Taylor Hall scored the tiebreaking goal with 13:44 remaining and added an assist as the visiting Chicago Blackhawks stopped a season-worst five-game losing streak with a 2-1 victory over the struggling New York Rangers on Monday night.
Outscored 21-10 during their skid, the Blackhawks gave interim coach Anders Sorensen his first win in two games since he replaced Luke Richardson on Thursday. Chicago also stopped a six-game road losing streak (0-5-1) and earned its fourth win in 15 games (4-10-1).
Hall snapped a 1-all tie with a terrific individual effort during a two-on-one with Connor Bedard.
New York defenseman K’Andre Miller lost the puck along the boards in the defensive zone to Jason Dickinson, spotted Bedard and moved the puck to him as Hall motored down the left wing into the offensive zone.
Hall went to the net, took a cross-ice pass from Bedard and got goalie Igor Shesterkin slightly out of the crease. The puck went in when it banked off Shesterkin’s stick and right pad as Hall fell over the goaltender.
Tyler Bertuzzi also scored for the Blackhawks, who won for just the second time in 19 games this season when scoring two goals or fewer (1-15-2).
Chicago goalie Arvid Soderblom made 29 saves a day after Petr Mrazek went on injured reserve with a groin ailment. Soderblom highlighted his ninth career victory (and second this season) with a left skate save on Artemi Panarin during a New York power play with 16:02 remaining in the second.
Will Cuylle scored his first career short-handed goal but the Rangers dropped to 2-8-0 in their past 10 games and heard loud boos for long stretches of the third period.
Shesterkin stopped 30 shots in his first appearance since signing an eight-year, $92 million contract on Saturday.
Chicago opened the scoring with 11:50 remaining in the first period by capitalizing on a miscue by Mika Zibanejad.
Zibanejad dumped the puck in behind the net, but Hall swooped in and circled the net. Hall sent a cross-ice pass beyond New York defenseman Ryan Lindgren and Zibanejad to Bertuzzi, who sent a one-timer from the bottom of the left circle over Shesterkin.
After the Rangers won a puck battle in the defensive zone, they quickly moved it up the ice and Sam Carrick charged down the left side. Soderblom stopped Carrick’s shot but was well out of position when Cuylle slid the rebound into the vacated left side of the net with 43 seconds left in the opening period.
