Blackhawks keep adding wins, points

CHICAGO — With each point, the pressure grows. The wins are piling up, increasing the expectations. And the Chicago Blackhawks keep going and going.

Looking down on the rest of the NHL, Marian Hossa and Co. show no signs of slowing down.

The Blackhawks set a franchise record with their 10th consecutive victory and extended their points streak to 29 games with a 5-3 win against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night.

“It’s a great time right now,” said Hossa, who scored after he was honored in a pregame ceremony for playing in his 1,000th NHL game Sunday at Detroit. “Everybody is hungry. We have a strong lineup, and the guys are playing well.”

Bryan Bickell scored twice in the first period, and Patrick Kane added a big goal in the third as Chicago (20-0-3) remained the only team in the league without a regulation loss. It also snapped a tie with the 1977-78 Montreal Canadiens for the second-longest points streak in league history.

Ryan Suter scored his first goal with Minnesota (11-9-2), sending a power-play slap shot past screened goaltender Corey Crawford in the third period. Kyle Brodziak then poked in his own rebound to get the Wild within one at 10:32.

But Kane beat goaltender Darcy Kuemper 61 seconds later, sending a rebound into the upper right corner for his team-best 12th goal.

“Once they get their momentum going, they’re tough to slow down,” said Suter, who signed a big free-agent deal in the offseason and is tied for the team lead in assists with 14. “They just have so much firepower.”

Brandon Saad had a goal and two assists for the Blackhawks. Crawford finished with 20 saves.