Keith PP goal in OT gives Hawks 4-3 win over Red Wings

A nifty shot by Duncan Keith helped the Blackhawks keep rolling despite giving up two leads.Keith scored a power-play goal 38 seconds into overtime, lifting the Hawks to a 4-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night for the Blackhawks’ fourth straight victory. Keith, who also had an assist, beat Petr Mrazek with a rising screened drive from the top of the slot. The man advantage was set up when Justin Abdelkader was called for boardingĀ Niklas Hjalmarsson with 15.2 seconds left in the third. It was just the second goal this season for Keith, who was named to the All-Star team earlier in the day for the fourth time in his career. The two time Norris Trophy winner has 29 assists, and moved into third place in all-time scoring among Blackhawks defensemen with 86 goals and 403 assists.
”I feel I’ve been shooting the puck quite a bit better the last three weeks or so.” Keith said.
And the difference?

”If I gave away my secrets, everybody would be using them,” Keith joked. ”I don’t know if those secrets work. I’ve got two goals.”

Keith’s goal, which he didn’t think Mrazek saw, allowed the Western Conference-leading Blackhawks to sweep a four-game homestand.Richard Panik also had a goal and assist, while Brian Campbell and Tanner Kero each scored. Ryan Hartman added two assists and Corey Crawford stopped 33 shots.

”The expectations are to keep climbing in the standings and obviously finish first in our division,” Campbell said. ”I think we’re starting to roll our lines a lot better right now than we were earlier in the season. We’re picking up the tempo of the game a little bit more.”
Andreas Athanasiou, Tomas Tatar and Luke Glendening had Detroit’s goals. Mrazek had 39 saves as the Red Wings fell to 2-2-2 on a season-high seven-game road trip.Penalties hurt the Red Wings. the Hawks were 2 for 6 with the advantage and got added momentum from the chances. Detroit failed on its lone power play.Abdelkader, who returned after missing 16 games with a knee injury, said he and his team were happy with the point, even if the late penalty against him allowed the Hawks to get two.

”It’s never a good feeling, but that’s how it goes,” Abdelkader said. ”We took too many penalties tonight. but we found a way to battle back.”

Panik’s goal was his 10th, making him the sixth Hawk player to reach double digits. Both Panik and Campbell ended eight-game droughts. Kero’s goal was his first in nine games since his recall from Rockford of the AHL.Athanasiou, benched at Anaheim on Jan. 4, has responded with three goals and six points in his last three games.Buoyed by three power plays, the Blackhawks dominated the first period and led 2-0 after 20 minutes on goals 26 seconds apart by Campbell and Panik.
”I thought (penalties) hurt us in the first period,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. ”We took a penalty right away and now you’re on your heels a little bit.”
Campbell opened the scoring during a power play at 10:04. His shot from the top slot glanced off Detroit defenseman Alexey Marchenko in front and past Mrazek’s glove.Panik then connected to complete a 2-on-1 break with Hartman when he swatted in a rebound of Hartman’s shot with a backhander.It was 3-all after two as Detroit took charge in the middle period.Hhanasiou cut it it to 2-1 at 1:37 after Trevor van Riemsdyk turned over the puck behind the net to Thomas Vanek. Vanek fed it to Athanasiou at the left side of the slot and he ripped a rising shot over Crawford’s glove.Tatar capitalized after another scramble near the Blackhawk net and tied it at 2 at 9:09 – just 21 seconds after he left the penalty box.Kero put the Hawks back ahead 3-2 with 1:42 left in the second, swatting in a loose puck from just outside the crease.But Glendening knocked in the puck from a scrum on the right side of the net with 19 seconds remaining in the period to knot it again.Both goalies had to be sharp to keep the third scoreless.

NOTES—Keith trails only Doug Wilson and Bob Murray in career scoring by a Blackhawks defenseman. . Detroit D Mike Greene returned after sitting out eight with an upper-body injury. Greene is the Red Wing’s top scoring defenseman. … The Blackhawks and Red Wings play their second of two regular-season games on March 10 in Detroit. … Four Blackhawks players, the most from any team, were named to NHL All-Star team – G Corey Crawford (second appearance), Keith (fourth appearance), C Jonathan Toews (sixth appearance) and RW and reigning MVP Patrick Kane (sixth appearance.). The lone Red Wings player selected was C Frans Nielsen, who will make his first appearance.The Blackhawks: are at Washington on Friday night.

Wall gets game winner over short handed Bulls

Chicago Bulls Logo - Red bull with script above head

WASHINGTON—John Wall scored 26 points, including a game-winning baseline jumper with 5.9 seconds left, and added 14 assists as the Washington Wizards moved above .500 with a 101-99 victory over the Bulls on Tuesday night.Marcin Gortat had 10 points and 12 rebounds for Washington (19-18). He also set the screen that freed up Wall for his jumper to seal a 10th straight home win.Markieff Morris and Bradley Beal each added 19 points for the Wizards, who completed their biggest comeback victory of the season after trailing by 18 in the second quarter.Washington is above .500 for the first time in more than a year. A season ago, the Wizards were 6-5 after a victory on Nov. 24, 2015.Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler and Niko Mirictic were all missing from the short handed Bulls lineup

Thunder capitalizes on Butler’s flu, and whips Bulls 109-94

Chicago Bulls Logo - Red bull with script above head

Russell Westbrook had 21 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds, helping the Oklahoma City Thunder pull away from the Bulls for an easy 109-94 victory Monday night.Steven Adams scored 22 points and Enes Kanter had 20 points and 11 rebounds, leading a dominant performance inside for Oklahoma City. Victor Oladipo added 13 points.Dwyane Wade led the Bulls with 22 points, and Michael Carter-Williams had 15. Cristiano Felicio finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds.The Bulls had won three in a row and five of seven, but they were no match for the Thunder with Jimmy Butler hampered by an illness. The reigning Eastern Conference player of week had one point on 0-for-6 shooting and seven assists in 29 minutes before exiting in the third quarter.

Hawks make it three straight on home stand with 5-2 win over Predators-Hartman gets hat trick.

Ryan Hartman scored off a goalmouth scramble in the third period and tacked on two empty-netters, helping the Blackhawks beat the banged-up Nashville Predators 5-2 on Sunday night.Artemi Panarin and Niklas Hjalmarsson also scored for the Blackhawks, who have won the first three of a four-game homestand. Patrick Kane added three assists, running his team-best total to 32 in 43 games, and Corey Crawford made 25 saves.Hartman was credited with his eighth of the season when Richard Panik’s shot created a scrum in front of the net, and the referees ruled the puck crossed the line before the goal was dislodged. It looked as if the puck might have gone off Hartman’s left hand while he battled Nashville defenseman Yannick Weber for position.The Predators pulled Pekka Rinne for an extra attacker with 1:39 left, and Hartman added two more goals for his first career hat trick. The big night for the rookie moved him into fifth on the team with 10 goals.Nashville lost for the third time in four games. Mattias Ekholm and Austin Watson scored for the Predators, and Rinne finished with 26 stops.The Predators played without defenseman P.K. Subban and forwards James Neal, Colin Wilson and Viktor Arvidsson. Subban has been out since Dec. 15 with an upper-body injury, and Neal was placed on injured reserve Saturday with an upper-body injury. Arvidsson missed his second straight game with an upper-body injury, and Wilson was inactive after he left Friday’s 2-1 loss at Florida with an injury.But Nashville was in position to possibly steal one on the road before Hartman’s closing flurry. The Predators tied it at 2 early in the third when Mike Fisher’s shot got past Crawford and went off the post before Watson poked it in.Defenseman Ryan Ellis had a shot go off the right post about 5 1/2 minutes into the third, and the Predators had a couple more prime scoring opportunities in the final period.The Blackhawks jumped in front in the first when Kane skated into the middle of the Nashville zone and passed it over to Panarin, who drove a one-timer over Rinne’s right shoulder from the outside of the left circle at 7:45.Panarin, who also scored in Friday night’s 2-1 win against Carolina, nearly picked up a second goal in the second, but Rinne got over for a terrific left pad save. The Russian winger has 20 points in his last 18 games.Nashville bounced right back after Panarin’s 17th of the season, tying it at 1 just 45 seconds later. Fisher made a nice pass to Ekholm, who beat Crawford from the left circle for his second goal of the season.

NOTES—It was Joel Quenneville’s 1,500th regular-season game as an NHL head coach. He is 389-194-78 in nine seasons with the Hawks. … Actor Bill Murray attended the game…..The Blackhawks host the hated Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night.

Cats overcome poor first half finish to beat Nebraska

Northwestern Wildcats (1981 - Pres)

LINCOLN—Northwestern came to Nebraska off two straight losses and went into halftime at Pinnacle Bank Arena on the wrong end of a dizzying 14-0 run that wiped out its double-digit lead.

”We know we have good players, we know we have a good team,” Wildcats coach Chris Collins said. ”But can we be tough? In this league, you have to be incredibly tough to win.”

The Wildcats were tough enough Sunday, winning 74-66 against a Nebraska team that started the day alone in first place in the Big Ten.Scottie Lindsey scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half and Northwestern withstood the run that stretched to 16-0 early in the second half.

”I think it gives a lot of our confidence back,” Lindsey said. ”We’d lost two straight games, and it’s easy to fold like that. We wanted to come in here against a team that’s proven that they’re here to stay; they’re No. 1 in the conference right now. We wanted to come in here and get a big win, and we did.”

Vic Law was 5 for 6 on 3-pointers and finished with 15 points for the Wildcats (13-4, 2-2 Big Ten), who also got 13 points from Dererk Pardon.Tai Webster scored 17 points to lead the Huskers (9-7, 3-1), who lost for the first time in five games.Northwestern made its first five 3s of the second half, with Law hitting one to give the Wildcats a 56-50 lead. The Huskers got no closer than five points the rest of the way.

”We knew they had shooters, and one quick letup and just like that it’s five 3s, and they go on a run and now we’re playing catch-up,” Nebraska’s Evan Taylor said. ”It’s a learning lesson. We have to get better moving forward.”

The Huskers looked ready to blow out the Wildcats after they outscored them 14-0 over the last 1:42 of the half to go up 37-33, with Webster popping a 3 just before the buzzer.

”Initially a little shell-shocked,” Collins said, describing his players’ mood at half. ”I think we were angry but initially we couldn’t really express it because we felt we were in control of the game. The tempo was to our liking, we were playing pretty good defense. It hit us like a buzz saw. Webster hits the 3 at the buzzer and you’re down four. That was a critical time for our team.”

Northwestern matched its season high with 11 3s on 24 attempts. The Wildcats shot 50 percent in the second half and 51 percent for the game. The Huskers mustered just 37.5 percent after halftime and 43.1 percent overall.

”They packed it in and dared us to shoot outside shots,” Taylor said. ”I thought their defensive game plan was good, but we kind of got timid on offense.”

The Huskers, trying to start conference play 4-0 for the first time since 1975-76, got 12 points from Michael Jacobson and 11 from Taylor. But Glynn Watson Jr., who had a career-high 34 against Iowa on Thursday, was held to just six points.

”You live and die by the jumper,” Jacobson said. ”If you’re making them, everything looks good. As soon as they don’t go in, it’s pretty ugly.”

The Wildcats are in the middle of playing four of its first five conference games on the road for the first time since 1955-56. Beating the Huskers was almost a must for a team that harbors hopes of making the NCAA Tournament for the first time.The Huskers were coming off their thrilling double-overtime victory over Iowa on Thursday, and it didn’t look like they were short on energy early. But it became apparent fatigue was a factor as Northwestern began winning most the loose balls and Nebraska’s shooting took a dive in the second half.

”One of our better wins, if you consider what Nebraska was playing like. They were the hottest team in our league… They have one game they’d like to have back. Everybody says, `Oh, they lost to Gardner-Webb.’ We all have a game where you’re a little braindead in the nonconference before Christmas. For us to come in here and steal one on the road was huge for our team and program.” – Collins….Northwestern visits Rutgers on Thursday.

Bulls beat Raptors for tenth straight time-rally from 19 down for win in OT

Chicago Bulls Logo - Red bull with script above head

Jimmy Butler scored 42 points, and the Bulls overcame a 19-point deficit to beat the Toronto Raptors 123-118 in overtime Saturday night.Butler led a big run in the fourth quarter and hit a 3 with 17.3 seconds left in overtime for a five-point lead.He also hit the 40-point mark for the third time in six games. Dwyane Wade added 20 points, and Doug McDermott had 17 to help the Bulls win their 10th in a row against Toronto.DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 36 points. Kyle Lowry added 27 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds, but the Atlantic Division leaders lost for the fourth time in six games.The Raptors led by 19 late in the third, only to see the Bulls come charging back.It was tied in overtime when McDermott hit three free throws and cut for a dunk to give the Bulls a 116-111 lead with 2:18 remaining. Two free throws by Lowry made it a three-point game. But Terrence Ross missed potential tying 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions. Butler hit two free throws after DeMarre Carroll converted 1 of 2 to make it 118-114 with 1:06 remaining. Lowry then drove for a layup to cut it to two, but Butler nailed a dagger 3 from the wing to make it 121-116 with 17.3 seconds left.All that happened after a wild finish in regulation, with both teams missing in the closing seconds.Wade missed a spinning, driving layup and Felicio missed the tip-in. Toronto had a chance to win, but DeRozan missed a floater and Lowry could not knock down a fadeaway as time expired.The Raptors led 82-63 late in the third quarter and were up 99-87 midway through the fourth when the Bulls went on a 14-0 run.Butler, who had 14 points in the fourth against Cleveland, scored nine in that stretch and fed Wade for a layup to put the Bulls on top 101-99 with three minutes left. After Lowry hit a jumper for Toronto, Mirotic made a corner 3 to put the Bulls back on top 104-101 with 2:18 left.

NOTES—Toronto has not beaten the Bulls since Dec. 31, 2013. … F Patrick Patterson missed his fourth straight game because of a strained left knee…..Rajon Rondo did not play for the fourth straight game. … G Denzell Valentine missed his second consecutive game because of a sprained left ankle….The Bulls host Oklahoma City on Monday.

Ice cold start causes Illini to get wasted by Hoosiers

Illinois Fighting Illini (2004 - 2013)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.—James Blackmon Jr. scored 25 points, Thomas Bryant finished with 20 No. 25 Indiana defeated Illinois 96-80 on Saturday for its first Big Ten Conference win of the season.Illinois was scoreless for the first 6 minutes of the game, during which time the Hoosiers (11-5, 1-2) jumped out to a 13-0 lead. Indiana led for the entire game, and was up by as many as 22 points. Illinois pulled within 10 points of the Hoosiers with less than 5 minutes remaining in the game, but Indiana stretched its lead one final time.Robert Johnson finished with 18 points for Indiana and OG Anunoby had 12 points.Jalen Coleman-Lands and Malcolm Hill scored 21 points each and Maverick Morgan finished with 18 for Illinois (11-5, 1-2).The Illini finished the first half shooting 29 percent from the field (7 of 24) and finished the game at 44 percent (24 of 54).The Hoosiers made seven of 13 3-point attempts in the first half. Indiana’s offensive onslaught was a product of a balanced offense as 22 of the Hoosiers’ 29 field goals came by way of an assist.

After getting their first Big Ten win in front of their home crowd at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, the Hoosiers will hit the road for four of their remaining six conference games in the month of January (Maryland, Penn State, Michigan, Northwestern)….After being ranked as high as No. 3 this season, the Hoosiers found themselves on the verge of being unranked, falling to No. 25 after losing four of their last six games. Saturday’s win should give Indiana a much needed bump in rankings….Illinois hosts Michigan on Wednesday

Illinois State beats Indiana State for 5th straight win

TERRE HAUTE—MiKyle McIntosh scored a career-high 31 points, reaching his season high of 21 in the first half, and Illinois State beat Indiana State 77-58 on Saturday for its fifth straight win.The Redbirds (12-4, 4-0 Missouri Valley) won for the eighth time in nine games and are off to their best start in conference play since 2007-08 when they went 6-0. The victory was also the first in Terre Haute since Feb. 14, 2007.Illinois State made nine 3-pointers to lead 47-24, its largest halftime lead this season. The Redbirds finished 13 of 25 from the arc with McIntosh making all five of his 3-pointers. The lead remained in double figures in the second half.Deontae Hawkins added 14 points, Paris Lee added 13 and seven assists, becoming the seventh Redbird to reach 400 career assists, and Phil Fayne had a career-high 11 rebounds.Everett Clemons and Jordan Barnes had 14 points each for Indiana State (6-10, 0-4), which is 0-4 in league play for the first time since 2004-05.

Demons hammered by The Hall

NEWARK—Angel Delgado had his ninth-consecutive double-double, Desi Rodriguez scored 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting and Seton Hall cruised to an 87-56 win over DePaul on Saturday.Delgado made 8 of 9 from the field and finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds while Rodriguez hit 5 of 7 from 3-point range. Myles Powell hit four 3s – including a 4-point play – for 13 points and Khadeen Carrington scored 10 with four assists and three steals.Rodriguez made a layup, a dunk and then hit a 3 to give Seton Hall (12-3, 2-1 Big East) a 7-2 lead it wouldn’t relinquish. The junior forward made all nine of his shots and scored 23 in the first half as the Pirates led 41-31 at the break. Powell’s 4-point play and a 3-point play by Carrington capped a 26-4 run to open the second half and Seton Hall cruised from there.Billy Garrett Jr. had 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting for the Blue Demons (7-8, 0-2). No other DePaul player scored in double figures and the rest of the team shot 27.9 percent (12 of 43) from the field.Seton Hall, which has won eight of its last nine, shot 54 percent, hit a season-high 13 3-pointers and tied a season-best with 21 assists.

Darling carries Hawks to 2-1 win over Hurricanes

Scott Darling’s 6-foot-6 frame was awfully handy Friday night.Darling had a season-high 39 saves, kicking out his long legs for a couple key stops, and the Blackhawks beat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 for their second straight win.Jonathan Toews and Artemi Panarin scored for the Hawks, who were coming off a 4-3 overtime victory against Buffalo on Thursday night. The consecutive wins against the Sabres and Hurricanes come in the aftermath of a 1-4-1 slump.

”We needed to get back to our winning ways,” said Darling, who backs up Corey Crawford. ”It’s not fun to lose. We want to have fun and win. It was a fun two nights.”

Cam Ward made 22 saves in his 15th straight start for Carolina, which won 4-2 at St. Louis on Thursday. Victor Rask had Carolina’s goal, connecting against Darling on the Hurricanes’ 31st shot with 4.2 seconds left in the second.The Hurricanes have dropped three of four.

”A huge tribute to our goaltender for winning there and coming up with two points,” Toews said.

Panarin’s 16th of the season stopped a six-game drought. Toews got his seventh goal.Carolina beat Darling 3-2 in Raleigh on Dec. 30 in their only other regular-season meeting. But the Hurricanes felt Darling was the difference in the rematch.

”I think I’ve played against him since I was 20 years old in the AHL and he keeps getting better and better every year,” said Ty Rattie, who got his first point with the Hurricanes in his second game with his new team. ”It’s going to be scary how good he gets as his career goes on.He covers 95 percent of the net to begin with and then he’s quick.”

Carolina controlled much of the first period, but the Blackhawks led 1-0 after 20 minutes. Toews finished off a crisp passing sequence with linemates Marian Hossa and Vinnie Hinostroza, scoring from the low edge of the left circle at 12:13.The Hurricanes got 19 shots on goal in the first, and Darling stopped every one of them. The Blackhawks killed off two Carolina power plays, with Darling making a sliding right pad stop on Justin Faulk’s shot from the left circle with 5:30 to go in the period.Ward stopped Patrick Kane’s backhander on a breakaway a minute into the second. Darling made another lunging right pad save to deny Jordan Staal on a short-handed, 2-on-1 break at 3:13.Panarin’s power-play goal from the left circle with 6:31 left in the second made it 2-0. After Duncan Keith narrowly held the puck in the Carolina zone, Kane swept a cross-ice pass to Panarin, who beat Ward low on the glove side.Rask cut it to 2-1 in the closing moments of the second with his 11th goal, finishing a close-in flurry. After Darling kicked out Jeff Skinner’s shot from the left wing and stopped Rattie from the slot, Rask swept in the rebound from the right side of the crease.Carolina’s Derek Ryan hit the left post with a shot 3:05 into the third. The Blackhawks checked well – Carolina had nine shots in the period – and Darling was sharp the rest of the way to preserve the lead.

NOTES—The Blackhawks sent D Gustav Forsling and F Spencer Abbott to Rockford of the AHL. The 20-year-old Forsling played in 32 games with the big club and had a goal and three assists while averaging 14:49 minutes of ice time. Abbott had been called up for Thursday’s win over Buffalo. … Brian Campbell played after sitting out Thursday’s game. … Rattie was claimed on waivers from St. Louis on Wednesday. … Carolina LW Teuvo Teravainen, the Hawks first-round draft pick in 2012, played his first game at the United Center since his trade to the Hurricanes last June. LW Bryan Bickell, sidelined with multiple sclerosis, also went to Carolina in the deal that netted the Blackhawks two draft picks.The Blackhawk are home to Nashville on Sunday in their third home game in four nights.