Coming off a 6-5 loss that saw the St. Louis Blues storm back Wednesday, the Chicago Blackhawks look to turn their fortunes around against the surprising New Jersey Devils tonight.
Chicago hits the road for a brief one game trip away from Chicago and are in the midst of a stretch with five of seven games at home.
The Blackhawks are 7-5-1 overall. The Devils are 6-5-1 on the season and have won five of their last seven games. Chicago has lost three of their last four.
Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane can finally put the investigation behind him that lasted nearly three and has been more of a focus rather than the stellar start to the season he's had, compiling 18 points.
Chicago returns to the United Center Sunday for a matchup with the Edmonton Oilers, who lost prized prospect Connor McDavid earlier this week.
>>Holtby Brilliant Again As Caps Down Bruins
Braden Holtby stopped 28 shots and the Capitals handed the Boston Bruins their first road loss of the season, 4-1 on Thursday night.
After blanking Boston in all three games between the teams last season, Holtby fell behind 1-0 when a centering pass from Brett Connolly ricocheted high off the stick of Washington defenseman Matt Niskanen, hit Jimmy Hayes in the chest and bounced into the net.
It would be the lone score from a team that came in with an NHL-best 3.82 goals per game average.
Alex Ovechkin tied the game at 1 with his seventh goal of the season and 482nd of his career, one short of Sergei Fedorov for most among Russian-born players in NHL history.
Goals by Laich, John Carlson and Karl Alzner followed, and Washington left the ice with a 9-3-0 record, matching the best start in franchise history.
Carlson gave Washington a two-goal cushion at 7:21 of the period, scoring off a pass from Nicklas Backstrom with two Bruins in the penalty box. Backstrom has nine points in nine games this season and 28 points in 26 career games against Boston.
The 5-on-3 occurred after a penalty was called on Brad Marchand for pounding T.J. Oshie in the head.
Holtby turned aside all seven Boston shots in the third period, and Alzner clinched it with an empty net goal at 18:10.
Ovechkin has a point (7 goals, 7 assists) in 10 of 11 games this season.
