Blackhawks rally for shootout win against Islanders

CHICAGO -- Artemi Panarin scored to tie the game late in the third period and again in the shootout to lift the Chicago Blackhawks to a 2-1 win against the New York Islanders at United Center on Friday.
Panarin tied it 1-1 with 1:14 left in the third period, with goalie Corey Crawford pulled for an extra skater, and then ended the shootout with a goal in the top of the third round. Jonathan Toews scored the deciding goal in the first round for the Blackhawks (41-18-5), who won their sixth straight game and trail the Minnesota Wild by one point for first place in the Central Division and Western Conference.

WATCH: All Islanders vs. Blackhawks highlights
"We just kept playing hard, never gave up, and it's nice to see [Panarin] get a big shot there [in the third]," said Crawford, who made 31 saves in his first start since Feb. 23. "It's good. We're not always going to be up in every game. It's not always going to go our way, so we've got to battle back in some games. We showed some character there."
Chicago plays at the Nashville Predators on Saturday before four straight days without a game. It is unknown who will start in net for the Blackhawks at Bridgestone Arena with backup Scott Darling out three weeks with an upper-body injury that occurred at the end of the morning skate Friday.
The Blackhawks played without rookie forward Nick Schmaltz (illness) and injured center Artem Anisimov (lower body), who might play against the Predators.
Rookie Joshua Ho-Sang, playing his second NHL game, and Nikolay Kulemin missed on shootout attempts for New York (30-22-11), which got 30 saves from Thomas Greiss.

The Islanders, who are 3-1-1 on their nine-game road trip, lead the Toronto Maple Leafs by one point for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
"It could have gone either way, but there are storms to be weathered on the road in any building," New York coach Doug Weight said. "I was ecstatic with how we played. I think it was a greatly goaltended game by both guys. [Crawford] saved their bacon as much as [Greiss] saved ours."
That was true in overtime, when the goalies traded great saves to keep it tied. Crawford made a pad save against Josh Bailey on a breakaway with 56 seconds left, and Greiss stopped Marian Hossa on an ensuing 2-on-1 rush at the other end.
"[In the end], they played more aggressive," said Greiss, who made 14 saves in the third period and three in overtime. "At the end, they pressed hard. When they put the top three guys together, it's a good lineup."
Brock Nelson scored with 7:33 left in the second period to put the Islanders up 1-0. His 14th goal came just as Anders Lee exited the penalty box after he put New York on the penalty kill by cross-checking Brent Seabrook.
Defenseman Travis Hamonic returned to the Islanders lineup after missing 23 games with a lower-body injury. He had the primary assist on Nelson's goal.

Goal of the game

Following a timeout, Panarin scored his 20th goal of the season off a one-timer from the top of the left circle. Defenseman Duncan Keith faked a shot and passed to Panarin, who beat Greiss over the right pad.

Save of the game

Greiss denied Ryan Hartman off a one-timer at 6:51 of the third period, going left to right to make a pad save after a cross-ice pass from Toews.

Unsung performance of the game

Blackhawks center Marcus Kruger had three blocked shots and went 4-for-8 on faceoffs. He played 15:33 despite feeling some pain blocking a slap shot by Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy in the first period.

Highlight of the game

Bailey checked Hossa and stole the puck to create his breakaway late in overtime. Crawford came up with a huge stop by turning the puck away with his right pad and blocker. "That's fun," Crawford said. "Our team lives for those situations. The game's more fun that way, and our guys enjoy it."

They said it

"You're not happy about the outcome by any means, but this time of year, you take your points and move forward." -- Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic
"With injuries, there isn't any good timing. That's part of our game. The last couple of days have been a little bit uncertain as far as our health, lineup and look, but I commend the guys on staying focused again … be it going through the [NHL Trade Deadline] or tonight's game with not just a lineup in flux, but the lines over the course of the game were all over the place." -- Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville

Need to know

In addition to Darling, Schmaltz and Anisimov, the Blackhawks played without defensemen Niklas Hjalmarsson (upper body) and Johnny Oduya (ankle), who will not travel to Nashville. … Chicago recalled goalie Jeff Glass from Rockford of the American Hockey League.

What's next

Islanders: At the Calgary Flames on Sunday (4 p.m. ET; SNW, SNF, MSG+, NHL.TV)
Blackhawks: At the Nashville Predators on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; FS-TN, CSN-CH, NHL.TV)