Blackhawks 3, Hurricanes 2: Captain Jonathan Toews' short-handed goal 3:29 into the third period lifted host Chicago past Carolina.

Toews' 28th tally provided a much-needed boost for the Blackhawks after they learned earlier in the day that star forward Patrick Kane would be lost for the remainder of the regular season with a lower-body injury. Patrick Sharp and Kris Versteeg also tallied while Corey Crawford made 26 saves to preserve the victory.

Alexander Semin scored both goals for the Hurricanes, who sit nine points behind Columbus for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot. Captain Eric Staal assisted on both tallies while Anton Khudobin turned aside 22 shots.

Chicago struck first following a scoreless opening period as Sharp gathered Andrew Shaw's breakaway pass and lifted a backhand shot past Khudobin at 3:09 of the second for his team-leading 30th of the season. Versteeg doubled the lead at 16:26, but Semin gave the Hurricanes life three minutes later with a snap shot from the low slot following a seeing-eye pass from Staal.

Semin evened things during a two-man advantage 2:58 into the third, unleashing a wrist shot that eluded Crawford. As the Hurricanes power play continued, Toews pounced on a missed shot that caromed all the way into the neutral zone and swooped in on Khudobin, waiting him out before guiding a backhander past him on the glove side.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Chicago placed Kane, who leads the team with 69 points in 69 games, on long-term injury reserve and recalled LW Jeremy Morin from Rockford of the American Hockey League. The team also announced that 19-year-old Finnish phenom Teuvo Teravainen would be joining the club now that his SM-Liiga season has ended. ... Sharp reached the 30-goal plateau for the fourth time in his career. ... Staal has gone 11 games without a goal.