This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Chicago • Brandon Saad scored in the fifth round of the shootout after Jonathan Toews tied the game late in regulation, and the Chicago Blackhawks clinched the Central Division title with a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night.
With St. Louis losing to Columbus earlier Friday, the Blackhawks wrapped up the Central race for the first time since 2010 when they won the Stanley Cup.
Chicago also increased its lead over Anaheim for the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs to six points.
The shootout was tied 1-1 when Saad beat Jimmy Howard with a backhand shot. Corey Crawford then stopped Johan Franzen, sealing the win and giving the Blackhawks a four-game season sweep over Detroit.
The Blackhawks were trailing 2-1 when Howard made a big pad save on Michael Frolik in the closing minutes. The puck ended up at the left point, and Johnny Oduya's shot hit traffic in front. Toews then fired in the loose puck for his 20th goal, tying it with 2:57 left in regulation.
Chicago then had a 2-on-1 rush, but Bryan Bickell's shot with about 50 seconds left hit the left post.
The Blackhawks had a chance late in overtime when Viktor Stalberg sprinted down the right wing and tried to center the puck to Patrick Kane. The puck appeared to hit a Detroit defender, and Howard swept it aside.
Stalberg beat Howard with a wraparound shot early in the second period. Two quick goals by Franzen and Cory Emmerton late in the period gave Detroit a 2-1 lead, but the Blackhawks answered down the stretch, winning their final game against the Red Wings as division foes. EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
GP W L OT Pts GF GA
y-Pttsbrgh 41 31 10 0 62 138 101
Islanders 41 21 16 4 46 119 121
Rangers 40 20 16 4 44 99 96
New Jersey 41 15 16 10 40 96 113
Philly 40 17 20 3 37 108 125
Northeast Division
GP W L OT Pts GF GA
x-Montreal 40 26 9 5 57 127 95
Boston 40 26 10 4 56 114 87
Toronto 40 22 13 5 49 123 112
Ottawa 41 21 14 6 48 101 89
Buffalo 41 16 19 6 38 107 127
Southeast Division
GP W L OT Pts GF GA
Wash. 41 22 17 2 46 123 113
Winnipeg 42 21 19 2 44 109 123
Tampa Bay 40 17 21 2 36 127 122
Carolina 40 16 22 2 34 103 129
Florida 40 13 21 6 32 98 139
NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Central Division
GP W L OT Pts GF GA
y-Chicago 40 31 5 4 66 132 85
St. Louis 40 23 15 2 48 110 102
Detroit 41 19 15 7 45 103 107
Columbus 41 18 16 7 43 99 105
Nashville 42 15 19 8 38 98 115
Northwest Division
GP W L OT Pts GF GA
Vancouver 40 23 11 6 52 109 96
Minnesota 40 22 16 2 46 103 100
Edmonton 40 16 17 7 39 102 111
Calgary 40 15 21 4 34 106 140
Colorado 41 13 22 6 32 96 128
Pacific Division
GP W L OT Pts GF GA
x-Anaheim 41 27 9 5 59 124 103
L.A. 41 23 14 4 50 118 103
San Jose 40 21 12 7 49 101 100
Dallas 40 20 17 3 43 114 120
Phoenix 41 18 16 7 43 110 110
x-clinched playoff spot
y-clinched division
Friday's games
Chicago 3, Detroit 2, SO
Ottawa 2, New Jersey 0
Columbus 4, St. Louis 1
Dallas 5, Nashville 2
Calgary 3, Phoenix 2, OT
Saturday's games
Philadelphia at Buffalo, 1 p.m.
Vancouver at Colorado, 1 p.m.
Montreal at Toronto, 5 p.m.
N.Y. Rangers at N.Y. Islanders, 5 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Washington, 5 p.m.
Boston at Carolina, 5 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Florida, 5:30 p.m.
Columbus at Minnesota, 6 p.m.
San Jose at Dallas, 6 p.m.
Calgary at Edmonton, 8 p.m.
Anaheim at Los Angeles, 9 p.m.