CHICAGO _ At one point during the second period Friday night, Jonathan Toews had a look at a wide-open net from the right circle. He fired it into the pads of Islanders goaltender Thomas Greiss.
Later in the period, Patrick Kane had an open look at a one-timer from a few feet back. His shot went wide.
These were not the same crisp, sharp Blackhawks that had won 10 of their last 11 games. Missing four skaters from the regular lineup had something to do with that.
But the Hawks still found a way to overcome their sluggishness and picked up a 2-1 shootout victory over the Islanders at the United Center.
The Hawks didn't gain their footing until the third period, when they sent a barrage of shots at Greiss, who finally cracked when Artemi Panarin tied the score 1-1 with 1 minutes, 14 seconds left.
Panarin scored the second goal of the shootout to clinch the victory, giving the Hawks two points and their sixth consecutive victory.
It didn't help the Hawks that two of their top offensive threats of late, Artem Anisimov (right leg) and Nick Schmaltz (illness), missed the game.
The first period looked nothing like the crackling, fast-pace game that took place Wednesday between the Hawks and Penguins. There were few high-quality chances and neither team threatened on the power play.
The Hawks' puck possession picked up a bit in the second period, but it resulted in few quality chances. They did get one power play after a cross-check penalty on Anders Lee, but that ended in disaster: Brock Nelson fired home a short-handed goal past Corey Crawford.
Crawford finished with 31 saves in his return from an illness that sidelined him for two games.
Nelson's goal came after defenseman Brian Campbell got caught pinching to play the puck in the Islanders' zone. It led to a 2-on-1 opportunity, and Nelson decided to keep the puck instead of passing. It paid off as he beat Crawford short side.
The Hawks were also shorthanded on defense with Niklas Hjalmarsson (upper body) and Johnny Oduya (ankle) missing the game.
Meanwhile, Kane and Toews, who had been on goal-scoring tears of late, cooled off for the night. Both had to adjust to new linemates replacing Anisimov and Schmaltz. Toews played with Ryan Hartman on his left, while Tanner Kero centered Kane's line.
The Hawks applied pressure early in the third and had one of their best opportunities of the night when Toews and Hartman had a rush chance, but Greiss came up with a big save.
