The Bulls continue to stink it up, and more athletic teams are exposing them.A day later, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks ran right by the Bulls again.Antetokounmpo had 22 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds, and the Bucks routed the Bulls 95-69 on Friday night for a sweep of their home-and-home series.It was a nearly identical copy of Milwaukee’s 108-97 win Thursday night, except there was no closing push by the Bulls this time. Led by Antetokounmpo, the younger and more athletic Bucks had six players score in double figures and shot 46 percent from the field, compared to 30 percent for the weary Bulls.

”We talked about it: We would like to duplicate what we did in Milwaukee,” Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. ”I thought our guys came out with that same intent to share the ball, move guys around. I think rebounding the ball and our defense put us in position to win a game on the road against a very talented team.”

Antetokounmpo also had three steals and blocked a shot. His streak of 30-point games ended at two, but he watched the last couple of minutes from the bench with Milwaukee in complete control.The 22-year-old Antetokounmpo is averaging 27.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists in his last four games.Greg Monroe added 14 points and 12 rebounds, and fellow reserve Mirza Teletovic finished with 13 points. The Bucks (13-12) had dropped four of five before the pair of wins against the Bulls (13-13), who lost for the sixth time in eight games in the opener of a three-game homestand. Nikola Mirotic did not play for the second straight night after he missed the pregame walkthrough, and Taj Gibson exited in the third quarter with a bruised right hip.

”Where they exposed us last night, they got us again early tonight with rebounding, points off turnovers and not getting back and building a wall defensively,” coach Fred Hoiberg said. ”A couple of times not getting back and not getting matched up. It’s as simple as that.”

Dwyane Wade scored 12 points for the Bulls, booed off the floor as the final seconds ticked off. Jimmy Butler was held to seven on 3-for-14 shooting.

”I think I’ve got to play better, but that’s what tomorrow’s for, getting in the gym and figuring it out,” Butler said.

Antetokounmpo scored 10 points to help Milwaukee to a 34-15 lead after one quarter, and he was only getting started. He had a rim-rocking dunk for a 53-31 advantage with 2:17 left in the first half, and Jabari Parker followed with a drive right by Doug McDermott for an easy layup.Antetokounmpo added a pretty lob to John Henson for a dunk in the third, and then shook the basket again on another vicious slam in the fourth, drawing a technical for hanging on the rim.irotic said he forgot about the walkthrough, and he apologized to his teammates and Hoiberg.Mirotic was fined for the unexcused absence, and said it had nothing to do with not playing Thursday night.

”No, I’m not that kind of guy. Even if things are not like how I would like them to be, I’m very professional,” he said. ”It’s not my first year here. Those guys respect me and I respect them. I would never do that, something like that.”

Parker, a Chicago native, had 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting. … F Michael Beasley missed his second straight game with a left foot sprain. … The Bucks had dropped their last five games at the United Center.The 69 points were a season low. … G Michael Carter-Williams got the cast off his injured left wrist and said he is hoping to practice next week. ”It feels pretty good,” he said. ”I still have to do some strengthening and things like that. Nothing is guaranteed, but that’s what I’m going for.” … Bobby Portis had 10 points and eight rebounds. He was the only Bulls player besides Wade to score in double figures.The Bucks host LeBron James and the Cavaliers in the opener of another home-and-home on Tuesday night. The Bucks then visit Cleveland on Wednesday night.The Bulls host the Detroit Pistons on Monday night. The Bulls lost 102-91 at Detroit on Dec. 6.

BROOKLYN—The Blackhawks have been very good at winning one-goal games this season.Richard Panik scored the tiebreaking goal with 6:13 left in the third period to lift the Hawks over the New York Islanders 5-4 on Thursday night.Scott Darling made 28 saves as the Blackhawks (20-8-4) rallied from an early 2-0 deficit and improved to 13-4-4 in one-goal games.

”We’ve got great leadership and we don’t change the way we play,” coach Joel Quenneville said. ”We’ve been fortunate scoring big goals and getting great goaltending. The guys play the right way and the top guys lead the charge.”

Artemi Panarin scored twice on the power play for the Blackhawks, who lead the Western Conference with 44 points. Artem Anisimov and Marian Hossa each had a goal.Panik’s eighth of the season gave the Hawks their fourth victory in five games and eighth in the last 10 meetings with the Islanders.

”It was a really good pass. I tried to shoot it and I’m glad it went in,” Panik said.

Andrew Ladd, Casey Cizikas, Ryan Strome and Anders Lee scored for the Islanders, last in the Eastern Conference with 27 points.New York went 0 for 2 on the power play while the Hawks were 3 for 3.

”We made some plays but we need a little more discipline,” said Strome, who has three goals in 26 games this season. ”We have to be better on the power play. We had opportunities to change the game and we couldn’t do it.”

Lee scored his ninth goal of the season, and eighth in the last 11 games, to break a 3-all tie 22 seconds into the second. That followed a wild first period in which each team scored three times.Panarin tied it 4-all with his second goal of the game at 19:41 of the second. He fired his 13th of the season past goalie Thomas Greiss with Josh Bailey serving an interference penalty.Ladd and Cizikas scored early for the Islanders before the Blackhawks roared back with goals by Panarin, Anisimov and Hossa in a span of just more than 4 minutes.Strome tied it at 3 with his goal at 15:20 of the first.In the first meeting between the teams since opening weekend last season, the Islanders came out with purpose after disheartening losses to Columbus and Washington.Ladd, the former Blackhawk, scored his fourth of the season at 2:14, whipping the puck past Darling. Alan Quine and Jason Chimera assisted. It was the ninth time in the last 10 games the Islanders scored first.Cizikas made it 2-0 at 3:48, backhanding a rebound of a shot by Nikolay Kulemin past Darling for his fourth this season.Panarin cut the deficit in half at 9:47. Panarin, who won the Calder Trophy last season as the NHL’s top rookie, one-timed a laser shot off a pass from Brent Seabrook past Greiss.Anisimov, who scored the winning goal in the Hawks 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Tuesday, tied the game at 2 on the power play at 13:03 of the first.

”We got some goals on the power play which really helped us,” Panik said.

Anisimov’s 14th of the season finished a perfect tic-tac-toe passing sequence with Patrick Kane and Panarin.

”All our goals were the result of nice passes, good finishes and some highlight plays,” said Quenneville, who has coached the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup titles since 2010. ”You have to like all the goals.”

Hossa, the 38-year-old winger, scored his team-leading 16th at 14:08 after a giveaway by Bailey in front of Greiss. Ryan Hartman and Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews had assists.Strome tied it with his third goal when his shot from the point glanced off a Blackhawks defender before eluding Darling, making his seventh straight start in place of Corey Crawford, who had an appendectomy on Dec. 3.

NOTES—The Blackhawks played in Brooklyn for the first time since a 3-2 overtime win in October 2015, the NHL opener at Barclays Center. The teams played the next night in the United Center and the Blackhawks won 5-1. … It was the sixth time this season the Islanders (11-13-5) entered the third period tied and came away without a point. … Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck, who signed a five-year contract extension last week, played his 600th NHL game. … The Hawks are 13-0-1 when Hossa scores….The Blackhawks finish this 3 game road swing Saturday night at St. Louis.

MILWAUKEE—Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points and Parker added 28 in leading Milwaukee to a 108-97 victory over the Bulls.Milwaukee led the entire game and held a 24-point advantage early in the fourth quarter but had to hold on to snap a three-game losing streak, its longest of the season.Antetokounmpo has totaled 88 points and 35 rebounds in his last three games, and Parker has reached at least 27 points in four of his past five.

”If we’re just being judged on points, then they’re playing really well,” Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. ”But it’s not all about points. Unfortunately, that’s all you guys write about. It’s a team game, but it comes down to winning and doing your job. Both of those guys did their jobs tonight.”

The Bulls lost for the fifth time in seven games and dropped its third straight on the road despite 21 points from Jimmy Butler and 20 from Dwyane Wade. The Bulls also got 19 points from Taj Gibson in the opener of a home-and-home between the teams on back-to-back nights.The Bucks went up 95-71 on a dunk by Antetokounmpo with 10:01 remaining. The Bulls cut the deficit in half by scoring the next 12 points, with 10 of them coming from Wade. His two free throws trimmed the margin to 95-83 with 7:14 to go.Milwaukee led by at least eight the rest of the way, marking just the second time this season the Bucks never trailed in a game.

”I think everybody did a great job keeping the lead,” Antetokounmpo said. ”It’s hard to keep a lead for 24 minutes, for a half. It’s hard sometimes.”

The Bucks’ biggest lead of the night was 27 on a dunk by Tony Snell that made it 58-31 with 3:40 left in the second quarter.The advantage was 64-45 at halftime, as Antetokounmpo (20), Parker (17) and Mirza Teletovic (10) combined to outscore the Bulls by two points. Milwaukee shot 80 percent (8 for 10) from 3-point range while the Bulls were 1 for 9 (11.1 percent) from beyond the arc in the first two quarters.

”They were too comfortable early,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. ”We didn’t want to give them dare shots, we wanted to keep them out of the paint, and they were hitting them.”

Rajan Rondo returned to the starting lineup after missing Tuesday’s game against Minnesota because of a right ankle sprain. … Butler has 79 points in his last three games and has scored at least 20 in 18 of his last 19 outings. … The Bulls lost at Milwaukee for just the fifth time in the last 15 games.There was a moment of silence following the death of longtime TNT sideline reporter Craig Sager, and Milwaukee players wore Sager Strong T-shirts during pregame warmups that resembled the outfit he wore at the recent ESPYs. Even mascot Bango donned a funky blue sport coat and plaid pants in Sager’s honor. … Michael Beasley missed his first game of the season with a left foot sprain.Milwaukee improved to 12-12, making the Central Division the only one in the NBA with every team at .500 or better.Not only does Milwaukee play the Bulls on consecutive nights, the Bucks also play back-to-back games against Cleveland on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then against Washington on Dec. 23 and Dec. 26. ”Scouting reports are easy,” quipped Kidd.Milwaukee traded Michael Carter-Williams to the Bulls for Tony Snell on Oct. 17. Carter-Williams has missed the last 22 games for the Bulls with knee and wrist injuries, while Snell has started all but two games for the Bucks.

AFC GAMES: Pitt over CIN, KC over Tenn. HOU over Jax, BUFF over Cleve, E.Eng over DENV, Oak over SD
NFC GAMES: ATL over S.Fran, ARIZ over N.Orl
IN-CONF: BALT over Phil
THUR NIGHT: SEAT over L.A.Rams,
SAT NIGHT: Mia over NY Jets
SUN NIGHT: DAL over T.Bay
MON NIGHT: WASH over Car
NFC NORTH: MINN over Ind, Det over NYG, G.Bay over BEARS
ALL CAPS are HOME TEAMS

EVANSTON—Perhaps prematurely looking ahead to its marquee weekend, Northwestern nearly stumbled into a crushing midweek upset.The Wildcats needed several clutch baskets late Wednesday night to overcome a second-half deficit and defeat Chicago State 68-64.Vic Law led Northwestern (8-2) with 18 points, Sanjay Lumpkin had 11 rebounds and the Wildcats edged the Cougars for their fifth straight victory.

”Every time we started to get a little momentum, they came right back at us,” Northwestern head coach Chris Collins said. ”Every time we threw a punch, they came with a counterpunch.”

Fred Sims Jr. and Trayvon Palmer led Chicago State (3-7) with 22 and 18 points, respectively. They sparked a 20-6 run that left the Cougars ahead 52-50 with 8:06 remaining.Northwestern, which led by 14 at one point, jumped back ahead 54-52 with 6:07 remaining on Bryant McIntosh’s jumper, giving the Wildcats a lead they would not relinquish.The win capped a perfect five-game homestand for the Wildcats, whose next game will be at the United Center as part of the State Farm Chicago Legends. Illinois, BYU and Dayton are the other participants.

”I don’t want to say we disrespected them because we didn’t,” Collins said when asked whether his team overlooked the Cougars. ”We prepared. But was our energy the same as it’s been in other games? I think we had some critical breakdowns tonight.”

Anthony Eaves’ 3-pointer with 46 seconds remaining moved Chicago State within three, but Northwestern scored on its next possession to secure the victory.

”When you play a seasoned team, they’re going to find a way to win,” Chicago State head coach Tracy Dildy said. ”And we just haven’t gotten there. When they needed a basket, they got that basket.”

The Cougars converted a season-best 13 3-pointers, and outrebounded Northwestern 40-33.McIntosh finished with 14 points and seven assists, and Scottie Lindsey scored 13.Northwestern is 11-0 all-time against Chicago State. The Wildcats set a season-high with 27 3-point attempts.NU, which ranked among the Big Ten’s leaders with a plus-2.4 turnover margin entering the night, held a 12-0 halftime advantage in that category, but was minus-4 in the second half.Lumpkin achieved several landmarks in Wednesday’s game, starting both his 100th career game at Northwestern and recording his 500th career rebound.Dildy, in his seventh year as head coach of the Cougars, remains tied with Bob Hallberg for the most Division-I wins at Chicago State. His record with the Cougars is 49-152.

NOTES—The Cougars are in the midst of a 12-game road swing that will take them through the calendar year. The Cougars, who will not return home until Jan. 5, are 1-5 through six games of the trip….The Wildcats finished their season-long homestand unblemished. The Wildcats, who do not open Big Ten play until Dec. 27 at Penn State, have won their last 19 nonconference home games….Chicago State faces DePaul at Allstate Arena on Saturday…..Northwestern will face Dayton in the United Center on Saturday.

Kyle Guice came off the bench to hit four 3-pointers, the last breaking a tie with 54.6 seconds left, and UIC defeated DePaul 80-75 on Wednesday night.Following a Blue Demon turnover, Marcus Ottey drove the left baseline and when he got to the basket he fired the ball to Guice in the right corner for the big shot. After both teams made two free throws, DePaul had three chances, missing two shoots in the final 12 seconds and then turning the ball over on an inbounds pass under the basket with 5.9 seconds left.Tai Odiase, a 48 percent free throw shooter who made the steal, sealed the game with two from the line.Odiase and Tarkus Ferguson had 12 points apiece for the Flames (5-5) and Ottey had 11.DePaul (5-4), which led 43-35 at the half- but shot 30 percent in the second half – got 27 points from Eli Cain and 26 from Billy Garrett.There were 14 ties and 15 lead changes.

NEW YORK—Scott Darling is more comfortable in his second full NHL season and he’s been coming up big for the Blackhawks with starting goalie Corey Crawford out.Darling stopped 33 shots, Artem Anisimov scored the tiebreaking goal late in the second period and the Central Division-leading Blackhawks beat the New York Rangers 2-1 on Tuesday night.Darling has started the last six games while Crawford has been recovering from an appendectomy. Darling has been stellar over the last four games, allowed just three goals on 116 shots while helping the Blackhawks go 3-0-1.

”You just get into a rhythm, you get comfortable, not as nervous,” said Darling, who upped his record to 7-2-2 this season. ”You can just relax and have fun out there. … Last year was my first full year. I was still nervous about my role, my position within the organization. Coming back now, I’m not one of the new guys, I’ve been here for 2 1/2 years.”

The Rangers had some chances in the final minutes, but Darling stopped Mats Zuccarello’s slap shot with about 3 minutes to go, and then a tip-in attempt by Jimmy Vesey less than a minute later.

”The guys did a good job of keeping a lot of it from the outside,” Darling said. ”They had their chances and so did we. … It was a fun game, a great hockey game and a big two points.”

Trevor van Riemsdyk also scored, Artemi Panarin had two assists and Anisimov had one as the Hawks got even with New York following a 1-0 overtime loss at home to the Rangers last Friday.Jesper Fast scored for the Rangers and Antti Raanta, starting for the fourth straight game, made 24 saves. Raanta had won three consecutive starts, including shutouts in the last two. New York had won four of its last five.

”I think it was pretty much the same deal as it was Friday night in Chicago,” Raanta said. ”Two teams, both have good offenses and both love to play with pace. They got a couple odd-man rushes there; they got two goals from those and we didn’t capitalize on our chances. A 2-1 loss, it’s not a great way to lose the game when it’s so close.”

Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews was activated from injured reserve earlier in the day after missing nine games with an injury.Anisimov put the Blackhawks ahead for good with 1:09 left in the middle period, taking a centering pass from Brian Campbell in front and firing it past Raanta for his 13th goal.

”I just play my game, go hard to the net,” said Anisimov, who was drafted by the Rangers in the second round in 2006 and spent parts of four seasons in New York from 2008-12. ”This is my first team in the NHL, it’s a special feeling when you score here.”

After a scoreless first period, the Hawks got on the scoreboard at 5:18 of the second as van Riemsdyk took a pass from Panarin and wristed it past Raanta for his first of the season. It ended Raanta’s shutout streak of 176:22.The Rangers tied it less than 3 minutes later when Fast, standing at the left side of the net, batted the puck out of the air for his third at 8:15.Vesey had a chance for the Rangers on a rush minutes before the Hawks goal, but Darling made a nice pad save on his attempt.

”He made some key saves as the game went on,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said.

NOTES—Toews had four goals and eight assists in 21 games before he was injured in the Hawks 2-1 loss at San Jose on Nov. 23. The Blackhawks were 5-2-2 in his absence. The 28-year-old center has no points in his last six games, and just two assists in his last nine. … Campbell’s assist on Anisimov’s goal was his 16th assist and 20th point in 40 games against the Rangers. … New York starting goalie Henrik Lundqvist was the backup in a fourth consecutive game for the first time in his career. … The Rangers were without D Ryan McDonagh due to an illness. He was replaced in the lineup by Adam Clendening. … Rick Nash missed his fourth straight game due to a groin injury and Rangers coach Alain Vigneault was optimistic about getting Nash back soon….The Blackhawks face the New York Islanders on Thursday night in Brooklyn.

Tom Thibodeau got a loud ovation during pregame introductions before his first game back in Chicago, and his Timberwolves made it a triumphant return.Zach LaVine scored 24 points, Andrew Wiggins added 23 and Minnesota rallied to beat the Bulls 99-94 on Tuesday night.The Timberwolves wiped out a 21-point deficit and got Thibodeau a victory in his first game in Chicago since the Bulls fired him in an acrimonious split in 2015.

”There were far more great times than there were real problem times,” Thibodeau said. ”In the end, it didn’t end great, but most of the time things were good. I’m proud of what our team did. I loved being here and that’s how I look at it.”

Gorgui Dieng and Karl-Anthony Towns each scored 16 points, and the Timberwolves snapped a four-game losing streak.Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 27 points, and Robin Lopez added 14. But the Bulls continued a pattern of letdowns against losing teams, this time falling to one that came in tied for the NBA’s worst record. And, of course, they lost to their former coach.

”There wasn’t really any emotions, it was just about trying to get a win,” Chicago’s Taj Gibson said. ”Trying to keep them down. That’s a struggling team.”

That wasn’t what the Timberwolves expected when they hired Thibodeau. After all, the Bulls went 255-139 and made the playoffs in all five of his seasons, including a run to the 2011 Eastern Conference finals with MVP Derrick Rose leading the way.

”I know what these guys are doing in there,” Thibodeau said. ”I know what I’m doing in there. And that’s all that matters. If we’re doing each and everything you can do every day, that’s all that matter.”

The Timberwolves looked like they were going to get blown out, down 38-22 after the first quarter and trailing by 21 in the second. Instead, they closed the half on a 22-5 run to pull within four.Minnesota was leading 91-87 in the game’s closing minutes when Butler threw down an alley-oop dunk off a feed from Dwyane Wade in transition and nailed a fadeaway jumper off a steal to tie it with 1:34 remaining.Wiggins then hit a pullup jumper and LaVine scored on a reverse layup to make it 95-91 with 52 seconds left.Wade picked up two technical fouls and was ejected with 14.1 seconds left after his driving layup was blocked by LaVine. Butler also got called for a foul on the play.It all led to Ricky Rubio hitting two technical free throws and LaVine making two foul shots to make it 99-91, sealing the win for Minnesota.

”It was frustration and I told the truth, so I got kicked out,” Wade said.

”I feel like we’re good enough to have those results. We’ve been in every game. We were winning or really close throughout almost every game that we’ve played, so it shows that record could be flipped. There are a lot of games we should have won.” – LaVine on the Timberwolves’ expectations.

NOTES—The Timberwolves had allowed at least 100 points in nine straight games. … The 38 points were the most the Timberwolves allowed in the first quarter this season. That also matched a season high for any quarter. … Nemanja Bjelica played nine minutes after missing the previous two games because of a sore right ankle…..The Bulls are 5-6 against teams with losing records. … G Rajon Rondo sat out the game because of a sprained right ankle after landing awkwardly near the end of practice on Monday. … Coach Fred Hoiberg said G Michael Carter-Williams has a ”pretty important” doctor’s appointment on Friday that could determine if he returns from left wrist and left knee injuries next week. He has been sidelined since Oct. 31…..The Bulls visit Milwaukee on Thursday,then host the Bucks Friday night

DETROIT—Matthew Stafford got a shotgun snap, dropped back, slid left, rolled right and ran up the middle through three defenders with a shot to stop him.Stafford’s go-ahead, 7-yard touchdown with 3:17 left made up for his two interceptions in the fourth quarter, one that was returned for a score, and helped the Detroit Lions beat the Bears 20-17 Sunday.The Lions have become the first team in NFL history to have eight comeback wins from fourth-quarter deficits in a season.

”Finding ways to win is what we do,” Stafford said.

Stafford usually does it with his right arm.With the middle finger on his right hand taped up and covered by a white glove, Stafford struggled to throw at times. When it was time to run and score, he wasn’t going to stop himself short of the end zone.

”It’s fourth quarter, go time, you’ve got to make a play,” Stafford said. ”I surely wasn’t going to slide on the 2.”

The NFC North-leading Lions (9-4) have won five straight and eight of nine, moving them a step closer to winning a division title for the first time in 23 years.

”Our goals are much bigger than winning this game,” receiver Anquan Boldin said.

Matt Barkley completed two passes that put the Bears in a position to at least attempt a tying field goal in the final minute, but both were negated by flags, before turning the ball over on downs from the Detroit 44.

”You can’t really recover from two holding penalties back to back,” said Bears guard Ted Larsen, who was called for holding, as was left tackle Charles Leno.

The Bears’ opportunity of pulling off an upset were also hurt by three penalties for pass interference for a total of 74 yards, helping Detroit score both of its TDs.The Bears(3-10) have lost four of five, playing a lot of young players in place of banged-up veterans.

”Eventually, this is going to help us,” Bears coach John Fox said. ”And this experience will help those individual players.”

Barkley , in the first road start of his career, perfectly led Cameron Meredith on a 31-yard TD to pull the Bears within three late in the third quarter. He completed 20 of 32 passes for 212 yards.

”There’s no issue of effort or wanting to win,” Barkley said. ”You can really see the fire and the drive is there.”

Stafford was picked off twice after he threw only one interception the previous eight games. Demontre Hurst intercepted Stafford’s pass in Chicago’s end zone after it ricocheted off teammate Bryce Callahan and receiver Golden Tate early in the fourth quarter. Cre’Von LeBlanc returned an interception 24 yards midway through the fourth to put Chicago up 17-13.Stafford finished 21 of 35 for 223 yards with a TD. Stafford said he hurt his finger, which he expected to be X-rayed, in the first quarter when his hand collided with linebacker Leonard Floyd.

”I don’t think he’s going to let a finger stop him,” Boldin said.

Detroit has matched its longest winning streak since starting 5-0 in 2011, and its best nine-game stretch since winning eight of the last nine games in 1995. The Lions have given up 20 or fewer points in seven straight games in one season for the first time since 1961…..Stafford threw a tiebreaking, 16-yard TD pass to Boldin with 19 seconds left in the first half. It was the 1,063 reception of Boldin’s career, moving him past Andre Johnson for 10th place on the NFL’s all-time list. The 14-year veteran has helped Detroit overcome the retirement of star receiver Calvin Johnson……Receivers Eddie Royal (toe) and Marquess Wilson (groin) were inactive due to injuries, taking two more players away from a depleted team. Cornerback Tracy Porter (illness) and defensive lineman Eddie Goldman (ankle) left the game with ailments…. Running back Theo Riddick was inactive with a wrist injury and was replaced in the starting lineup by rookie Dwayne Washington, who had season highs with 16 carries and 64 yards rushing. Linebacker DeAndre Levy was active for the first time since Week 1, returning from a knee injury. Defensive end Ezekiel Ansah left the game in the second quarter with an injured right shoulder, but returned to play in the second half.

—

Marian Hossa, Artem Anisimov and Artemi Panarin scored to lead the Central Division-leading Blackhawks over the Dallas Stars 3-1 on Sunday night.Scott Darling made 23 saves in his fifth straight start while No. 1 goalie Corey Crawford recovers from an appendectomy. Darling has permitted just seven goals during the stretch, but the Blackhawks have scored only nine while going 2-2-1.Devin Shore scored for Dallas, which lost its second straight and third in four.Dallas’ Kari Lehtonen blocked 24 shots while making his fifth straight start.The 37-year-old Hossa scored his team-leading 15th goal and has three in three games.Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews missed his ninth game and defenseman Brent Seabrook his second with injuries.Both took part in the team’s morning skate on Sunday, with Toews getting back on the ice for the first time in a week. The center, reportedly dealing with a back injury, said he never has experienced his current condition before.

”You almost have to sit around and wait for it to heal and get better,” Toews said. ”Sometimes you feel good and all of a sudden you do some little movements here or there that seem to just fire everything up.”

Dallas defenseman Jamie Oleksiak sat out the first game of a two-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Flyers forward Chris VandeVelde in the third period of the Stars’ 4-2 loss at Philadelphia on Saturday.Defenseman Johnny Oduya returned to the Stars’ lineup after missing 10 games with a lower-body injury and took Oleksiak’s place.The teams played a scoreless first with only a handful of chances. Darling made a quick right pad save on Curtis McKenzie’s point-blank deflection with 6:30 left in the period.Shore opened the scoring at 1:25 of the second, batting in a loose puck to cap an odd-man break and flurry around the Hawk’s net. After McKenzie deflected Shore’s feed wide, John Klingberg shoveled the puck in front to Shore, who connected from the doorstep.Hossa tied it at 1 just 52 seconds later on a drive from left wing that trickled under Lehtonen’s blocker.Anisimov knocked in a rebound of Ryan Hartman’s point-blank attempt with 7:30 left in the second for his 12th goal to put the Hawks ahead 2-1. After leaving the penalty box and taking a long feed from Trevor van Riemsdyk, Hartman beat defenseman Stephen Johns and cut in alone. Lehtonen stopped Hartman’s low shot, but Anisimov swept in and scored before Johns could recovery.Panarin’s power-play goal midway through the third made it 3-1. Positioned low in the left circle, Panarin ripped in his 11th goal from a sharp angle – and just inside the left post – after taking a perfect feed from Duncan Keith.

NOTES—Dallas coach Lindy Ruff said ”he didn’t even notice” Oleksiak’s hit on VandeVelde. ”Most coaches (would) view it as not that bad a hit,” Ruff said. … Dallas and former Blackhawks F Patrick Sharp sat out his fifth game with concussion-like symptoms. Ruff said the 34-year-old Sharp is going ”full bore” skating and working out on his own, but there’s no timetable for his return. … Stars D Dan Hamhuis played his 900th game. … The Hawks head to New York to play the Rangers on Tuesday and Islanders on Thursday. The three-game road trip concludes at St. Louis on Saturday.