Jeremy Colliton got his first win as an NHL coach when Corey Crawford made 28 saves to help the Chicago Blackhawks beat the St. Louis Blues 1-0 on Wednesday night, stopping an eight-game losing streak.
Chicago's slide began with a 7-3 loss at St. Louis on Oct. 27, and Colliton took over after Joel Quenneville was fired on Nov. 6. The Blackhawks then dropped his first three games behind the bench before shutting down the Blues in the opener of a three-game homestand.
It was Crawford's first shutout in more than a year and No. 24 for his career. He missed most of last year and the start of this season because of a concussion.
Chicago got the game's only goal when it caught a break after St. Louis star Vladimir Tarasenko was penalized for hooking in the second period. Jonathan Toews set up Brent Seabrook for an open look that was stopped by Jake Allen, but Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester kicked it into the net at 4:05.
Allen was pulled for an extra attacker with 1:14 remaining, and Crawford turned away David Perron's drive to the net with about 18 seconds left.
Allen finished with 18 saves for St. Louis, which has dropped two in a row after a stretch of four wins in five games. Ryan O'Reilly lost a 10-game point streak.
Defenseman Colton Parayko had the best scoring opportunity for the Blues, banging a shot off the inside of the left post in the second. Tarasenko also was denied by Crawford on a 2-on-1 opportunity during a mostly dull opening period.
