CHICAGO - Patrick Sharp scored in the third shootout round Wednesday night, lifting the Chicago Blackhawks to a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche -- the third straight game between the teams decided in a tiebreaker.
It was the first time the teams didn't need to go to extended shootouts. Chicago won in nine rounds on Oct. 10, and Colorado won in eight last Friday.
Craig Anderson, a Chicago-area native who played three seasons for the Blackhawks, made 37 saves in regulation and overtime and turned aside Patrick Kane's shootout attempt. But he was beaten by Jonathan Toews in the first shootout round and then couldn't stop Sharp's backhander over his glove.
Marek Svatos scored in the shootout for the Avalanche, but Wojtek Wolski hit the post on his attempt and Darcy Tucker was stopped by Cristobal Huet. Wolski entered the game as the NHL shootout king, converting 17-of-29 (58.6 per cent), but he is 0-for-4 in the three games against Chicago.
Huet made 25 saves for the Blackhawks, who have won five consecutive home games. Chicago outshot Colorado 19-3 in the third period and overtime.
Since starting the season 10-1-2, the Avalanche are 2-3-1.
Colorado's Kyle Cumiskey scored 9:44 into the game when he shot wide, chased the puck behind the net and flipped a centring pass that went in off Huet. Kane tied it at 15:20, wristing a shot from the left circle over Anderson's glove-side shoulder.
Wolski scored his team-high ninth goal at 13:10 of the second to put the Avalanche ahead, but Chicago's Cam Barker responded at 4:56 of the third. Taking advantage of defenceman Kyle Quincey's failed attempt to keep the puck in Blackhawks ice, Barker stickhandled all the way down the ice and scored over Anderson's glove.
Colorado had a great chance to win in regulation, but Matt Duchene's shot with about a minute to go hit the post behind Huet.
NOTES: Tucker was activated from the injured list after missing eight games with a concussion. ... Colorado RW Milan Hejduk sat out with a sore back. ... Former Blackhawks great Bobby Hull, whose son Brett joined him in the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday, dropped the ceremonial first puck.