Though DeBrincat scored the game-winning goal in the latter half of the third period and added an empty-netter to seal it late, the difference in the game was the first period.
Sebastian Aho opened the scoring just 75 seconds into the game, but the remaining 18 minutes and 45 seconds of the first period were a mess. The Canes were whistled for four penalties - one that was ruled an illegal check to the head, though it couldn't have been cleaner and squarer in the chest - and surrendered three power play goals.
"It's unacceptable and pretty hard to win a game when you do that," Dougie Hamilton said.
The Canes played with the lead for just 2:02 before Mattias Janmark got open on the left side and slid in a backhand shot past James Reimer. Dominik Kubalik and Andrew Shaw also tallied on the man advantage in the first period for the Blackhawks, who took a 3-1 lead to the locker room.
"We gave away the game in the first period. When you can't kill penalties, you're not going to win," Brind'Amour said. "To me, it was special teams that lost it for us tonight."
The Canes, meanwhile, were 0-for-4 on the power play.
"Special teams was the difference tonight, for sure," Brind'Amour said.