The Chicago Blackhawks matched a franchise-best eight-game winning streak with a 5-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday. The Blackhawks, whose goals were scored by five different players, last won eight successive games in 1981. "We came out with lots of energy," Chicago left wing Andrew Ladd told reporters.
"We needed to play the way we had been - skating and pressuring the puck all over the ice. We did a really good job of that. When guys had chances, they finished." Goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin needed just 17 saves to help Chicago improve to 19-6-7.
Ladd got the Blackhawks on the board 1:13 into the first period and Patrick Sharp added his team-leading 19th goal a little more than a minute later to give Chicago a winning lead in the first period. Center Mike Richards reduced the deficit for Philadelphia with a wrist shot at 7:42 in the first but the Flyers were chasing shadows for the remainder of the game.
The Blackhawks, who had scored just nine goals in the last six meetings with the Flyers, erupted in the third with goals from Brian Campbell, Kris Versteeg and Dave Bolland. Chicago had had a dismal 1-12-0 record against the Flyers since 1997 before Friday's game.
The Flyers' league-leading goal scorer Jeff Carter recorded an assist but went scoreless for the first time in four games, while Philadelphia goalie Martin Biron finished with 33 saves as Chicago dominated the action and out-shot the Flyers 38-18.
The Flyers experienced travel problems on the way to Chicago and missed their morning skate as a result. "I'm not sure if that played a factor or not," Sharp said. "We were a little rusty as well and you're always a little hesitant after a couple of days off. But [we] played physical right away and we were able to get a couple of goals."