Morning Box Score: Blackhawks Snap Losing Streak; Bulls Win A Team Effort
By Chuck Sudo in News on Feb 17, 2012 4:00PM
Blackhawks 4, New York Rangers 2
The Blackhawks finally snapped their nine-game losing streak, and earned their first road win in two months, on the grandest stage of all last night. They struck early and often in the first period, scoring on the first shift of the game on a Jonathan Toews penalty shot 65 seconds into the game. Nick Leddy, Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa completed the scoring as the Hawks gave Corey Crawford enough of a cushion for the goaltender to earn his win in a month. The win against the best team in the Eastern Conference should give the Blackhawks some confidence after their recent losing streak. Tomorrow's game against the Blue Jackets in Columbus could also start a winning streak and a chance for the Blackhawks to move up in the Western Conference playoff seeding.
The Bulls beat a possible Eastern Conference playoff contender without Derrick Rose and they did it with their complementary players performing at the levels expected of them. Luol Deng, Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer each notched double-doubles last night. Deng facilitated much of the offense last night, scoring 23 points while handing out 10 assists. The improved ball movement allowed Noah and Boozer to control the paint. Boozer added 23 points of his own while collecting 15 rebounds. Noah had 16 rebounds (eight of them on the offensive glass) to go with his 15 points. The Bulls pulled away in the fourth quarter and closed the game with a 22-11 run. If Deng, Boozer and Noah can continue this play when Derrick Rose returns from his back spasms, this team could be primed for a strong second half.