National Hockey League
San Jose 7, Chicago 3
When: 7:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 16, 2018
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Referees: Gord Dwyer, Peter MacDougall
Linesmen: Lonnie Cameron, James Tobias
Attendance: 21237

Evander Kane, Melker Karlsson, Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture and Kevin Labanc each had a goal and an assist as the San Jose Sharks rallied past host Chicago for a 7-3 victory Sunday night.

Five of San Jose's goals came after Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford was forced to leave after hitting the back of his head on the goalpost following a collision.

Marcus Sorensen and Barclay Goodrow also scored for the Sharks, who won their fourth straight game. Goaltender Aaron Dell stopped all 16 shots he faced in relief of Martin Jones, who was chased early.

Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome and Brendan Perlini scored for Chicago, which has won just once in its past 11 games (1-9-1).

The Blackhawks led 3-2 in the first when Crawford left with 1:30 remaining in the period. Crawford, a 12-year veteran, suffered a concussion Dec. 23, 2017 at New Jersey that forced him to miss the remainder of the 2017-18 season and the first five games of 2018-19.

Couture drove to the net and unleashed a shot as Strome tried to cut him off. Crawford made the save, but Kane plowed into Strome from behind, sending both players crashing into the goalie. Crawford fell backward, hitting his head on the post to his left. Crawford was able to skate off and walk to the locker room under his own power, while Kane received a minor penalty for goaltender interference.

Kane, Goodrow and Couture scored against Chicago's Cam Ward in the second period to give the Sharks a 5-3 lead. Goodrow scored what proved to be the winner at 7:36 of the period, getting in front of the net to tip Justin Braun's shot from the point past Ward.

Labanc and Hertl tallied in the third for the final margin.

The Blackhawks took a 3-2 lead in the first period, scoring on three of their first four shots and knocking Jones from the game.

DeBrincat and Strome scored 47 seconds apart, at 2:34 and 3:21 of period, on Chicago's first two shots.

The Sharks tied it at 2-2 as Karlsson and Sorensen scored 42 seconds apart, at 9:58 and 10:40.

The Blackhawks regained the lead on Perlini's goal at 12:54, and Jones left shortly thereafter.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
San Jose   Chicago
Brent Burns 3 Points Alex Debrincat 1
Logan Couture 1 Goals Alex Debrincat 1
Brent Burns 3 Assists Erik Gustafsson 1
Evander Kane 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Aaron Dell 1.000 Save Percentage Cam Ward .857
Aaron Dell 16 Saves Cam Ward 30
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
San Jose 43 7 2-2 4-4 10 28
Chicago 20 3 0-4 0-2 6 28
Upcoming Games
  • Chicago will play their next game at home against Nashville. The Blackhawks have a W/L % of .273 after a win and .292 after a loss.
  • San Jose will play their next game on the road against Minnesota. The Sharks have a W/L % of .471 after a win and .588 after a loss.