HAWKS START STRONG BACK HOME
| Blues | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| HAWKS | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
Mark Bell, Martin Lapointe and Andy Hilbert each had a goal and an assist, and Nikolai Khabibulin stopped 32 shots to lead the Chicago Blackhawks to a 5-1 win over the St. Louis Blues on Friday night.
Jim Dowd added a goal, and Pavel Vorobiev scored into an empty net with 1:37 left.
Among Khabibulin's saves was a blocker deflection of Doug Weight's penalty shot at 8:22 of the second period.
Weight was awarded the attempt after Chicago's Kyle Calder covered the puck, then threw it from a pile-up in the Blackhawks crease.
Dean McAmmond scored for the Blues, who have won just one of their last five games and two of nine.
St. Louis forward Keith Tkachuk left the game with a hand injury after skating two shifts in the second period and didn't return.
Tkachuk's five-game goal streak and seven-game point run were snapped. He had eight goals and seven assists in seven games before Friday.
St. Louis starting goalie Curtis Sanford left the game 4:38 into the second period after Blues defenseman Eric Weinrich collided with him and knocked him into the post.
Sanford got back on his skates, but was helped to the bench. He was later diagnosed with a hip flexor injury.
Sanford allowed two goals on four shots before being replaced by Jason Bacashihua, who gave up two goals on 16 shots.
Hilbert opened the scoring on a deflection at 8:33 of the first period. As Hilbert cut across the slot, Rene Bourque's shot from just inside the blue line struck him and bounded past Sanford.
Lapointe made it 2-0 with 1:12 left in the first. He scored from the crease, after being set up by Kyle Calder following a St. Louis turnover.
McAmmond cut it to 2-1 just over 2 minutes after Khabibulin stopped Weight on the penalty shot.
Bell's power-play goal with 3:52 left in the second gave Chicago a 3-1 lead. He beat Bacashihua with a high shot from the top of the right circle.
Vorobiev's empty-net goal with 1:37 left made it 4-1. Dowd completed the scoring, with Bacashihia back in goal, with two seconds left.