Kane's 4-point night leads Blackhawks over Sabres

Patrick Kane had two goals and two assists to reach two milestones as the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the host Buffalo Sabres 7-3 Friday night. Kane, a Buffalo native, reached 900 career NHL points with his first goal 50 seconds into the second period. That also gave him the fifth 10-game point streak of his career, making him only the third player in Blackhawks history to have that many after Bobby Hull (five times) and Denis Savard (11 times).

Kane has 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in his past 10 games. Brandon Saad scored twice and Drake Caggiula, Duncan Keith and Connor Murphy each added a goal for the Blackhawks, who were playing for the first time since before the All-Star break. Goaltender Cam Ward stopped 40 shots as Chicago won its third consecutive game.

Jack Eichel, Jason Pominville and Kyle Okposo scored for the Sabres, who were playing their third game in four days since the break. Goalie Carter Hutton allowed four goals on 21 shots before being pulled after the second period for Linus Ullmark. Caggiula opened the scoring at 18:38 of the first period. Teammate Gustav Forsling intercepted a Buffalo clearing pass and passed to a wide-open Caggiula in front of the net and he put a backhander past Hutton.

Kane made it 2-0 early in the second, taking a long lead pass from Erik Gustafsson and breaking in alone, beating Hutton with a slap shot from the left circle. Keith made it 3-0 at 5:06 of the second, banking in his own rebound.

Eichel got the Sabres on the scoreboard at 18:05 of the second by redirecting a shot from the point past Ward, but the Blackhawks restored their three-goal advantage when Saad, playing in his 500th game, scored on a wrister with 21 seconds remaining in the period. The Sabres closed within a goal when Pominville and Okposo scored in the opening 7:16 of the third period.

But Murphy scored at 11:24 to make it 5-3 and Kane added his second at 17:13 before Saad scored unassisted at 19:22. --Field Level Media

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