Carolina Hurricanes pound Chicago Blackhawks 5-0
By admin - 2016-10-25 03:59:55

The high-flying Chicago Blackhawks are looking pretty vulnerable lately, getting shut out for the second time in three games Tuesday night.

The Blackhawks, who have a Western Conference-leading 70 points, lost 5-0 to the lowly Carolina Hurricanes. The team also lost 4-0 to the Florida Panthers a few nights before (with a 2-0 win over St. Louis sandwiched in between), bringing the team back down to Earth after winning 12 straight. Still, they hold a comfortable lead in the Western Conference.

The Blackhawks remained three points back of the NHL-leading Washington Capitals, despite having played seven more games.

Riley Nash scored two goals for the Hurricanes, and Jeff Skinner had a goal and assist as the Blackhawks couldn’t figure out how to score against the Carolina defense, and the reigning Stanley Cup champions pulled starting goaltender Corey Crawford for Scott Darling after allowing three goals.

Eddie Lack was the winning goaltender for Carolina, making 26 saves to backstop a victory. Crawford made 13 saves before Darling came in.

The Hurricanes are a hot team at the moment, going 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. They have beaten the Blackhawks in both matchups this year.

The Hurricanes were fast out of the gate, scoring three goals with several minutes left in the first. Chicago was unable to get going, allowing another goal and failing to score one of their own by the time the horn sounded.

The Blackhawks played the first game of a four-game road trip. They will next visit the Colorado Avalanche, followed by the Phoenix Coyotes and Dallas Stars.