Morning Box Score: Bulls, Blackhawks Keep Rolling

By Chuck Sudo in News on Mar 1, 2011 3:30PM

Let's start with the Blackhawks, shall we? Right now they are the hottest team in the NHL. Last night's 4-2 win over the Minnesota Wild extended their win streak to a season-high five games and vaulted them to fifth place in the Western Conference standings with 74 points. The Blackhawks are only two points behind Phoenix for fourth place in the conference and within striking distance of San Jose for third place. After a mostly frustrating season, the defending Stanley Cup champs are playing as though they think they can win it again, and their recent play indicates they aren't going down without a fight. Jonathan Toews, who's been the catalyst for the Blackhawks resurgence this month, continued his torrid pace. He and Patrick Sharp each scored in the second period. Toews has four goals in his last six games and 23 points in his last 14 games.

The Bulls, meanwhile, made easy work of the Washington Wizards with a 105-77 win in DC last night. It was the Bulls 41st win of the season, matching their win totals of the previous two seasons under Vinny del Negro. Defense again paved the way for the Bulls. Joakim Noah had his best game since returning from thumb surgery, with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Noah also was the trailer on a highlight-reel worthy between the legs assist from Derrick Rose. It was one of Rose's 9 assists to go with a team-high 21 points. The Bulls, who've won the first two games on their five-game road trip, now head into the rough stretch of the trip with a visit to Atlanta tomorrow night (6 p.m., WCIU, WMVP-AM 1000).