Chicago pulls out unlikely come-from-behind win to end five-game losing streak

No Corey Perry. No Taylor Hall. No Andreas Athanasiou.

No worries for the Chicago Blackhawks, who pulled out an unlikely 4-3 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday to end a five-game losing streak.

Jason Dickinson netted his first NHL hat trick in regulation. Then rookie defenseman Kevin Korchinski batted in a loose puck from the left edge of the crease with 30 seconds left in OT after Connor Bedard's shot bounced off the back boards.

"Yeah the puck was bouncing and it was just scrambly," Korchinski said of his second NHL goal. "Just went to the net and got a good bounce. It’s really fortunate."  See video.

Toronto's William Nylander missed a chance to win it when he hit the left post with a shot on a breakaway about 2:45 into the OT. Nylander's 17-game point streak to start the season ended with that clank.

Dickinson's Big Game

Dickinson's three-goal game came in the 28-year-old journeyman's 379th contest. He entered with just 42 goals and 112 points for his career with Dallas, Vancouver and Chicago. 

Dickinson has six goals and five assists in 18 games this season, and four goals in his last two.

"That was a blast," Dickinson said. "I felt like the energy was there, the emotions were in it. Everybody was having fun out there."

Dickinson had five shots on goal and attempted three more.

"I think I shot more pucks tonight than I normally do," Dickinson said "They just happened to be a little more accurate than usual." See video.

Perry: Mystery Scratch Again 

Perry was scratched for the second straight game on Friday. Coach Luke Richardson reiterated the 38-year-old forward's absence was an organizational decision, but could offer no more details.

The Blackhawks recalled forwards Cole Guttman and Joey Anderson from Rockford of the AHL. Both played against Toronto, with Anderson recording an assist as he skated on a line with Dickinson.

Chicago had two open roster spots after Hall was ruled out for the rest of the season on Thursday with right ACL surgery. The speedy Athanasiou (groin) was placed on injured reserve retroactive to Nov. 9.

Perry has been fitting in great with the Blackhawks since signing a one-year, $4 million contract last summer. Through 16 games of his 19th NHL season, Perry has four goals and five assists.

Perry, the 2010-11 Hart Trophy winner, was a last-minute scratch before Chicago's 7-3 loss at Columbus on Wednesday, then absent from practice on Thursday.

It's unknown whether Perry violated a team policy, is on the trading block or is dealing with personal issues. 

Söderblom Stops Leafs Again

Arvid Söderblom started in goal and blocked 34 shots — including four in OT — to beat the Leafs for a second time this season. The Swede's only wins this season (2-6-0) are against Toronto.

 Dickinson History: A Former First-Round Pick

Dickinson is from Georgetown, Ontario, on the western fringe of the Greater Toronto Area. He played junior hockey for the nearby OHL Guelph Storm before being drafted in the first round, 29th overall, by Dallas in 2013, then moving up to the AHL.

Dickinson skated in 221 games over six seasons with the Stars, but had just 25 goals and 63 points with Dallas. The Blackhawks acquired him along with a second-round 2024 draft pick from Vancouver on Oct. 7, 2022 for Riley Stillman.

Responsible defensively, Dickinson had nine goals and 21 assists in 78 games last season for Chicago.

Dickinson is from the same area as fellow Blackhawks forwards Taylor Raddysh and MacKenzie Entwistle.

Leafs Started Like They'd Skate Away

The game was tied 1-all after the first period even though the Leafs dominated and outshot Chicago 15-6. 

Nicholas Robertson opened the scoring 7:14 in off a goalmouth pass, Dickinson tied it 49 seconds later, beating Ilya Samsonov off a fake around the stick of defenseman Jake McCabe.

Goals by Calle Järnkrok and Ryan Reaves 2:14 apart early in the second seemingly put Toronto in charge.  

But Dickinson cut it to 3-2 at 12:27 of the second, stuffing a short-side goal past Samsonov. He wristed in shot from the slot, off McCabe's risky pass from the back boards, just 15 seconds into the third to tie it 3-all.