Leafs escape Chicago with 7-6 OT win

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In Chicago Sunday, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ John Tavares struck for a hat trick in a 7-6 overtime win over the Blackhawks.

But it was nearly the Patrick Kane show late in the game when he twice tied the game to force the extra session.

“I want to be as consistent as I can,” Tavares said. “So I prepare myself and expect a lot of myself on a nightly basis with and without the puck. I feel like things keep improving, keep getting better, keep feeling more comfortable, and I still know there’s room for growth and ways to get better.”

Kane’s two goals tied it at 5-5 and 6-6 before regulation ended.

“I think it’s just great to come out on top,” Tavares said. “I think those are not ones you want to get in all the time. They’re certainly exciting and it certainly gets the emotions kind of up and down.”

Morgan Rielly scored the game-winner with just 19 seconds gone in the over time.

Jonathan Toews, Alex DeBrincat, John Hayden, and Brandon Manning also scored for the Hawks.

“It was probably fun for the fans, a lot of entertainment out there. Obviously, it was going in on both nets,” Leafs coach Mike Babcock said after the win. “We had a lot of good plays. They were flying, we were standing there watching them at the start; I don’t know if that’s too much respect or what that was at the start, but once we got playing I thought we did a real good job. Yet the puck kept going in on our net. I thought we were home free a few times, but that never happened.”

Auston Matthews struck twice for the Leafs and Kasperi Kapanen added a single marker in the win.

Garret Sparks got the win on 25 saves.

“He made a huge save there at the end and he was pretty solid all night,” Matthews said. “A couple of goals are on us in our D zone. But in his hometown, happy to get the win for him.”

[WATCH: All Maple Leafs vs. Blackhawks highlights]

Cam Ward made 27 saves in the loss.

“It was a pretty crazy game [in] a lot of ways with the quality of chances and the quality of goals. The way it ended was a different level of unpredictability; [we] come back twice in the last minute and change to tie it. You’re fortunate, but you don’t want to give up the sixth one,” Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville said after the game.