The Chicago Blackhawks put up their best first-period performance of the season Thursday — three power-play goals — then immediately flushed it away when the Carolina Hurricanes scored two goals in eight seconds to start the second. —
Ultimately, that lapse didn’t cost the Hawks. The teams traded goals in the third period before Alex DeBrincat’s goal with 7:38 left put them ahead for good in a 6-4 victory at the United Center.
Patrick Kane had a goal and three assists, Mattias Janmark, Dominik Kubalik and Andrew Shaw scored and DeBrincat added an empty-netter for the Hawks, who improved to 4-4-4.
The power play has been a lifesaver for the Hawks this season, and they outdid themselves with three in the first period — the last coming off Shaw’s stick with seven seconds left before the intermission.
The second unit accounted for the first two power-play goals by Janmark and Kubalik, each credited with an assist on the other’s goal.
The Hawks have held a first-period lead three times through 12 games and a two-goal leader after the first only once — Jan. 24 versus the Detroit Red Wings — but the latest one was short-lived.
Nino Niederreiter and Andrei Svechnikov rallied the Hurricanes (6-2-0) to a 3-3 tie in the first 50 seconds of the second period with goals eight seconds apart.
In the third, Kane notched his sixth goal of the season as he fended off a shove from Jaccob Slavin with one hand and used the other to backhand the puck past James Reimer. The goal was confirmed after a video review.
DeBrincat was in the right place at place at the right time for the go-ahead goal, his third of the season. Kane flipped the puck from the back wall to Pius Suter, who grabbed it, dropped it and tried to stuff it in on Reimer’s left side. The puck dribbled out of the scrum and across the crease as DeBrincat was rushing the opposite side, and he flipped it in.
The Hawks killed off Kane’s late penalty for high-sticking Vincent Trocheck and held on to avenge Tuesday’s loss to the Hurricanes.
