Nov. 08--The summary
Andre Burakovsky and Marcus Johansson each had a goal and an assist and Joel Ward also scored for the Capitals as they defeated the Blackhawks 3-2 on Friday night at the United Center.
Braden Holtby earned the victory in goal as the Caps snapped a five-game losing skid with a three-goal explosion late in the second period. Brandon Saad and Duncan Keith scored for the Hawks but netminder Corey Crawford suffered the loss after not being able to hold a two-goal lead.
Turning point
With the Hawks holding a 2-1 lead late in the second period, Johansson sent a shot toward the net that deflected off Hawks defenseman Brent Seabrook and bounded into the goal to tie it. Just 42 seconds later Ward scored the game-winner.
In the nets
Crawford started his fourth consecutive game and finished with 21 saves. Holtby stood tall when the Hawks were pressing and stopped 38 shots.
Tribune's three stars
1. Burakovsky: Opened the scoring for the Caps and assisted on Johansson's tying goal;
2. Keith: Made an impact at both ends of the ice with strong defensive play and a power-play goal;
3. Matt Niskanen, Capitals: Defenseman assisted on final two goals.
Regin debut
Peter Regin made his first appearance of the season with Patrick Sharp sidelined with a right knee injury. He skated on the fourth line with Brad Richards and Jeremy Morin and finished with one shot on goal in 8:25 of ice time.
The quote
"We basically shot ourselves in the foot by mental mistakes. A couple of plays were totally unacceptable." -- Hawks coach Joel Quenneville
Roster report
Scratches for the Hawks were Sharp, Daniel Carcillo (right knee) and Michal Rozsival (healthy). Sitting for the Capitals were Eric Fehr, Jack Hillen and Evgeny Kuznetsov.
Up next
Vs. Sharks, 6 p.m. on Sunday at the United Center.
