CHICAGO – Rookie Brandon Saad scored with 3:21 left in the third period to snap a tie, and the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Washington Capitals 3-2 on Friday night for their first preseason win.
Set up by Jonathan Toews, Saad drove to the net and beat Washington’s Tomas Vokoun with a high shot from the left edge of the crease for the game-winner.
Viktor Stalberg scored two goals early in the third period for Chicago. Saad set up Stalberg’s first score.
Joel Ward and Matt Hendricks connected for Washington.
Formerly with Nashville, Ward scored for the first time since signing a four-year, $12 million free agent contract with the Capitals in the offseason.
Both starting goalies — Chicago’s Corey Crawford and Washington’s Vokoun — made first their appearances of the preseason and played the entire game. Crawford stopped 24 shots and Vokoun made 23 saves.
Vokoun, signed a one-year, $1.5 million free agent contract with Washington over the summer after four seasons with Florida. The 35-year-old is expected to compete for starting goalie duties with 23-year-old Michal Neuvirth.
Several of the Blackhawks’ top skaters, including defensemen Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson, and forwards Andrew Brunette and Dave Bolland played their first games of the preseason.
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