National Hockey League
Chicago 2, Toronto 1
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, March 18, 2017
Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Referees: Mike Leggo, Graham Skilliter
Linesmen: Shandor Alphonso, Darren Gibbs
Attendance: 19505

TORONTO -- The Chicago Blackhawks are making a strong move in the standings when it counts the most.

When Ryan Hartman scored at 4:43 of overtime Saturday night, it gave the Blackhawks their fourth win in a row and 11th in their past 13 games.

During this stretch, they overtook the Minnesota Wild for first place in the Central Division and for the top seed in the Western Conference.

"We've continued to stay hot and playing well every night," Hartman said. "I think we just try to win every night. We don't really try look at the standings too much."

Hartman's goal gave Chicago its third straight road win.

"It was a great trip for us, all three were tight games," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "Great overtime. Both teams had a couple of great looks at it and (Hartman) makes a great play. He had some great plays throughout the game and it was nice to see him get a goal, big goal."

John Hayden scored his first career NHL goal for Chicago (46-20-5) after being signed out of Yale on Sunday.

Auston Matthews scored for Toronto (32-23-15), which maintained its one-point lead for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

"I thought it was a good game, it was tight, tight, tight," Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. "They had the puck lots and yet I didn't think we gave up quality chances at all. They're a good team, a veteran team. You're disappointed to lose; you'd like to win that game obviously. We had some real good opportunities."

Both teams had chances to score in the 3-on-3 overtime but with the clock running out, the Blackhawks were able to finish the game on a breakout with Artemi Panarin feeding Hartman, who made no mistake to score his 16th goal of the season.

It was Hartman's first overtime goal in the NHL.

"It was great, I was out there for a while, I was pretty tired," Hartman said. "I saw a break for a two-on-one. I'm glad it wasn't offside."

Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford, who made 25 saves, also earned an assist on the winning goal.

Frederik Andersen made 37 saves in the Toronto goal and kept the Maple Leafs in the game during spells of the third period.

"We want to keep playing well," Quenneville said. "We didn't give up much tonight, the pace was pretty even in the game though. We'll see what plays out, we'll try to push ahead and see how it goes."

Matthews ended a seven-game pointless spell when he gave the Maple Leafs a 1-0 lead at 8:25 of the first period. The 19-year-old rookie center worked a give-and-go with William Nylander, knocking home the return pass from the slot for his 32nd goal of the season.

It was the 13th time he scored the first goal of a game, which leads the NHL.

Hayden scored from the left faceoff circle at 10:51 of the second period. The 22-year-old was set up by a pass from Jonathan Toews.

It was Hayden's second NHL game. Quenneville said he liked his first game, and was even more impressed Saturday.

"I thought he had a lot of purpose, and made some decisions without the puck that were really good and effective" Quenneville said. "With the puck, made a great play on the goal. He finishes his checks and has some pace to his game, so it was a good beginning."

James van Riemsdyk had a chance to win it late in overtime for Toronto when he had a breakaway.

"The ice was brutal so I was just trying to do something so the puck wouldn't hop on me," van Riemsdyk said. "(Crawford) made a good stop and they went down and capitalized right after."

Instead of two points, Toronto came away with one.

"You always take the points you can get and run with them, especially in the race we're in," van Riemsdyk said. "Obviously, we know what's going on in the games around us. It's a huge point for us, we needed that one. We'll regroup and get after it on Monday."

NOTES: Blackhawks RW Marian Hossa (lower-body injury) did not play Saturday. He suffered the injury that is not considered serious in the 2-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. Hossa tested it in the morning skate. ... Chicago LW Tomas Jurco returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch the past three games. ... Maple Leafs LW James van Riemsdyk missed the morning skate but played in the game. ... The Maple Leafs wore replica green and white uniforms of the Toronto St. Pats as part of the club's centennial celebration. The name was changed to the Maple Leafs in 1927. ... Toronto's next game is Monday at home against the Boston Bruins. ... The Blackhawks return home Sunday to play the Colorado Avalanche.
Top Game Performances
 
Chicago   Toronto
Ryan Hartman 1 Points Auston Matthews 1
Ryan Hartman 1 Goals Auston Matthews 1
Corey Crawford 1 Assists Zach Hyman 1
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Corey Crawford .962 Save Percentage Frederik Andersen .949
Corey Crawford 25 Saves Frederik Andersen 37
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Chicago 39 2 0-0 1-1 2 18
Toronto 26 1 0-1 0-0 0 40
Upcoming Games
  • Toronto will play their next game at home against Boston. The Maple Leafs have a W/L % of .438 after a win and .474 after a loss.
  • Chicago will play their next game at home against Colorado. The Blackhawks have a W/L % of .689 after a win and .577 after a loss.