Blackhawks come from behind to top Red Wings
Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook enjoys playing against the rival Detroit Red Wings.
On Friday night, he helped beat them.
Seabrook scored a goal to break a tie early in the third period, and the Blackhawks defeated Detroit 3-2.
Seabrook ripped in the game-winner 1:52 into the third when he fired from the blue line and overpowered Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard with a rising shot that sailed over his glove.
The goal was Seabrook's second this season, but in 42 career games against the Red Wings he has seven goals and 18 assists.
''It was a great pass by Kaner (Patrick Kane),'' Seabrook said. ''I sort of buried my head and shot it as hard as I could.
I don't know what it is; it's always fun playing against these guys. They're always a big rivalry for us, so it's nice to come out with an effort the way we did tonight and get a big two points.''
Marian Hossa scored and Jonathan Toews connected on a penalty shot for Chicago, which improved to 10-2-1 in its past 13 before a season-high crowd of 22,166 at the United Center.
The win gave Chicago a league-high 52 points. The Blackhawks, in first place in the Central Division, opened a five-point lead on second-place Detroit.
''Hossa had a monster game, as Johnny did,'' Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said.
Toews scored on the first penalty shot attempt by a Blackhawks player this season, and the second of his career. He was stopped on his first career penalty shot in March 2009 against Edmonton.
''It was nice to get a second chance on the penalty shot, and I made no mistake there,'' Toews said.
Hossa has points in nine of his past 10 games and has six goals and nine assists during the stretch.
''It's pretty easy to get pumped up when the crowd goes crazy like that before the puck drops,'' Hossa said. ''They're (games versus Detroit) always close, tight game you want to play as a hockey player.''
Detroit coach Mike Babcock agreed with Quenneville, citing Hossa and Toews as ''dominant.''
But Babcock wasn't happy with the performance of Detroit's top forwards as the Red Wings got goals from Justin Abdelkader and Todd Bertuzzi.
Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen - usually potent in games against Chicago - combined for only one shot.
''Anyway you look at it, that's not good enough,'' Babcock said. ''We didn't have enough sustained pressure in their zone.
''It's a one-shot game. You know it's going to be like that coming in.''
Chicago's Corey Crawford made 26 saves. Howard stopped 25 shots.
The Blackhawks and Red Wings met for the first time in 2011-12, marking the latest the ''Original Six'' rivals had faced each other for the first time in a season since 1928-29.
Abdelkader opened the scoring 9:48 in when he plowed to the net and popped in a loose puck before Crawford could dive out and cover it.
Drew Miller's shot hit Blackhawks defenseman Sean O'Donnell, then fell at the edge of the crease to set up the goal.
Toews tied it at 1 on his penalty shot with 5:28 left in period. He skated straight in, delayed an instant and fired a low shot under Howard's right pad.
Toews was awarded the attempt after being hooked lightly from behind by Detroit's defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom on a breakaway.
Bertuzzi was credited with a goal at 5:25 of the second to put Detroit ahead 2-1.
Mike Commodore ripped a slap shot into traffic from the blue line and it glanced in off Bertuzzi, who was in front of the crease.
Hossa tied it at 2 just over two minutes later.
After skating across the top of the Detroit zone, he turned down the left wing and beat Howard from the circle.
Set up by Toews, Hossa fired at an open net with just under six minutes left in the second, but Lidstrom blocked the shot.
After Seabrook put Chicago ahead 3-2, the Red Wings took three penalties that hindered any comeback attempt.
Crawford was sharp when he had to be to preserve the lead, and Zetterberg backhanded a close-in shot off the post with 7:40 left.
Notes: Chicago RW Jimmy Hayes made his NHL debut. The Blackhawks recalled the 6-foot-6 22-year-old from Rockford of the AHL on Thursday. ... Blackhawks LW Daniel Carcillo returned after missing six games with an upper-body injury. Chicago C Marcus Kruger (concussion) missed his second straight game. ... Detroit recalled C Gustav Nyquist from Grand Rapids on Thursday to take the roster spot of LW Tomas Holmstrom, who was placed on IR with a groin injury. Red Wings C Darren Helm also sat out Friday with a groin injury. ... Red Wings RW Dan Cleary got his 200th assist on Abdelkader's goal. ... Toews' penalty shot was the first by a Blackhawk since Hossa scored on Jan. 23, 2011.