Blackhawks rally for much-needed victory over Hurricanes

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Anton Forsberg snares a shot by Carolina’s Jeff Skinner during the second period Saturday night. (AP Photo)

RALEIGH, N.C. — Entering the third period facing another two-goal deficit and staring a three-game losing streak and a sub-.500 record in the face, the Blackhawks didn’t sulk.

They didn’t lament all the great saves Hurricanes goalie Scott Darling had made and did the only thing they could do: They hoped all those close calls finally would start going in. The sooner, the better.

‘‘Just staying positive,’’ winger Brandon Saad said. ‘‘Once you’re in that position, it can’t really get any worse, you know?’’

Sure enough, the long-awaited offensive breakthrough the Hawks have been talking about for weeks finally came. Pulling out a 4-3 overtime victory against a young-and-middling Hurricanes team in mid-November shouldn’t feel like a big deal. But this is what it has come to for the Hawks, and the victory sure felt like a big one.

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‘‘Got two big goals there and then a huge win in overtime,’’ winger Patrick Kane said. ‘‘Nice to get those two points. Hopefully, it gives us some confidence going forward.’’

Winger Alex DeBrincat had two goals and set up Saad’s game-winner in overtime.

Saad’s night was emblematic of the Hawks’ night. He was denied by Darling on a penalty shot early in the first period and stuffed on the doorstep on a power play in the second. But 61 minutes and 44 seconds into what would have been his 11th game in a row without a goal, Saad took a nifty backhanded leave by DeBrincat and fired the game-winner between Darling’s pads for an emphatic and cathartic goal.

‘‘You get that breakaway and the penalty shot after it, it’s like, ‘OK, here we go again,’ for him and for us,’’ coach Joel Quenneville said. ‘‘Obviously, we needed that as much as he did.’’

Just as the Hawks are hoping their first four-goal game in three weeks can open the floodgates as a team, DeBrincat is hoping his first career two-goal game can do the same for him individually. He hadn’t scored a non-empty-net goal in 12 games. An awkward fit on a line with Lance Bouma and Tanner Kero, DeBrincat made the most of his opportunities with skilled players.

With the Hawks trailing 2-0 after a frustrating first period, DeBrincat cashed in a terrific cross-ice centering pass from Jonathan Toews in the last second of a power play in the second to make it 2-1. And after Brock McGinn’s second goal of the game made it 3-1 entering the second intermission, DeBrincat took a touch pass from Kane and ripped the puck past Darling from the slot to make it 3-2 early in the third.

‘‘He’s in those areas, and he can find ways to put the puck in the back of the net with his quick release,’’ Kane said. ‘‘He had a big night tonight, and I’m sure that’ll give him some confidence going forward, too.’’

Gustav Forsling tied the score with a shot through traffic — yes, the Hawks actually had bodies in front of the net — at 11:29 of the third to send the game to overtime. And after goalie Anton Forsberg, who bounced back well after a rough start, made two huge saves in the extra period, DeBrincat found Saad for the game-winner.

It salvaged the moms trip and, more important, some sanity for a team that couldn’t understand why it couldn’t score any goals.

‘‘Confidence is a lot in this game,’’ DeBrincat said. ‘‘If we have it, we’ll be moving.’’

Follow me on Twitter @MarkLazerus.

Email: mlazerus@suntimes.com


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