CHICAGO (Ticker) -- With Brett McLean serving a penalty in overtime, the time was ripe for Brendan Shanahan to take advantage of his favorite opponent.
Shanahan's power-play goal 68 seconds into overtime lifted the Detroit Red Wings to their third straight victory, a 4-3 triumph over the Chicago Blackhawks.
Detroit, which has won both meetings with Chicago this season, blew a 3-1 lead with a late third-period collapse but took advantage when McLean was whistled for tripping Steve Yzerman with 10 seconds left in regulation.
Trying to overcome a shorthanded situation in overtime was too tall a task for the Blackhawks, who watched the Red Wings cycle the puck with ease. After Yzerman headed to the front of the net, defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom found Shanahan between the circles, where the veteran winger ripped a one-timer into the top right corner of the net.
"We've got two good down-low players," Shanahan said. "So we're not just looking for my shot, it's not a set play. It's a high or low play, so they can't get too aggressive on either one."
McLean took the blame for putting his team in a bad position.
"Bad decision by me," McLean said. "I was the first to jump over the boards, and I shouldn't have gone for the puck. I should've peeled back. Just a dumb play by me. There was no reason for me to hook him. It was a bad decision by me."
"All I know is that I was headed up the ice on a break with one of my teammates, and he got taken down," Shanahan said. "It was Steve Yzerman, and I know he doesn't dive. A penalty is a penalty, no matter when it happens."
It was Shanahan's sixth goal of the season and his eighth point in the last five games. He has 40 career goals against Chicago - his most against any team.
Red Wings coach Dave Lewis was unhappy about blowing a two-goal lead, as his team has struggled to protect late advantages most of the season.
"It's the same old thing - losing control of a game," Lewis said. "And it seemed like the puck goes into our end, and we lose a couple of battles, and they get two goals and some life, so we still have some things to work on. But at least we found a way to win."
Rookie Igor Radulov had a goal and an assist for Chicago, which is 0-3-0-1 in its last four games.
The overtime tally spoiled a solid outing by Blackhawks rookie goaltender Craig Anderson, who stopped 22 shots.
"At least we got a point," Anderson said. "We battled back hard from the 3-1 deficit, and we started driving the net. We didn't win, but we're going in the right direction. It's just too bad we had to penalty kill at the end of the game."
Detroit's Kirk Maltby had his first two goals of the season. His second came 4:40 into the third period and staked the Red Wings to a 3-1 lead.
Maltby's enthusiasm over breaking into the goal column was tempered by his team's failure to preserve the two-goal advantage.
"Once again, there's really no excuse for blowing a two-goal lead, regardless of who we're playing," he said. "Once again, it just came down to a little miscommunication. Even after they tied the game, they still had chances, so we were fortunate to come out with the win in overtime."
