CHICAGO _ The Red Wings were as bad as advertised Sunday, but that didn't stop the Blackhawks from nearly finding a way to get embarrassed again at the United Center.
It took a pair of goals 45 seconds apart late in the second period, including the first of Dylan Sikura's career, and Adam Boqvist's goal with 11 minutes, 13 seconds remaining in the third period to lift the Hawks to a 4-2 win and help save them from a humiliating home loss to the NHL's worst team.
Losing to the Red Wings, who dropped to 10-30-3, would have been a huge blow to the Hawks as they try to stay in the playoff race with a stretch of six straight games against nonplayoff teams.
Instead, the Hawks won for the sixth time in eight games and improved to 19-18-6.
The Red Wings built a 2-0 lead after one period on a power-play goal by Filip Zadina and a deflection by Luke Glendening. Corey Crawford, filling in for the injured Robin Lehner (knee) and making his first start since Dec. 23, when the Hawks were trounced 7-1 by the Devils at the United Center, was perfect the rest of the way and finished with 19 saves. The Hawks outshot the Red Wings 27-21.
Even with the Hawks controlling the play much of the second period, they didn't get many shots on goal and weren't able to beat goalie Jimmy Howard until Dylan Strome's wrist shot made it 2-1 with 4:53 remaining.
Less than a minute later, Sikura pushed back a rebound into a wide-open net to tie the game that touched off a celebration on the ice for their hard-luck teammate.
Sikura, who had failed to score in the first 43 games of his career, was picked up off his skates by Erik Gustafsson and mobbed by his linemates as a huge smile spread across his face.
But Sikura's goal merely tied the game, and it took the second goal of Boqvist's career to give the Hawks their first lead of the game. He stepped around a defender near the blue line and from the slot sent a blistering wrist shot past Howard to make it 3-2.
Dominik Kubalik added an empty-netter for his 12th of the season to close the scoring.
The Hawks drew iron twice in the first period, once during a power play when Patrick Kane hit the bottom of the left post and the puck caromed almost perfectly in front of the goal line before exiting the other side. John Quenneville nearly had his first goal in a Hawks uniform midway through the period, but his shot struck the crossbar.
