CHICAGO: The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 yesterday as the well-matched Western Conference rivals were forced to decide matters in a shoot-out for a third successive game. Patrick Sharp sealed victory for the Blackhawks (10-5-2) when he beat Avalanche goalie Craig Anderson in the third round of the shootout.

Recent games between the two teams have tended to go the distance, with Colorado (12-4-3) topping Chicago in the eighth round of a shoot-out yesterday, while the Blackhawks were the victors in an October 10 game that required a ninth round. “Any time you face a team so many times in a short period, it’s pretty difficult,” Sharp told reporters. “There aren’t too many moves left, but luckily we got one in there.” In the latest installment, Kyle Cumiskey put the Avalanche on top at 9:44 in the first period before Patrick Kane tied the game less than six minutes later.

Colorado winger Wojtek Wolski restored the lead for the visitors at 13:10 in the second before Cam Barker equalised early in the third. Anderson, a Chicago-area native and former Blackhawks player, made 37 saves but was beaten twice in the shoot-out including once by Jonathan Toews.

The goaltender kept his team in the contest late where Chicago out-shot Colorado 19-3 through the third period and overtime.

Marek Svatos converted the lone shoot-out score for the Avalanche, who lost their second straight game yet still lead the Northwest Division.

The Blackhawks, who improved to 8-2-1 at home, have been inspired by the return of captain Toews, who suffered a hard body check against the Vancouver Canucks October 21 and was out of action until Monday.

“You’re never happy when you give away a point,” first-year Colorado coach Joe Sacco said.

“Our guys played with good effort tonight, good compete on the puck. This time we came up on the short end of the shoot-out.”