San Jose, CA (Sports Network) - Chicago captain Jonathan Toews registered a power-play goal and one assist, as the Blackhawks defeated San Jose, 4-2, to take a commanding lead in the Western Conference finals.
Toews Two-Point Night Helps ‘Hawks Take A 2-0 Series Lead
Toews, currently riding an 11-game point streak, tops all playoff scorers with 16 assists and 23 points.
Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd and Troy Brouwer also tallied for the second- seeded Blackhawks, while Antti Niemi made 25 saves on 27 shots.
Chicago found itself in unfamiliar territory by winning 2-1 in Game 1 at HP Pavilion on Sunday. The Blackhawks had dropped four straight series openers dating to last season. They rallied to win three of those series, only losing to Detroit in last year’s conference final matchup.
The Blackhawks have been road warriors in this year’s playoffs, winning a club-record seven in a row as the guest since dropping Game 3 of their opening-round series with Nashville. They will now return to the Windy City for Game 3 on Friday with the intentions of sending San Jose to the brink of elimination.
However, the Blackhawks have not been nearly as assertive on home ice, splitting six games at United Center, something the top-seeded Sharks can use as a confidence builder to get back in this series.
Patrick Marleau netted both goals for San Jose, which got an 18-save effort from Evgeni Nabokov.
See More:
