Ilya Mikheyev had two goals and Frank Nazar also scored to back a 28-save effort from Spencer Knight as the host Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 on Sunday to stop a five-game losing streak.
Chicago (22-45-10, 54 points) navigated a late charge from the Penguins, who tallied their lone goal when Rickard Rakell scored on the power play with 5:24 remaining.
Pittsburgh (31-35-12, 74 points) was eliminated from the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Penguins trail Montreal — which won in Nashville on Sunday — by 11 points for the final wild-card spot in the East with four games remaining.
Mikheyev’s goal at 9:40 of the third period stood up as the game-winner after taking a neutral-zone pass from Connor Bedard and darting past Pittsburgh’s Conor Timmins to convert. Rookie Sam Rinzel picked up the secondary assist for his first career NHL point.
Mikheyev accounted for the final margin with an empty-net goal in the final minute.
The Penguins were outshot 31-29 while finishing 1-for-3 on the power play.
Chicago grabbed a 1-0 lead at 18:55 of the second period, capitalizing on a 2-1 rush in the waning seconds of a Penguins power play.
Streaking down the left side, Nazar gathered a feed from Teuvo Teravainen and fired a wrist shot from the slot past Pittsburgh goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic. A short delay followed after the puck landed in Nedeljkovic’s pads.
Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby was held off the scoresheet, ending a 12-game point streak.
Pittsburgh’s Blake Lizotte redirected a puck out of the air and over the goal line for an apparent goal in the second period, but the tally was waived off for a high stick.
Knight otherwise held the Penguins attack in check as Chicago earned its first win since March 23.
Forward Phil Tomasino didn’t play for the Penguins as he underwent evaluation for an upper-body injury.
Nedeljkovic made 27 saves.
The Blackhawks and Penguins will complete the season series when they finish a home-and-home in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
–Field Level Media
