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The Chicago Blackhawks overcame a two-goal deficit to beat the San Jose Sharks 5-2 on Sunday thanks to an offensive explosion in the third period, where they scored four times that was capped by a Connor Bedard empty-netter with 0.3 seconds left.
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Three of those four goals came over a span of 1:23, and two of them were within 11 seconds of each other. First, it was Ryan Donato, then it was Kevin Korchinski followed by Joey Anderson.
It was bedlam at the United Center after Anderson scored to make it 4-2. One of the loudest moments of the season.
"Those are the kind of momentum swings that are big, especially inside a game when you can stay on top of things," Anderson said. "It was just good timing to get another goal quick like that. The louder we can make this building, the tougher it is for other teams to play in."
Korchinski said it was "crazy" how much the building was rocking after Anderson's goal and served as microcosm of how loud this place can get when the Blackhawks are winning consistently.
Chicago Blackhawks
"I couldn't even hear myself think when Joey scored," Korchinski said. "It's unreal. We've got to get more of that in the future. That's the stuff you play for. It's really special."
The Blackhawks improved to 3-1-0 over their last four games at home after going 1-6-3 over their previous 10 games. They take a lot of pride in wanting to put on a show for their fans, which has obviously been a struggle the last few years.
"As it starts the game, we have to take that personality on," Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson said of taking advantage of the crowd. "I thought we did a better job at different times this year and last year. Right now I think we've got to get back to that.
"We want to take that energy and start the game so the building gets rocking early. We don’t want to wait until the third period to rely on that. But it is one of the funnest places to play in sports, for sure."
"Even in the National Anthem, it doesn't matter how tired you are before a game, you're always pumped to go out there and compete," Lukas Reichel echoed. "That's the NHL. It's always fun to play here."
The Blackhawks have only five home games left before the season ends. They want to make sure they finish strong, especially in front of their hometown crowd.
"We have a lot to play for," Korchinski said. "Everybody is prideful about themselves as hockey players. Our team, we've got a lot of pride, and we want to go out there every night and show our fans that we care and we want to win."