Hawks rally past Sabres

Jonathan Toews scored two goals 47 seconds apart in the final two minutes to rally the Chicago Blackhawks to a 4-3 win over the last-place Sabres in Buffalo on Friday night.

Toews came to the rescue after the Blackhawks squandered a 2-1 lead entering the third period.

A day after clinching their seventh consecutive playoff berth with a 3-1 home win over Vancouver, the Blackhawks are now in a position to contend for the Central Division title. Chicago (48-24-6) won its fourth straight, vaulted a point ahead of second-place St. Louis and a point behind Nashville.

A predominantly pro-Blackhawks crowd erupted with a huge cheer when Toews put the Blackhawks ahead. And it was quite noticeable that Several Sabres fans were happy, too. Many

Buffalo fans have spent much of the season openly rooting for the Sabres to finish in last place. That would secure a guaranteed shot at selecting one of two highly touted draft prospects: Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel.

With the loss, the Sabres (23-47-8) remained two points behind Arizona.

Devils 3, Canadiens 2 - Jacob Josefson and Patrik Elias scored in the shootout and New Jersey snapped a season-high six-game losing streak with a victory over Montreal in Newark, N.J.

- Associated Press