Taylor Hall scored the go-ahead goal with 13:44 left and also picked up an assist as the Chicago Blackhawks ended their five-game losing streak with a 2-1 victory over the struggling New York Rangers on Monday night.
During their losing streak, the Blackhawks had been outscored 21-10. This win gave interim coach Anders Sorensen his first victory in his second game since taking over for Luke Richardson on Thursday. Chicago also snapped a six-game road losing streak (0-5-1) and earned just their fourth win in 15 games this season (4-10-1).
Hall broke a 1-1 tie with a great individual play during a two-on-one with Connor Bedard. Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller lost the puck along the boards to Jason Dickinson, who passed it to Bedard, who then fed Hall on the left wing. Hall went to the net, received a pass from Bedard, and the puck went in off Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin’s stick and pad as Hall fell over him.
Tyler Bertuzzi also scored for the Blackhawks, who won for the second time this season when scoring two goals or fewer (1-15-2).
Chicago goalie Arvid Soderblom made 29 saves in his second win of the season, highlighted by a key save with his left skate on Artemi Panarin during a Rangers power play in the second period. Soderblom played in place of Petr Mrazek, who was placed on injured reserve with a groin injury.
Will Cuylle scored his first career short-handed goal for the Rangers, but they lost for the eighth time in their last 10 games and were booed by the crowd during the third period. Shesterkin, who signed an eight-year, $92 million contract on Saturday, stopped 30 shots in his first appearance since the deal.
Chicago took the lead with 11:50 left in the first period after a mistake by Mika Zibanejad. Zibanejad dumped the puck behind the net, but Hall intercepted it, circled the net, and passed it to Bertuzzi, who scored from the left circle.
The Rangers answered quickly, as they won a puck battle in their zone and moved the puck up the ice. Sam Carrick shot on Soderblom, who made the save, but Cuylle scored on the rebound with 43 seconds left in the first period.
