Rookie defenseman Kevin Korchinski scored 4 minutes, 30 seconds into overtime, and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 on Friday at the United Center to stop a five-game slide.
Jason Dickinson scored three times for the Hawks, completing his first career hat trick 15 seconds into the third period. Arvid Söderblom finished with 34 saves.
“There’s been a lot of emotions going around,” Dickinson said. “A positive win at home, doing the right things, details, all of that leads to a really good feeling to head forward.”
The last-place Hawks are 4-10-0 in their last 14 games.
“We needed this and really dug down and got it,” coach Luke Richardson said. “We were more into the battle.”
Calle Jarnkrok, Ryan Reaves and Nicholas Robertson scored for the Maple Leafs, who had won four in a row. Max Domi had two assists and Ilya Samsonov made 30 stops.
The Maple Leafs had a 3-1 lead midway through the second period.
“They score three goals, basically, where we have the puck on our sticks in our end and then it’s in our net,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said.
Korchinski backhanded a rebound past Samsonov from the left corner of the crease after Connor Bedard’s shot caromed off the backboard and the top of the net. It was Korchinski’s second goal.
“I just went to the net and got a good bounce,” Korchinski said. “We were trying to create chaos.”
Dickinson tied it at 3 when he sent a 30-foot wrist shot over Samsonov’s right shoulder for his sixth goal of the season.
“It felt pretty amazing,” Dickinson said. “The puck laid up nicely in the slot to finish it off.”
The Leafs’ Auston Matthews and Bedard had excellent chances in the first minute of overtime but were stopped. William Nylander beat Soderblom but hit the crossbar and right post with a backhand 2:50 into OT.
Nylander’s season-high point streak ended at 18 games.
“They capitalized when they had to,” Domi said. “There’s some stuff we’ve got to clean up. We’re aware of that.”
Jarnkrok snuck behind defenseman Alex Vlasic to redirect Domi’s feed past Soderblom during a 4-on-4 stretch. Then Reaves found open space in the slot to bank Jake McCabe’s pass from the right side by Söderblom for a 3-1 lead at 3:31.
Dickinson roofed a shot from the crease with 7:33 left in the second, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
The Hawks played without forwards Taylor Hall, Corey Perry and Andreas Athanasiou. Hall and Athanasiou are out with injuries, and Perry missed a second straight game because of “an organizational decision,” according to the team.
“I’m unable to give any more information at this time,” Richardson said of Perry. “The players, same as me. We just don’t know right now.”
The Leafs were without defenseman John Klingberg, placed on long-term injured reserve Thursday with an undisclosed injury.