Sam Rinzel and Anton Frondell scored two minutes apart in the second period to back a 25-save effort from Spencer Knight as the Chicago Blackhawks edged the St. Louis Blues 4-2 on Tuesday to snap a season-opening three-game losing streak.
The Blackhawks prevailed in their home opener despite being outshot 27-21, sending the Blues home with successive losses after a shutout victory in Dallas in their season opener.
Goaltender Joel Hofer started in that game and returned to the net Tuesday. He stopped each of the seven first-period shots he faced, helping to keep a 1-0 lead intact after Mason McTavish scored off a Blackhawks turnover at 15:38 of the first.
But Chicago reclaimed the advantage early in the second period on goals from Rinzel and Frondell.
Rinzel scored the equalizer at 5:40 in the waning moments of a power play, scrambling to convert a rebound after Hofer stopped Frank Nazar.
Frondell made it 2-1 at 7:40, scoring from the right circle off a one-timer pass from Artyom Levshunov. Levshunov maneuvered around Blues forward Connor McMichael inside the blue line and darted toward the slot before backhanding a pass to a waiting Frondell.
Knight turned aside Pavel Buchnevich on a breakaway attempt with 6:49 remaining in the second period.
Teuvo Teravainen earned the secondary assist on the Frondell goal but was ruled out in the third period after sustaining an apparent ankle injury while getting tangled in pursuit of a loose puck in the second.
Cole Smith and Nazar tallied empty-net goals in the final 1:09 around a McMichael goal.
St. Louis went to the man advantage with 2:23 remaining but surrendered an empty-net, short-handed goal to Smith after pulling Hofer to create a 6-on-4. St. Louis continued to pressure and drew within a goal when McMichael responded at 19:22. Nazar cemented the victory with a goal at 19:56.
Both teams finished 1-for-2 on the man advantage.
Chicago recognized veteran forward Patrick Kane before the game as the franchise stalwart returned to United Center as a Blackhawk for the first time since he was traded to the New York Rangers during the 2022-23 season.
Kane helped Chicago win three Stanley Cups in the 2010s. He spent the past three seasons with the Detroit Red Wings before signing a two-year contract with the Blackhawks in July.
