Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Hawryluk, 22, scores first two goals in victory
CHICAGO — Jayce Hawryluk scored his first two NHL goals, Mike Hoffman and Jared McCann had goals in a 31-second span in the second period and the Florida Panthers defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 6-3 Sunday night.
Denis Malgin also scored and Frank Vatrano added an empty-netter as the Panthers won road games on consecutive night and prevailed for the fourth time in five games overall. Hoffman’s goal was his 17th, tying him for the team lead.
Dylan Strome had a goal and two assists for the lastplace Blackhawks, who had their season-high, threegame winning streak snapped. Connor Murphy scored his first goal of the season and Alex DeBrincat netted his 17th, moving into a tie with Patrick Kane for the team lead.
James Reimer made 26 saves for Florida and Cam Ward stopped 21 shots for Chicago, as No. 1 goalie Corey Crawford missed his fourth game with a concussion.
Hawryluk, a 22-year-old center, skated in his fifth game since being recalled from Springfield of the American Hockey League.
Murphy opened the scoring at 13:32 of the first period, connecting in his ninth game after missing Chicago’s first 30 while recovering a back injury. After taking Strome’s feed from behind the net, his shot from the right circle beat Reimer on the glove side.
Hawryluk tied it just under three minutes later with his first goal and point.
After hustling past Chicago defenseman Carl Dahlstrom, Hawryluk narrowly beat Ward to a loose puck as the goalie came out. Hawryluk skated to the right and fired into an empty net.
Hawryluk put Florida ahead 2-1 at 2:35 of the second. He skated behind Chicago defensemen Duncan Keith and Erik Gustafsson, took a long pass from Mike Matheson and beat Ward on the stick side after breaking in alone.
DeBrincat scored a power-play goal off a series of bounces at 4:56 to tie it at 2.
Hoffman’s power-play goal, on a rising screened shot from the point, put Florida ahead 3-2 with 3:11 left in the second. McCann buried a rebound of a long shot by MacKenzie Weegar, scoring past a diving Ward 31 seconds later to make it 4-2.