RECAP: Blackhawks Down Flames, 8-4

The Blackhawks snapped a five-game winless streak with an offensive explosion in Calgary, topping the Flames 8-4 on Saturday night.
Alex Nylander struck twice and Jonathan Toews, Dominik Kubalik, Brandon Saad, Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane and Kirby Dach all found the net in the win. Robin Lehner stopped 38 of the 42 shots he faced in Alberta.

CHI 8, CGY 4
WRITTEN
Full Box Score
THREE THINGS: Fast Start, Off the Schneid and Well-Rounded
VIDEO
**HIGHLIGHTS**: CHI 8, CGY 4
**REACTION**: Colliton, Toews, DeBrincat and Nylander
GALLERY
**GALLERY**: Blackhawks at Flames
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Lehner stopped 38 shots, including 19 in the third period alone to earn the victory.
STAT OF THE NIGHT: Toews' goal 30 seconds into the game was the fifth time the Blackhawks scored in the first minute of a game this season, tied for the NHL lead for most goals by a team in the opening minute of a game (COL, NSH, PIT).
UP NEXT: Chicago closes out their five-game road trip on Sunday night in Winnipeg

GAME RECAP

The Captain didn't waste any time putting the visitors up first, scoring just 30 seconds into the opening frame. Slater Koekkoek chipped a puck around the boards from behind the net and into the path of Toews as he came down the wing in the Flames end on a partial breakaway, putting a wrister top corner past David Rittich for the 1-0 lead.

Calgary answered back 97 seconds later as Sam Bennett potted a backdoor feed to tie the game 1-1. Bennett lingered on the weak side as the play and drove the crease as Dillon Dube found him at the top of the blue paint for the tap-in goal at 2:07.
Chicago's top line grabbed the lead once again as Toews sent a centering feed from behind the net to Kubalik out front, where the rookie quickly put home his 23rd of the season for a 2-1 lead at 9:17 of the first.

Bennett scored his second of the night off a breakaway before the opening period's end at 12:57. Oliver Kylington flipped a puck from deep in his own end to Dube at the far blue line, who chipped a puck into the middle of the ice for Bennett with speed who converted the breakaway.
The Blackhawks re-gained the lead early in the second as Kane set up Saad with a backdoor feed at 4:24. Saad faked a shot before putting a wrister to the far side for a 3-2 lead and his 10th tally in his last 14 games.

Nylander doubled the lead with a fantastic individual effort on the very next shift. As the Flames were skating it out of their own end, Nylander picked off a D-to-D pass intended for former Blackhawk Brandon Davidson just inside the Calgary blue line and beat Rittich all alone for a 4-2 lead at 5:28 of the second. It would end the night for Rittich as Cam Talbot replaced him in the Flames net.

Calgary once again answered off a scramble in front as Jonny Gaudreau sent a pass across the top of the crease past a stickless Lehner and off Elias Lindholm and in to make it 4-3 at 10:56 of the second.
Chicago would strike twice within a 27-second span at the end of the period, beginning with DeBrincat at the 17:47 mark. Dach won a puck back behind the goal and Dylan Strome quickly found DeBrincat in front for a quick shot and a 5-3 lead.

On the very next shift, it was the fourth line once again striking while the iron was hot. Matthew Highmore forced a turnover in the Flames corner and found Nylander in the slot for a wrister that beat Talbot for the forward's second of the night and a 6-3 lead at 18:14.

Calgary made it a 6-4 game at 14:06 of the third as Gaudreau found Lindholm in the slot on the power play for his second of the evening.
Kane added an empty-netter at 16:48 to take a 7-4 lead and Kirby Dach tucked home a rebound at 18:59 to seal the victory, 8-4.