forward started the scoring for the second straight game. Porter had one assist in 22 regular-season games.St. Louis made playing to the whistle pay off, capitalizing on a late flurry when Shattenkirk’s slap shot from just inside the blue line beat an out-of-position Crawford with 1.8 seconds to go in the first.

NOTES—Quenneville and Falcons offensive line coach Mike Tice are co-owners of a thoroughbred, Midnight Hawk, that was the prohibitive favorite but lost by a nose in the Illinois Derby on Saturday. … Shattenkirk had a career-best 10 goals in the regular season. … Porter, a ninth-round pick of the Blackhawks in 2003, scored his first goal since April 7, 2013, at Detroit. … Alexander Steen, who got the game-winner in triple-overtime in Game 1, is among five Blues players with two overtime playoff goals. The others: Brett Hull, Pierre Turgeon, Scott Young and Mark Reeds.

ST. LOUIS—This was one that the Blackhawks let slip away,but at least it’s only one game.The St. Louis Blues went the distance, and then some, to get the jump on the defending Stanley Cup champions.Alexander Steen scored at 26 seconds of the third overtime to cap the longest playoff game in franchise history and give the Blues a 4-3 victory over the Hawks in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on Thursday night.Steen beat Corey Crawford off a pair of short passes from Steve Ott and David Backes to end the marathon. Blues coach Ken Hitchcock greeted reporters for the postgame news conference with a hearty “Good morning”.

“It’s big. We want to start this series off on a good note,” Steen said. “Especially at home in front of our fans.”

Ryan Miller made 39 saves and blanked the Blackhawks after Patrick Kane scored on a breakaway to put the Visitors up 3-2 late in the first period.Jaden Schwartz tied it with 1:45 to go in regulation to send the game into overtime.Alex Pietrangelo logged 44 minutes, 8 seconds of ice time. Two Blackhawks, Duncan Keith and Niklas Hjalmarsson, played more than 40 minutes.

Hitchcock called Miller “a difference-maker.From the second period on, I thought he was great,” Hitchcock said. “Both goalies were outstanding.”

Crawford made 48 saves. The Blackhawks weren’t panicking.

“I think the big thing for us is we have to realize it’s only one game and we’ve got a quick turnaround coming back,” Kane said. “That’s the best part about it, we get right back at it.

Game 2 is Saturday afternoon.

“We’ve got to move ahead,” Joel Quenneville said. “We knew it was going to be a tough series from the start. We almost got through it.”

The Blues’ previous longest overtime game was a 4-3 loss at Detroit in 1984 that extended 37 minutes, 7 seven seconds. The home record for a playoff overtime game was 33:49 of extra time in a 5-4 win over the Hawks on April 20, 1989.St. Louis had to kill off delay-of-game penalties for shooting the puck into the stands in the first two overtimes and Quenneville argued vehemently for a second delay of game that would have given the Blackhawks a 5-on-3 advantage in the first OT. The Blackhawks killed off a holding penalty in the second overtime.Jonathan Toews, like Kane back from a lengthy injury absence, had two assists.Schwartz, Vladimir Tarasenko and Adam Cracknell all scored their first playoff goal for the Blues.The Blackhawks kept the Blues pinned in their own zone for 2:10 during the first overtime, and Maxim Lapierre made the save of the session getting his body on a drive by Kris Versteeg with less than two minutes remaining.Tarasenko was among the best players coming off a 15-game absence because of a broken thumb.Cracknell tapped in a rebound early in the first to end a scoring drought of 148 minutes and 39 seconds for a team that got shut out the last two games of the regular season.Kane scored his 30th career playoff goal after catching the defense napping at the end of a St. Louis power play, beating Miller off a long lead pass from Toews for a 3-2 lead at 18:24 of the first.Miller allowed three goals on just seven shots in the first with defensemen Johnny Oduya and Brent Seabrook also scoring for the Hawks.

“They had a couple of nice shots in the first, but I had to come out and battle,” Miller said. “Luckily I got ahold of a few of them.”

St. Louis’ top line of David Backes, Steen and Ott was a combined minus-5 in the first. Ott was a bit of surprise, considering he was minus-7 during the Blues’ six-game losing streak to end the regular season.Crawford faced just three shots in the second, but needed big saves to thwart Tarasenko and Ott. He made glove saves on drives by Steen and Tarasenko not long before Schwartz got the equalizer.

NOTES—Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, who has the longest consecutive game streak in major sports at 717 games, left in the first overtime and did not return. Hitchcock said Bouwmeester was dehydrated. … Oduya and Seabrook combined for 10 goals in the regular season. Oduya’s goal was first credited to Kris Versteeg on a deflection. … St. Louis got most of its injured players back but key forward T.J. Oshie (head) and Patrik Burglund (shoulder) were scratches. … Kane had two goals and four assists against St. Louis in the regular season and Toews had a goal and three assists.

BULLS VS WASHINGTON WIZARDS EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS SCHEDULE

GAME            DATE                             LOCATON                                   TIME (CDT)                 NETWORK

Game 1         Sunday, April 20          Washington @ Chicago            6:00 p.m.                       Comcast SportsNet Chicago/TNT

Game 2         Tuesday, April 22        Washington @ Chicago            8:30 p.m.                       Comcast SportsNet Chicago/TNT

Game 3         Friday, April 25            Chicago @ Washington            7:00 p.m.                       Comcast SportsNet Chicago/ESPN

Game 4         Sunday, April 27          Chicago @ Washington            12:00 p.m.                     ABC (Exclusive)

Game 5*        Tuesday, April 29        Washington @ Chicago            TBD                               TBD

Game 6*        Thursday, May 1          Chicago @ Washington            TBD                               TBD

Game 7*        Saturday, May 3           Washington @ Chicago            TBD                               Comcast SportsNet Chicago/TNT

CHARLOTTE—The Charlotte Bobcats defeated the Bulls 91-86 in overtime on Wednesday night to finish the season 43-39 and as the seventh seed in the East. Not bad for a team that was a combined 28-120 over the previous two seasons.But now there is the monumental task of beating the two-time defending NBA champions, something the Bobcats haven’t done in the LeBron James era.The Heat are 15-0 against the Bobcats since James signed.

“It’s going to be a challenge, but it’s the playoffs and anything can happen,” Bobcats guard Kemba Walker said. “It’s not going to be easy. We’re going to go out there and give it all we got just like we have been doing all year.”

The series starts on Sunday.

“It’s going to be a dogfight,”  Al Jefferson said.

The Bulls finished as the No. 4 seed in the East and will face the Washington in the first round after the Wizards leap-frogged the Brooklyn Nets on the final night of the season to grab the fifth spot.

“They are a great transition team with a lot of shooters and size,” Carlos Boozer said. “To make the playoffs you have to be a good team, and they’re a good team.”

After missing a jumper that would have won the game in regulation, Walker scored eight of his 22 points in overtime to help the Bobcats beat the Bulls for the first time this season and finish the regular season with eight wins in their final nine games.Jefferson added 10 points and 18 rebounds for Charlotte, and Chris Douglas-Roberts finished with 13 points after being held scoreless for the first three quarters.Josh McRoberts made a key play in overtime, his block of D.J. Augustin’s 3-point attempt leading to a fast-break layup by Walker that gave the Bobcats an 88-81 lead with 1 minute left.

“This was the type of game we needed going into the playoffs,” Jefferson said. “That’s a playoff team and that’s a playoff game that we played tonight.”

Joakim Noah finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds, Boozer added 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Augustin scored 17 points.The Bulls came in having won 10 of their last 11 against the Bobcats, including five straight in Charlotte by an average of 22 points per game.And it looked early on like this would be another road blowout for Michael Jordan’s former team.The Bobcats started the game cold, missing 21 of their first 29 shots from the field to fall behind 33-23. But Jefferson hit a short jumper and the Bobcats made 11 straight shots to take 43-37 lead at halftime.After a back-and-forth third quarter, the Bulls entered the final period leading 60-59.Every time Chicago attempted to pull away, Douglas-Roberts seemed to have an answer. Two nights after a buzzer-beater to sink the Atlanta Hawks, Douglas-Roberts had 12 points in the fourth period, including a left-handed layup off an offensive rebound with 3:42 left to tie the game at 75.After Taj Gibson missed a jumper with 25 seconds left, Walker had a chance to win the game but missed an open step-back jumper from 18 feet at the buzzer.

“I had a great look at it,” Walker said. “Just missed it.”

Walker’s big overtime helped the Bobcats improve to 20-9 since the All-Star break.

NOTES—The Bulls Playoff opener is Sunday night at 6pm against the Wizards at the United Center. The Bulls last played Washington in the Playoffs in 2005, and lost four games to two after winning the first two games…..Jefferson was taken to the locker room for observations with a left knee contusion midway through the third quarter. He did return to the game and played the entire fourth quarter. … With the win, the Bobcats avoided a season series sweep by the Bulls.

There’s just one game remaining in the regular season and the NBA playoffs begin on Saturday.The Bulls still don’t know their first-round opponent, but that’s fine with Joakim Noah.

”Whatever happens, happens,” Noah said after the Bulls’ 108-95 victory over the Orlando Magic on Monday. ”Our mentality is just getting ready for the next game, getting ready for Charlotte. We’re going to focus on out next opponent and everything will take care of itself.”

Noah had 18 points and 10 rebounds and eight assists, Mike Dunleavy scored 22 points and the Bulls pulled away late.With one game left in the regular season, the Bulls are fourth in the Eastern Conference playoff race and looking at a first-round matchup with Brooklyn. To catch Toronto and finish third, the Bulls would need to win the season finale at Charlotte on Wednesday and have the Raptors lose at New York.

”The important thing is for us to continue to strive for improvement [and] finish the season as strong as we can and go from there,” Thibodeau said.

Kyle O’Quinn led Orlando with 20 points on 9-for-11 shooting, and Andrew Nicholson added 19. Rookie Victor Oladipo was limited to 10 points after scoring a career-high 35 points against the Bulls earlier in the season.Jimmer Fredette had 17 points.With guard D.J. Augustin missing the game to attend the birth of a child, the Bulls’ rotation was a bit off in the first half.Fredette was the first player off the bench and he showed the rust of not playing much since being picked up at the beginning of March.The Bulls led throughout the first half, often by double figures, but the Magic hung around and pulled within 67-64 with just under three minutes left in the third quarter.Dunleavy, though, hit a 3-pointer to stop Orlando’s momentum. Soon after, Fredette capped the third-quarter scoring with a pair of free throws to make it 81-70 heading into the fourth.The Bulls quickly thwarted any hopes of a Magic comeback by opening the final quarter with a 13-7 to make it 94-77 with about seven minutes to go.Fredette had nine points on 4-for-6 shooting in the fourth.

”I didn’t know until I got here,” Fredette said of his increased playing time. ”I was able to step in and help the team get a win.”

With a win in the season finale, the Bulls would get to 49 victories, a feat few thought possible following the injury to Derrick Rose and trade of Luol Deng earlier in the season.

”It feels great to be in this position right now, but we’re definitely not satisfied,” Noah said. ”We want more, we feel like we can do more. It’s a group that’s gone through so much adversity, to be in this position is definitely a blessing. But we’re not satisfied.”

NOTES—The Bulls completed their recent roster shake-up on Monday by signing C Greg Smith and waiving F Toko Shengelia. ”We’re excited that he is with us,” coach Tom Thibodeau said of Smith. ”When he was healthy, he played very well. We feel we’re fortunate to be able to pick him up.” Smith had arthroscopic knee surgery in February and is still rehabbing. He averaged 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in 89 games for the Houston Rockets. Shengelia was acquired from the Brooklyn Nets earlier this season for Marquis Teague. Last week, the Bulls signed Ronnie Brewer, Mike James and Lou Amundson to bring their roster to the maximum 15.. Orlando G Jameer Nelson missed his second straight game with a strained left groin. … The Magic finished the year with a 4-37 road record, including 11 straight losses to end the season.

The Blackhawks will launch the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the team’s sixth consecutive appearance in the postseason, when they face the St. Louis Blues in the best-of-seven First Round series beginning with Game 1 at the Scottrade Center on Thursday, April 17 at 7:00 p.m. and Game 2 on Saturday, April 19 at 2:00 p.m.
Games 3 and 4 will be held at the United Center on Monday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, April 23 at 8:30 p.m. If necessary, the Blues will host Game 5 on Friday, April 25 at 7:00 p.m., the Blackhawks will host Game 6 on Sunday, April 27 at 2 p.m. and the Blues will host Game 7 on Tuesday, April 29 (time TBD). All times listed are Central.
The Blackhawks finished the 2013-14 regular season with a 46-21-15 record (107 points) and earned the third seed in the NHL’s Central Division. For the first time since 1992-97, Chicago has reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs for six consecutive seasons.
The Hawks posted a 2-1-2 record against St. Louis during the regular season, including wins in each of the last two meetings between the clubs. This marks the 10th Stanley Cup Playoff matchup between the Hawks and St. Louis, and the first since the 2002 Western Conference Quarterfinals.
Below is a complete game schedule of the Blackhawks First Round series. Game 2 and Game 6 will be televised nationally by NBC, while Game 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7 will air locally on CSN Chicago. The First Round can be heard on WGN AM-720 (Game 1 and 4) and 87.7 FM The Game (Game 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7). All seven contests are available on WGNRadio.com and the WGN Mobile App. The Blackhawks Media Relations Department will release updated practice information each day throughout the series.

Game    Date    Time (CT)    Venue    Local TV
Game 1    Thurs., April 17    7:00 p.m.    Scottrade Center    CSN Chicago
Game 2    Sat., April 19    2:00 p.m.    Scottrade Center    NBC
Game 3    Mon., April 21    7:30 p.m.    United Center    CSN Chicago
Game 4    Wed., April 23    8:30 p.m.    United Center    CSN Chicago
Game 5*    Fri., April 25    7:00 p.m.    Scottrade Center    CSN Chicago
Game 6*    Sun., April 27    2:00 p.m.    United Center    NBC
Game 7*     Tues., April 29    TBD    Scottrade Center    CSN Chicago
Home games in bold. Games 5, 6 and 7 are if necessary.

NEW YORK—Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 20 points and the New York Knicks, a night after being eliminated from playoff contention, beat the Bulls 100-89 on Sunday.No longer with any hopes of their own, the Knicks snapped the Bulls’ seven-game winning streak and dropped them back into a tie with Toronto for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference with two to play.Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith each had 17 points for the Knicks, who were eliminated Saturday when Atlanta beat Miami, ending New York’s run of three straight postseason berths.A 54-division champion last season, they believed they were built to play deep into the spring, so confident in what they had that Amare Stoudemire said the expectations should have been even higher.

“On paper, we might be the best team in the league,” he said before the game. “We’ve got great players on this team who’ve accomplished so much. We just couldn’t put it together.”

Joakim Noah had 13 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists for the Bulls. Jimmy Butler scored 17 points, but the Bulls was just 6 of 22 (27 percent) from 3-point range.The Knicks led 45-39 at halftime, then Smith hit consecutive 3-pointers and Raymond Felton made one for a 9-0 spurt that opened a 60-46 advantage, and the lead reached 67-50 when Anthony nailed a 3.The Bulls were was down 17 again with 7 minutes to play before finally making a push, cutting it to 93-87 when Taj Gibson’s three-point play capped a 15-4 run. But they repeatedly misfired from the perimeter, preventing them from getting any closer.The Knicks have played well in March and April, beating Toronto on Friday, but it’s too late after they had already fallen to 21-40.

“Being the coach, I just apologize to the fans, because again, they pay their hard-earned money to come out and see us play and we didn’t come into this season expecting this,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said.

Whatever expectations the Bulls had were gone after Derrick Rose was lost to season-ending knee surgery in late November and Luol Deng was traded on Jan. 7. But the Bulls has not only regrouped but flourished, bringing an Eastern Conference-best 35-14 mark in 2014 into Sunday’s play.But they will need help now — perhaps from the Knicks, who host Toronto in Wednesday’s finale — to get the No. 3 spot, since the Raptors would get the tiebreaker as a division champion. The Bulls close against Orlando on Monday and at Charlotte on Wednesday.

NOTES—The game was originally scheduled for a 1 p.m. start and be shown nationally on ABC, but was booted shortly after the Bulls’ 109-90 rout of the Knicks in the United Center on March 2. The Indiana-Oklahoma City game was shifted to that marquee spot. …The Bulls were trying for its first eight-game winning streak since Feb. 20-March 7, 2012.

NASHVILLE—The Blackhawks certainly draw plenty of their own fans with them when playing in Nashville.Simply playing the defending Stanley Cup champs definitely brings out the best in the Predators this season.Patric Hornqvist scored the go-ahead goal with 58.2 seconds left and Shea Weber added an empty-netter as the Nashville Predators rallied with five goals in the third period to beat the Blackhawks 7-5 Saturday night in their home finale.The teams combined to score seven goals in a wild and furious final period. The Hawks were up 3-2 going into the third, and Nashville finally put the Blackhawks away with the two goals inside the final minute. Nashville, which also scored seven goals while beating the Hawks earlier this season, took the season series 4-1 before an arena about half full of Blackhawks fans.

“I felt that gave us some motivation to let them come and then go home sad,” Nashville coach Barry Trotz said of the latest win. “That was my goal.”

Hornqvist also had an assist. Craig Smith had a goal and an assist. Paul Gaustad, Ryan Ellis, Matt Cullen and Colin Wilson also scored a goal apiece as 12 of 18 Nashville skaters got at least a point.Ben Smith, Marian Hossa, Matt Carey, Jeremy Morin and Andrew Shaw each scored a goal for the Blackhawks, who finished the season third in the Central Division. The Blackhawks now must wait to see if they are playing either Colorado or St. Louis when the playoffs start. Both teams play Sunday.

“It’s going to be interesting,” Hossa said. “It’ll come down to the last game to decide who we’re going to play.”

The Predators were eliminated from the postseason for a second straight year with a shootout loss Tuesday night at Dallas, but they now are 8-1-2 over their last 11 games. They certainly didn’t quit when they had the chance down 2-0 in the first period or trailing going into the third.

“It’s obviously a good sign,” Weber said. “There’s no quit in this locker room. A lot of character. We knew guys weren’t going to quit. It’s tough to be out of the postseason, but there is still a lot to play for.”

Nashville scored the first two goals of the third as Cullen scored off a rebound at 4:03 followed by Wilson scoring off a rebound of Weber’s shot at 7:05. That gave Nashville its first lead of the night at 4-3.It didn’t last long as Morin scored 55 seconds later with a helping hand from Nashville defenseman Roman Josi who was trying to poke it away from the post only to knock it over the line tying it up at 4.Gaustad put Nashville up 5-4 with 2:55 left only to see Shaw tie it up yet again with a slap shot with 1:35 remaining.Hornqvist put Nashville ahead to stay when he tipped in a shot by Wilson. With goalie Antti Raanta pulled, Weber sealed the win with his 22nd goal this season.

“Obviously, there are four months until the next home game, but I think it was great for our fans to see what we are all about,” Hornqvist said. “When we are playing good, we can beat any team in the league and obviously it will give us some confidence for next year too.”

The Blackhawks’ faithful did their best to turn this game into a near home game with so much red sitting in the stands, taking advantage of the short flight from Chicago. They turned out even though the Hawks were already locked into third in the Central Division, and coach Joel Quenneville scratched defenseman Duncan Keith for a second straight game. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews remained out with injuries waiting for the playoffs.Hossa did not play after the first period after getting his 30th goal this season, which Quenneville discussed with him Saturday morning.

“It was a perfect ending for him,” Quenneville said. “He had a nice year for us.”

NOTES—Nashville finished the season with four straight home wins. … Hornqvist now has a career-high 52 points this season, and the Swede has 17 points in his last 10 games. That’s the most of any NHL player since March 21. … Carey’s goal was the first of his career in his second NHL game. … Cullen’s goal was his 600th career NHL point. … The Blackhawks finish the season 12-3-3 in the second game of back-to-back series, they scored five or more goals in an NHL-best 25 games.

D.J. Augustin scored 24 points, Taj Gibson added 17, and the Bulls rallied from 18 down to beat the Detroit Pistons 106-98 for their seventh straight win on Friday night.Carlos Boozer finished with 18 points. Mike Dunleavy Jr. scored all of his 14 in the second half, and the Bulls kept their longest win streak of the season going.They moved a game ahead of Atlantic Division leader Toronto for third in the Eastern Conference, with the Raptors losing to the New York Knicks. The Bulls also clinched home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs with Brooklyn falling to Atlanta.They trailed by 56-38 at the half after getting dominated inside by Andre Drummond but turned things around in a big way after that.The Bulls outscored Detroit 32-24 in the third quarter to pull within 10 and went on a 15-0 run in the fourth to turn an eight-point deficit into a 90-83 edge. The Bulls then hung on in the closing minutes for their 35th win since Jan. 1 – tops in the Eastern Conference.They pulled this one out even though they got dominated by Drummond, who scored 26 and tied a career-high with 26 rebounds.Rodney Stuckey scored 22 points and Brandon Jennings added 17 but the Pistons lost for the 18th time in 20 road games.Detroit was leading 83-75 with just over 10 minutes left in the game when Gibson, who scored 11 in the fourth quarter, hit two free throws to start the decisive rally.Augustin then nailed back-to-back jumpers to make it a two-point game, and after committing a charge, he tied it at 83 when he hit two free throws with 8:10 left.Jimmy Butler then put the Bulls ahead with a layup after Jonas Jerebko missed a 3 for Detroit. The Bulls continued to add to it.A three-point play by Gibson, who landed near the photographers along the baseline, and two more free throws by Augustin put the Bulls up 90-83 with 6:14 remaining.Peyton Siva answered with a 3 for Detroit, but the Bulls stayed in control after that.Joakim Noah had six points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, giving him 408 on the season and putting him in some elite company. He became the ninth player in NBA history – and third with the Bulls – with at least 400 assists and 100 blocks in a season, joining Kevin Garnett (six times), Sam Lacey (three times), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (twice), Alex English, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Alvan Adams and Dwyane Wade.

NOTES—The Bulls finish out the regular season with games at New York on Sunday, at home against Orlando on Monday and at Charlotte on Wednesday. ..Tom Thibodeau on the Bulls signing Mike James, Lou Amundson and Ronnie Brewer, who had played for them in the past: ”It gives you more depth for practice, energy, insurance if you take on an injury. And the fact that they’ve been here before, we think is a plus.” … Pistons F Josh Smith missed his third straight game because of tendinitis in his left knee.