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Blackhawks stay hot in 5-2 win over Washington

Marian Hossa, Andrew Shaw

Chicago Blackhawks right wing Marian Hossa, of Slovakia, celebrates with Andrew Shaw (65) after Hossa scored against the Nashville Predators in the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Andrew Shaw had the best game of his young NHL career and Chicago improved to 7-1-1 in their last nine games as they earned a 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals.

Chicago set the tone of this game early with goals from Shaw and Viktor Stalberg within the first 7:44 minutes of play.

Washington’s Mike Knuble cut the Blackhawks lead in half with a goal early in the second period, but Patrick Kane answered back roughly five and a half minutes later. Kane has stepped up with captain Jonathan Toews (concussion) sidelined, and this goal extended his current point streak to five games.

Still, it was Shaw, not Kane, who was the hero of this contest. Shaw scored his second goal of the game midway through the second period and later added an assist. In Shaw, Chicago has a fine secondary scorer who is more than willing to throw his body around. This was the first time that Shaw scored twice or had three points in a single NHL game, but it definitely isn’t the only example of him contributing to a victory.

Alex Ovechkin scored a highlight-reel worthy goal late in the second period. He has now reached the 30-goal milestone in each of his seven NHL seasons, but his efforts were not enough to save Washington this time.

This is an unfortunate setback for the Capitals, who are is a very tight three-way race with the Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabres for the final playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. It also further hurts their increasingly slim chances of dethroning the Florida Panthers in the race for the Southeast Division title. You can check out Ovechkin’s goal and all the highlights below.

Washington is now 1-2-0 on their current road trip and things won’t get any easier for them as they’re scheduled to play in Detroit on Monday and Philadelphia on Thursday. They will then come home for a critical matchup against the Jets on Friday.

From Chicago’s perspective, this win helps to push them out of reach from the teams scrapping by for a final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Blackhawks currently hold the sixth seed and are firmly in control of their own destiny. They still have a chance to steal fifth or even fourth place from the Nashville Predators and Detroit Red Wings respectively.