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Patrick Kane’s Blackhawks homecoming gets perfect ending in Chicago’s first win
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- Patrick Kane’s Blackhawks homecoming gets perfect ending in Chicago’s first win
Patrick Kane's Blackhawks homecoming gets perfect ending in Chicago's first win originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Patrick Kane's return to the United Center already guaranteed Tuesday night would be memorable.
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The Chicago Blackhawks made sure it was memorable for another reason. Chicago defeated the St. Louis Blues 4-2 to earn its first victory of the season, snapping an 0-3 start on the same night Kane played his first regular-season home game as a Blackhawk since returning to the franchise.
Chicago honored the three-time Stanley Cup champion before the game. Then some of the players expected to lead the Blackhawks into their next era took over.
Blackhawks youngsters deliver on Kane's night
Chicago trailed 1-0 after Mason McTavish scored late in the opening period. The game changed quickly in the second.
Sam Rinzel tied it with a power-play goal at 5:40 before Anton Frondell gave Chicago the lead exactly two minutes later. Artyom Levshunov set up Frondell's goal with a slick backhand pass. Frank Nazar later added an empty-net goal to finish the victory.
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For Chicago, that's almost an ideal script.
Kane's return has created excitement because of everything he represents from the greatest era in modern Blackhawks history.
But Chicago isn't trying to recreate 2010, 2013 or 2015. The Blackhawks need players such as Nazar, Frondell, Rinzel and Levshunov to create something new. Tuesday offered an encouraging glimpse.
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Spencer Knight makes lead stand up
The youngsters weren't alone. Spencer Knight stopped 26 of 28 shots and made one of his biggest saves against Pavel Buchnevich on a second-period breakaway.
Chicago needed it.
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St. Louis outshot the Blackhawks 28-21 and made things interesting late. Cole Smith scored a shorthanded empty-net goal with 1:09 remaining, but Connor McMichael answered for St. Louis 31 seconds later.
Nazar finally ended the drama with four seconds left.
The only significant concern came when Teuvo Teravainen exited with an apparent ankle injury and did not return.
Chicago will hope that issue isn't serious.For one night, however, the Blackhawks finally had plenty to celebrate. Kane came home. The United Center had its old energy back.
And the players Chicago hopes will eventually create the franchise's next championship window delivered its first win of the season.
