GrobberNET

The Official Website of Les Grobstein

GrobberNET

ND breaks away from NC State for 35-14 win

SOUTH BEND—There was plenty of Love in the air and on the ground as No. 9 Notre Dame continued its comeback season with a convincing 35-14 victory over 14-ranked North Carolina State on a blustery Saturday afternoon.

”It’s amazing running behind those guys,” Notre Dame running back Josh Adams said after he rushed for 202 yards on 27 carries, including a 77-yard touchdown burst in the third quarter. ”I just love those guys.”

The long run came almost eight minutes after cornerback Julian Love returned an interception 69 yards for a touchdown, his second interception return for a touchdown this season. The two touchdowns put the Irish, up 21-14 at halftime, on cruise control.Adams, whose sixth 100-yard rushing game of the season and second 200-yard effort, has been catapulted into the Heisman Trophy race by his offensive line that produced 318 rushing yards. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound junior now has 1,169 yards on 132 carries, an average of 8.9 yards per carry.

”There’s 11 guys on offense, 11 on defense and 11 on special teams,” said Adams, who wears No. 33, about the on-line campaign ”33 Trucking.” ”I don’t think it’s built around me. We’re just trying to stay focused in what we want to accomplish.”

The sixth straight victory by Brian Kelly’s team, now 7-1, avenged a 10-3 loss at N.C. State last year in windy and rainy conditions caused by Hurricane Matthew that was the low point of a 4-8 campaign. N.C. State (6-2) saw its six-game winning streak come to an end.

”Our guys were up to the task,” Kelly said. ”They continually come out with energy and a mindset to get after the opponent.”

The two long third-quarter plays broke open a game that Notre Dame led 21-14 at halftime.

”I thought we really needed it,” said Love, who also had three passes broken up. ”We were up but you always need that turn of momentum, that crushing blow to an opponent.”

Love’s interception ended N.C. State quarterback Ryan Finley’s streak of consecutive passes without throwing an interception at 339. Earlier this season, Love had a 50-yard interception return for a TD in Notre Dame’s 38-18 victory at Michigan State.

”That was a huge momentum play,” N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said. ”I thought their defensive kids played well We were able to score just one touchdown.”

Notre Dame junior quarterback Brandon Wimbush had three first-half touchdowns, his 11th rushing TD of the season and two scoring passes of 25 yards to Durham Smythe and 11 yards to Kevin Stepherson. The scoring pass to Smythe came after Germaine Pratt of N.C. State fell on a blocked Irish punt to put the Wolfpack up 7-0.

NU wins in extra time again–3OT vs MSU

Image result for northwestern wildcats logo

EVANSTON—A gory injury couldn’t knock Nate Hall out of the game or stop him from coming up with Northwestern’s biggest interception of the season.Hall picked off Brian Lewerke in the end zone on the game’s final play – even though he had 30 stitches in his left hand – after Clayton Thorson threw a 22-yard touchdown to Flynn Nagel in the third overtime to lead the Wildcats to a 39-31 victory over No. 16 Michigan State on Saturday.NU had a third down at the 22 when Thorson hit Nagel on a crossing pattern for the go-ahead TD. Cameron Green caught the two-point conversion to make it an eight-point game, and two big plays by the defense on one snap preserved the victory .Lineman Joe Gaziano stripped Lewerke as he dropped back on second down at the 25. Hall heard the crowd roar and figured there was a sack, but he stayed locked in coverage.Lewerke picked up the loose ball and fired toward the goal line. Hall reached up and came down with a pass intended for Matt Sokol , setting off a wild celebration with the sideline emptying and fans pouring out of the stands.

”We’re taught to stay in coverage,” Hall said. ”That’s exactly what I did.”

That Hall finished the game was quite an achievement. He missed most of the second quarter after his middle and index fingers got bent so far back they broke the skin.His interception set off a wild celebration, with the sideline emptying and fans pouring out of the stands.

”We’ve always kind of had the same mentality,” Nagel said. ”We’ve known that we can be a good team. We are a good team. I think we’re not just starting to prove that.”

The win was the third straight for the Wildcats (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) and their second in overtime in as many weeks. Michigan State (6-2, 4-1) came up short after winning four in a row.Thorson threw for 356 yards and two touchdowns. Jackson had 41 yards rushing and 51 receiving. But the star running back threw for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter on his first career pass.Nagel added 87 yards receiving, and Cameron Green had 76 yards and a TD catch.

”We kept playing,” Thorson said. ”So proud of our guys. These are the games that – just think back to playing NCAA Football and going to triple-overtime with my brothers – this is something I’ve always wanted to do.”

Lewerke threw for 445 yards and four touchdowns. But he was second guessing his decision on the game’s final play.

”I should have thrown it away, but I saw Sokol running on the right side and it looked like he had a couple of steps on a guy,” he said. ”It just takes a little bit bigger of an arm to make that throw and obviously I probably shouldn’t have thrown it in that situation.”

Cody White had 165 yards receiving and two TDs. But instead of heading into next week’s home game against No. 2 Penn State unbeaten with a perfect conference record, the Spartans came up short facing a resurgent team.After Michigan State deferred to start the first OT, Thorson threw a 14-yard touchdown to Green.Lewerke then hit Felton Davis with a 6-yarder to tie it and gave the Spartans a 31-24 lead with an 11-yarder to White. But Jackson tied it again with a 3-yard run for his 38th career touchdown, tying Damien Anderson’s program record.

”They’re seeing the return on the investment, that the work (they’re) putting in, (they’re) getting the reward,” coach Pat Fitzgerald said.

Jackson also gave Northwestern a 17-10 lead early in the fourth. He took a handoff from Thorson and threw a wobbly 12-yard touchdown to Bennett Skowronek in the back of the end zone.Michigan State’s Matt Coghlin hit the right upright attempting a 32-yard field goal with about six minutes left in regulation. But the Spartans got another chance.Lewerke scrambled for 5 yards on a fourth-and-4 from the 30 and threw a 13-yard touchdown to Felton Davis III in the left corner of the end zone to tie it with 25 seconds left in regulation.The Spartans could have really made things interesting in the Big Ten with back-to-back games against No. 2 Penn State and No. 6 Ohio State coming up.The Wildcats squeezed out another tight win and once again seem to be hitting their stride after a slow start, just as they did last year.NU visits Nebraska on Nov. 4.

Illinois still winless in Big Ten after loss to Wisconsin

Illinois Fighting Illini

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) Wisconsin has relied all season on star freshman running back Jonathan Taylor to provide the winning edge.
When Taylor went down with an injury against Illinois on Saturday, the fifth-ranked Badgers showed how well they can play defense, forcing three turnovers to help key a 24-10 victory.
Wisconsin had five sacks and three quarterback hurries against the Illini’s inexperienced quarterbacks. The pressure up front led to two interceptions, one by defensive back Joe Ferguson, and a fumble recovery.

 

”When someone does get a pick or fumble, everybody is juiced-up and excited for them,” Ferguson said. ”It makes everyone else want to make a play.”
On offense, Wisconsin did just enough to get by. Alec Ingold and Garrett Groshek scored on short runs in the first half, and offensive lineman Michael Deiter added another touchdown on a trick play late in the game.
Taylor entered the game averaging 158.6 yards rushing, but only had 73 before leaving the game in the second quarter. Head coach Paul Chryst said he does not know the extent of the injury.

”It was fun to see other guys have to step up,” Chryst said. ”We’ll find out more about JT at practice this week.”

Alex Hornibrook made enough throws to get the victory for Wisconsin (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten). None was better than on the trick play that freed Deiter for his first career touchdown.Hornibrook dropped back on third-and-goal from the 4 and rushed right before throwing a backward pass to Deiter on the other side. The 328-pound Deiter caught it and hustled in for the score.
”I was super nervous,” Deiter said. ”I’ve never touched a football in a football game other than (at) center. I had the whole offensive line out in front of me. There was no way I wasn’t going to get in.”
Wisconsin gained 303 yards, well below its season average of 462.7 yards, but was able to overcome a sluggish performance for its 11th consecutive conference victory.
After starting with consecutive three-and-outs, Wisconsin came alive behind Taylor, who gained 52 yards to set up Ingold’s 1-yard plunge on his only carry of the game. That capped a 15-play, 92-yard drive that took just over eight minutes.
Without Taylor to contend with, the Illinois defense held its own, keeping the score at 17-3 until the fourth quarter. But the Illini offense never found a rhythm.

 

”It was an outstanding defense that we were going against,” Illini coach Lovie Smith said. ”We couldn’t establish the run. We had our moments with the passing game, but not enough consistency to win.”
Sophomore Jeff George Jr. and freshman Cam Thomas combined to go 9 of 31 for 152 yards. Thomas threw the interceptions, the second coming midway through the fourth quarter and ending any hopes of a comeback.
The Illini (2-6, 0-5) finally found the end zone on a 3-yard run by Kendrick Foster, but it came with less than a minute left in the game.

Rinne sticks it to Hawks again, goal scoring drought continues.

 

The Nashville Predators killed off six power plays, helping the Predators edge the Blackhawks 2-1 on Friday.
”Our goalie played real well tonight,” forward Craig Smith said. ”Kudos to him and our penalty killers. They were monsters.”

Smith followed Calle Jarnkrok’s first of the season with career goal No. 100, helping the Predators rebound from consecutive losses to Calgary and the New York Rangers. Nashville also lost 2-1 to Chicago in overtime during their first meeting on Oct. 14.

”Obviously, not the start we wanted but we were able to hang in there and then from the second period on I thought we played pretty well and started creating more and more offense,” Rinne said.

Corey Crawford had 28 stops, but the Blackhawks lost for the fourth time in five games. Coach Joel Quenneville tweaked his lines in search of more offense and ther Hawks generated plenty of opportunities, but couldn’t finish with Rinne on top of his game in net.

”Usually if you play that way, you know you’re going to end up with a couple goals,” Blackhawks star Patrick Kane said, ”so try to stay with it here and hopefully it comes.”

Artem Anisimov scored in the first. John Hayden had a good look at a potential tying goal with 4:15 remaining, but Rinne was there.The Blackhawks have just 11 regulation goals in their last six games.

”It’s a tough loss, but we played well,” Crawford said. ”We can definitely build on a lot of things tonight.”

Nashville was outplayed for most of the first period, but rebounded nicely in the second. Jarnkrok picked off a bad pass by Duncan Keith and beat Crawford from the slot 57 seconds into the period, tying it at 1.The Predators grabbed the lead on Smith’s power-play goal at 11:02. With Jan Rutta in the box for tripping, Smith sent a wrist shot past Crawford on the goaltender’s stick side for his second of the season.The Blackhawks had three power plays of their own in the second, and the Predators killed off each one. They were outshot 13-8 in the period despite all that time with the man advantage.

”Pekka gave us a chance after that first period, because we took on a lot of shots, a lot of attempts, a lot of zone time,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. ”He made so many big saves that allowed it to stay 1-0. And we got going after that. We were pretty good in the second and the third.”

The Hawks got two of their best scoring opportunities with Nashville on the power play. Brandon Saad was denied on a short-handed breakaway about eight minutes into the game. Rinne turned away Nick Schmaltz on another breakaway late in the first, but Anisimov followed the play and knocked it in for his second of the season.

NOTES—Blackhawks forward Lance Bouma skated off gingerly after he blocked P.K. Subban’s shot early in the third, but returned to the game. … Nashville swept Chicago in the first round of the playoffs last season. … The Blackhawks had 21 shots in the first, matching their season high for any period. … Saad celebrated his 25th birthday. … Bulls rookie Lauri Markkanen attended the game and played ”Shoot The Puck” before the third period. Rinne said he planned to meet his fellow Finn after the victory….The Blackhawks visit the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night.

r

Bulls get first win,,91-86 over Atlanta

Bulls Logo

The Bulls needed a big play, and Lauri Markkanen wanted the ball.Nothing timid about this rookie.Markkanen made a key 3-pointer with 48.5 seconds left in his fourth NBA game, helping the Bulls beat the Atlanta Hawks 91-86 on Thursday night for their first win of the season.

”I’m not afraid of big moments,” Markkanen said. ”Even though my shot wasn’t falling early on, I still believe every shot I shoot, I believe it’s going in.”

The 7-foot forward finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds, leading a dominant rebounding effort for the Bulls. Robin Lopez had 16 points and eight rebounds, and reserve David Nwaba finished with 15 points and 11 boards, helping the Bulls to a whopping 62-40 advantage on the glass.

”I think in the past few games we had struggled to close out possessions,” Lopez said. ”We had solid defensive possessions, but we let the opposing team get offensive rebounds and tonight I thought we did a great job of getting rebounding, of team rebounding.”

Marco Belinelli made five 3-pointers on his way to 23 points for Atlanta, which went 1-4 on the franchise’s longest road trip to begin a season. Kent Bazemore scored 16 points and Mike Muscala finished with 14 points and 10 boards.Belinelli made a 3 to give Atlanta an 86-85 lead with 1:48 left, but the Hawks never scored again. Lopez passed to Justin Holiday for a reverse layup and Jerian Grant found Markkanen for his big 3 in the final minute, making it 90-86.

”It was a tough way to end,” Muscala said.

Grant added a free throw in the final seconds, helping the Bulls close it out. Holiday had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Grant finished with 11 points and seven assists.Rookie John Collins had 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting for the Hawks, who won three of four against the Bulls last season. Playing without point guard Dennis Schroder, who missed his second straight game with a sprained left ankle, Atlanta did not attempt a free throw in the fourth quarter, while the Bulls went 9 for 12 at the line in the final period.
”They basically won the game at the free-throw line,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. ”That’s the difference. And both teams are struggling to score, we just kind of gifted them with free throws.”

Markkanen, the seventh overall pick in the June draft, made five 3-pointers and scored 19 points in Tuesday’s 119-112 loss at Cleveland, drawing praise from LeBron James for his shooting skills. He got off to a slow start against Atlanta, going 1 for 8 from the field in the first half, but he got back on track by putting the ball on the floor.He drove to the rim for a dunk and a three-point play with 8:33 left in the third. He added a slick driving layup with 6:48 to go, giving the Bulls a 49-44 lead after they trailed by as many as seven in the first half.Lopez has a framed picture of pop star Britney Spears in his locker. He said he found it after the Bulls season-opening loss to Toronto at the Air Canada Centre last Thursday.

Bucks return to Milwaukee Arena for one game, but fall to Celtics

Promo Title
 

MILWAUKEE—The Milwaukee Bucks wanted to play a game in the aging arena where the team got its start to celebrate the franchise’s half-century in existence.Al Horford and the Boston Celtics spoiled the party.Horford had 27 points and nine rebounds, held league scoring leader Giannis Antetokounmpo in check for long stretches and sank back-to-back 3-pointers late in the third quarter as the Celtics beat the Bucks 96-89 on Thursday night.
”He was great on both ends of the floor,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. ”He guarded Giannis a large part of the night and I thought did a great job on him and then he obviously hit the big 3s.”

Kyrie Irving added 24 points and seven assists for Boston, which avenged a loss to Milwaukee in Boston earlier this month.The game was played at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, formerly known as the MECCA, which served as the Bucks’ home from 1968 until the team moved into the Bradley Center in 1988. The Bucks chose to play one game this season at the 11,000-seat arena to mark the team’s 50th anniversary. The Bucks will move into a new arena next season.Antetokounmpo had 28 points. Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon added 15 apiece.Antetokounmpo, who came into the game leading the league with nearly 37 points per game, scored just 11 in the first half before matching that total in the third quarter as the Bucks built a seven-point lead midway through the period.

Bulls fade in fourth quarter, drop to 0-3 with loss to Cavs

Bulls Logo

CLEVELAND—LeBron James scored 34 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers, using another early season lineup, awakened after a sluggish first half and beat the winless Bulls 119-112 on Tuesday night.Although he often handles the ball and runs Cleveland’s offense, James had not officially been listed as a guard since 2012 with Miami. The superstar added 13 assists, including a no-look, behind-the-back dish to Jae Crowder for a 3-pointer during Cleveland’s 15-3 spurt in the third quarter.The Bulls did all they could. James just did more.

”You’re playing against the best player on the planet,” Fred Hoiberg said.

Kevin Love had 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Dwyane Wade, who asked Cavs coach Tyronn Lue to take him out of the starting lineup, came off the bench and added 11 points.Justin Holiday scored 25 and rookie Lauri Markkanen 19 for the Bulls, who made a season-high 17 3-pointers. The 7-foot Markkanen became the first player in NBA history to make 10 3-pointers in his first three career games.Cleveland trailed 92-91 entering the fourth before Love dropped a 3 and Kyle Korver made a pair of 3s in 33 seconds. The Bulls closed within six in the final two minutes, but the Cavs came up with two offensive rebounds to reset the shot clock before James drove past Markkanen for a left-handed layup to make it 118-110.It was vintage James, perhaps the only player in the game who can play either guard spot, both forward positons and center.It’s how he was raised.The Cavs were coming off an embarrassing loss to Orlando and their defense was atrocious in the first half, when the Bulls made 12 3-pointers and scored 65 points – 12 less than in their previous game.

Bears get 5 First Downs, complete 4 passes, and BEAT Carolina 17-3!

Eddie Jackson scooped up a loose ball and corralled a tipped pass. And with two long touchdown returns, he made NFL history.Jackson became the first player to score multiple defensive TDs of 75 yards or more in a game, leading the Bears to a 17-3 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. He’s also the only rookie in NFL history with two 75-yard defensive touchdowns in a season.Jackson’s big day came exactly one year after he broke his leg playing for Alabama against Texas A&M.

”I’d dealt with adversity before,” Jackson said. ”That’s one thing that I can credit Alabama on. They help you fight through adversity. I’ve been through a lot of stuff in my life. That was just a little minor stepping stone. I came here – it’s a great organization, great training staff and great teammates so they did a great job keeping me up, keeping me going.”

Jackson ran back a fumble recovery 75 yards on the game’s opening possession and returned an interception of Cam Newton 76 yards for a score early in the second quarter to give the Bears a 14-0 lead.He became the first Bears player since Fred Evans in 1948 – and the first NFL player since Tennessee’s Zach Brown in 2012 – with two defensive TDs in a game.The Bears also sacked Newton five times and intercepted him twice.The big plays by Jackson and the defense lifted the Bears (3-4) to their second straight win even though they got dominated in just about every statistical category.Carolina (4-3) held huge advantages in yards (293-153), time of possession (38:35-21:25), offensive plays (69-37) and first downs (20-5).

”Those two turnovers hurt us and we just couldn’t seem to get our (footing) back,” said Newton, who completed 21 of 34 passes for 211 yards and ran for a team-high 50.

The Panthers dropped their second straight game.

”We didn’t make plays, we really didn’t,” coach Ron Rivera said. ”We were very methodical. We moved the ball. We got in certain situations and they bowed their neck and did some good things defensively. Offensively, they did what they needed to do.”

Mitchell Trubisky was 4 of 7 for 107 yards in his third NFL start. The No. 2 overall pick threw a 70-yard pass to Tarik Cohen, but did little else.

”We just have to get better in the pass game, and that falls on me,” Trubisky said. ”I’ll be on the receivers and tight ends this week to continue to perfect our timing and routes. However, it mostly falls on me, so I just have to get better.”

Jordan Howard also had a quiet afternoon, even though Panthers star linebacker Luke Kuechly missed the game because of a concussion. He ran for just 65 yards after going off for a career-high 167 against Baltimore last week.The Bears matched last season’s win total and put together back-to-back wins for the first time since 2015 – coach John Fox’s first year in Chicago. They have six takeaways in the past two games. And against the Panthers, Jackson asserted himself right from the start.A fourth-round draft pick, he scooped up the loose ball near the end zone after Curtis Samuel botched a lateral and was barely touched if at all on the way to the end zone.Early in the second quarter, Prince Amukamara tipped a pass intended for Kelvin Benjamin. Jackson hauled in the interception and made a neat move to avoid a lunging Cam Newton in an otherwise clear path to a 76-yard TD.

”I see it every day in practice,” linebacker Pernell McPhee said. ”He is going to be special. That’s a special kid. Our whole secondary is special.”

The three points allowed matched Chicago’s lowest total since a 41-3 romp at Jacksonville on Oct. 7, 2012. The Bears haven’t allowed fewer than three since a 16-0 shutout of Miami on Nov. 18, 2010.Bears coach John Fox on matching last year’s win total: ”I don’t know if that’s really a benchmark for us, to be honest.”. DL Roy Robertson-Harris injured his hamstring defending the kickoff return following Jackson’s second touchdown.

Irish blow Trojans off the field in 49-14 Blowout.

SOUTH BEND—Brian Kelly expected 13th-ranked Notre Dame to win big against No. 11 Southern California. He even wrote it down on a piece of paper in the locker room before the game.

”I said if we didn’t win really big, I would be disappointed,” he said.

He wasn’t disappointed, and neither were his players who doused their coach with water following a dominating 49-14 victory over the rival Trojans on Saturday night.Brandon Wimbush passed for two touchdowns and ran for two more, Josh Adams added three touchdown runs and the Irish took advantage of three USC turnovers in what was a surprisingly easy win in the storied series that dates to 1926. It gave the Irish (6-1) their first victory against USC (6-2) when the Trojans were ranked since 1995.Wimbush credited the Irish defense with getting the offense going.

”When they take away the ball, you just get so excited, and (offensive coordinator Chip) Long wants to be aggressive and call a play, usually,” said Wimbush, who was coming back after missing a game with a right foot injury.

The turnovers came on a fumble and interception by Sam Darnold and a dropped punt by Jack Jones.

”We helped them by mistakes,” USC coach Clay Helton said.

Adams had an 84-yard touchdown run and finished with 191 yards on 19 carries. Wimbush ran for 106 yards on 14 carries as the Irish amassed 377 yards on the ground. Notre Dame led 28-0 at the half.

”The turnovers were key for us in the first half and being opportunistic, which really we’ve been all year offensively,” Kelly said.
Kelly was asked about Adams possibly not getting the attention he deserves nationally.
”He’s one of the best players in the country,” Kelly said. ”I’ll let others make that decision. Here’s what I know. We’re going to play some really good football teams the rest of the year. Maybe everyone should just wait until the end of the year and vote for the Heisman.”

It was the fifth 100-yard rushing game of the season for Adams, quickest to 2,000 rushing yards in Notre Dame history at 316 carries. It took George Gipp 323 carries to set the mark. It was the third 100-yard rushing game for Wimbush, coming back from missing a game with an injured right foot.Wimbush still wasn’t sharp passing, completing 9 of 19 passes for 120 yards. But he came up with key passes when needed.Linebacker Te’Von Coney, starting because Greer Martini injured his knee during the bye week, got the Irish going on a strip-sack of Darnold on USC’s first play from scrimmage after Darnold bobbled the snap. Wimbush threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Equanimeous St. Brown three plays later.Darnold completed 20 of 29 passes, but could not overcome the turnovers or USC being held to 76 yards rushing, including minus-4 in the first half. He threw two touchdown passes, the first cutting Notre Dame’s lead to 28-7.Kelly said beating rival USC and recapturing the Jeweled Shillelagh trophy were big, but said he expects the Irish to keep playing at this level.

”We want to be unique. Unique means this is not the crown jewel for us. We want more,” he said.

The Trojans continue to shoot themselves in the foot with turnovers, with 19 on the season. Darnold is responsible for all but three. USC can still win the Pac-12 title, but a playoff berth appears nearly impossible.

Hawks beat slumping Coyotes 4-2 in the desert

GLENDALE—The Blackhawks took a two-goal lead on a penalty shot by Tommy Wingels, only to have it erased upon review. The struggling Arizona Coyotes scored quickly after the rare play, tying the game and snatching the momentum.The Blackhawks are a veteran team, though, and kept grinding to keep the Coyotes winless. Wingels got to cap it with an empty-net goal to boot.Lance Bouma scored on a rebound with 4:24 left in the third period, Corey Crawford stopped 27 shots and the Blackhawks beat the NHL’s only winless team 4-2 Saturday night.

”We rebounded after that and found a way to get a win,” said Wingels, who also had an assist. ”The hockey gods kind of repay you, I think.”

The Coyotes have been playing better lately, but their only point is an overtime loss to Vegas the second game of the season. Arizona was aggressive and Louis Domingue made some spectacular saves against the Blackhawks after being replaced by rookie Adin Hill the past two games.The Blackhawks were just better.Patrick Kane and Richard Panik each scored and Jonathan Toews had a pair of assists for Hawks, who had lost three of four. Wingels put the game out of reach with his empty netter.

”We just stuck with it and it was a big win for us,” Bouma said.

The Coyotes made just enough mistakes in another what-could-have-been loss.Arizona failed to hold a lead for the sixth time in eight games, gave up another quick goal after scoring and allowed a breakaway goal after getting caught pinching at the blue line The Coyotes also went 0 for 4 on the power play, including two minutes of 5-on-3.Clayton Keller had his NHL rookie-best sixth goal of the season and Christian Fischer also scored for the Coyotes, who dropped to 0-7-1 with a long road trip next.

”A lot of positive things, but came up short again,” said Domingue, who stopped 25 shots. ”We’re getting close and against one of the greatest teams over the past decade, I thought we showed a lot of positive things.”

Arizona took the early lead when a shot by Fischer hit the stick of Jordan Oesterle and slipped between Crawford’s pads.No problem for the Blackhawks.The Coyotes have had a penchant for giving up goals immediately after scoring and did it again against the Hawks. Panik got this one, deflecting the puck past Domingue on a shot by Toews 1:01 after Fischer’s goal. It was the ninth time Arizona has given up a goal less than two minutes after scoring.

Arizona’s defensemen also have been caught pinching at the blue line multiple times this season, leading breakaways and odd-man rushes. That happened again, too, this time giving Kane, one of the best stick handlers in the game, a free run at Domingue. Kane beat him between the pads, using a deke to open up a forehand shot for his fourth of the season.

”We had a chance to score and it was kind of a fluke thing, and he gets a goal there,” Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said.

Wingels appeared to give the Blackhawks a two-goal lead by scoring on a penalty shot, but it was waived off after a review showed Domingue touched the puck before Wingels knocked it in.Arizona capitalized with a quick goal this time, with Keller backhanding a loose puck in the crease past Crawford after Wingels’ goal was negated.

NOTES—Niklas Hjalmarsson played against this former team for the first time. He spent 10 seasons with the Hawks, winning the Stanley Cup three times, before being traded to Arizona for Connor Murphy. … Blackhawks trainer Jeff Thomas worked his 1,000th NHL game. … Arizona G Antti Raanta missed his fourth straight game with an injury. … The Blackhawks have won eight straight against Arizona.The Hawks are at Vegas on Tuesday night.