Alex DeBrincat’s overtime goal lifts Blackhawks to 3-2 win over Blue Jackets for 5th victory in 7 games
CHICAGO — Alex DeBrincat batted in the puck past Joonas Korpisalo, lifting the Chicago Blackhawks to a 3-2 overtime win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night at the United Center.
The Hawks improved to 5-1-1 in their last seven games and are 3-4 in overtime and shootouts this season.
It was DeBrincat’s third game-winner of the season and his eighth goal of the season. He almost didn’t have the opportunity for his heroics.
“Yeah, they turned it over,” DeBrincat said of the deciding goal. “I saw a two-on-two going with Kaner. Just gave it to him. Good things happen when he has the puck. He was able to get it through, and it bounced up off my stick. I obviously wanted to put it toward the net. It worked out this time, but pretty lucky.”
Carl Soderberg picked an opportune time to score his first goal of the season.
The Hawks were looking at a second straight loss late in the third period, but the veteran forward collected Philipp Kurashev’s rebound and tucked into the corner of the net over Korpisalo’s stick, tying the game at 2 with 3 minutes, 45 seconds remaining.
After posting four points Thursday against the Hawks, Blue Jackets winger Cam Atkinson had a first-period assist and second-period goal. Patrik Laine also scored for the Blue Jackets.
Hawks defenseman Nicolas Beaudin scored in the second period, his second in as many games after netting his first-career goal Thursday.
The Hawks played with more cohesion than they displayed during the third period of Thursday’s 6-5 loss —when they allowed four goals — but a slight edge in puck possession and a 26-19 edge in shots through the two periods didn’t produce more than Beaudin’s goal.
The Hawks showed more life in the third period but were held without a shot on goal for a 10 1/2-minute stretch, but Soderberg made good on his lone shot of the night.
Kevin Lankinen stopped 31 of 33 shots
Earlier Saturday, the Hawks placed defenseman Connor Murphy (right hip) on injured reserve and removed forward Ryan Carpenter from the COVID-19 protocol list.
Murphy, 27, who sat out the previous two games, has been one of the Hawks’ most steady blue-liners. He had two goals and three assists in 13 games. The move to IR was retroactive to Tuesday.
The Hawks promoted Reese Johnson to the lineup for the game against Blue Jackets, while recent addition Madison Bowey was a healthy scratch. In his one game this season, Johnson played nearly 11 minutes and had seven hits.
Carpenter, 30, was the last of five Hawks players on the league’s “unavailable” list because of COVID-19 protocols. He adds veteran depth to the forward group and presumably could resume his roles on the fourth line and penalty kill.
He has one goal in nine games and last played Jan. 29 against the Blue Jackets.
