Blackhawks top Flames in shootout 3-2

Emery made a career-high 45 saves, and the Blackhawks — on a shootout goal by Patrick Kane — beat the Flames 3-2 on Saturday night.

"That was criminal," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. "They've got to call the cops after that performance. (Emery) stole two points. He was spectacular.

"I've never ever been outplayed, outchanced like that in my life. That was a special performance and it continued on in the shootout."

And that was just the capper. Both teams scored in the final minute of regulation to push the game into overtime.

The teams were scoreless through two periods before Calgary outshot Chicago 24-6 in the third. The Flames appeared set to hand the Blackhawks their first regulation loss when Jay Bouwmeester scored with 35 seconds remaining to put Calgary ahead 2-1.

However, Chicago pulled Emery for an extra skater and, in a furious scramble around the net in the final seconds, Marian Hossa pounced on the puck and fired it over fallen goalie Miikka Kiprusoff with just 2.3 seconds remaining.

In the shootout, Kane scored on a backhanded deke — after misses by Calgary's Alex Tanguay and Jiri Hudler — to put the game in Emery's hands. He then denied Roman Cervenka to win it for the Blackhawks in thrilling fashion.

"We did a good job of managing the flurries that they came at us in, and we got goals at the end when we needed them," Emery said. "We didn't quit even though they got one with 30 seconds left. We battled right to the end, got one with two seconds left and got one in the shootout.

"They're not going to be pretty all the time but those ones, those are the ones you need to eke out if you want to have a good year."

Twenty minutes after the game ended, Tanguay was still searching for answers that would explain how the Flames lost.

"I'm not sure we're going to get much sleep tonight. The way we played doesn't show on the score sheet," Tanguay said. "(Mikael) Backlund had an empty net, (Curtis) Glencross had an empty net, I got a breakaway in the third period where I just have to get it over his pad, and it hopped over my stick.

"Tons of chances. Cammy hit the post, Iggy had five great shots from the slot, I mean, what else can you ask for?"

The Blackhawks (7-0-2) have gone to a shootout in each of their first three games of a season-high, six-game road trip, but this was the first one they won.