PITTSBURGH - Artemi Panarin and Richard Panik started a four-goal first period for Chicago, and the Blackhawks moved closer to locking up the Central Division title with a 5-1 victory over the short-handed Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night.

Marcus Kruger and Marian Hossa also scored during an explosive first period as the Blackhawks moved nine points clear of second-place Minnesota with five games left in the regular season. Tanner Kero added a breakaway goal in the third. Patrick Kane picked up two assists to move past Sidney Crosby and into second place in the NHL scoring race.

Corey Crawford stopped 31 shots for Chicago, which beat the Penguins in regulation on the road for the first time since 1997.

Marc-Andre Fleury finished with 31 saves but received little help outside of Bryan Rust's third-period goal. The defending Stanley Cup champions saw their winless streak reach four games, and their chances to catch first-place Washington atop the Metropolitan Division took another hit.

Pittsburgh is struggling with the playoffs two weeks away while missing injured regulars Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Ron Hainsey, Jake Guentzel, and Carl Hagelin. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks are surging.

Chicago overwhelmed the Penguins seemingly from the opening faceoff, showcasing all the speed and creativity that have the Blackhawks looking like the best team in the Western Conference and a serious threat to add to the three Cups they've captured since 2010.

The Penguins started Fleury over Matt Murray, who has struggled recently while Fleury has regained his form since the team opted to hold onto him at the trading deadline. Given a chance to perhaps make serious inroads on Murray's grasp of the No. 1 spot, Fleury instead spent the opening 20 minutes trying to contend with a seemingly endless series of odd-man rushes that left the Penguins flat-footed and the Blackhawks rolling.

Panarin opened the scoring 3:23 in when he banked in a shot from in close off Fleury's right leg. The goal was the easy part. The hard part came courtesy of Kane, who darted behind the Pittsburgh net preparing to attempt a wraparound only to drop a backhand pass to Panarin at the left post. Fleury, believing Kane still had the puck, was caught looking the other way while Panarin executed the hockey version of a lay-up, gently flipping it off Fleury and into the net.

Panik doubled Chicago's lead 14:39 into the first when he powered home a shot from the slot past Fleury's outstretched glove. Kruger's fourth of the year with 55 seconds left in the first came courtesy of a deft touch pass from Kane. Hossa finished off a 3-on-1 by firing it by Fleury with 16 seconds left, and Chicago's 20-minute clinic was complete.

Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan switched up the lines but stuck with Fleury, who settled down, but by then the damage was already done.

NOTES: Chicago tied a franchise record with its 24th road win of the season. ... The Blackhawks went 0 for 4 on the power play. The Penguins were 0 for 2. ... The Penguins last dropped consecutive games by four goals on Jan. 3 and Jan. 5, 2009. ... Pittsburgh's last four-game winless streak came in Sullivan's first four games on the job in December 2015.

UP NEXT

Blackhawks: Host Columbus on Friday. The Blue Jackets edged Chicago 3-2 on Oct. 21.

Penguins: Visit the New York Rangers on Friday. Pittsburgh has won two of the first three meetings this season.

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The Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks will play two preseason games on Sept. 21 and 23 in China next season, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced during a press conference at LeSports Center in Beijing on Wednesday night.

The game on Sept. 21 will take place at the Mercedez-Benz Arena in Shanghai, while the Sept. 23 contest will take place at the LeSports Center in Beijing.

On top of the preseason games - which will be the first ever in China - Bettman also unveiled the plans of a collaboration to help grow and develop the game of hockey in China.

"The 2017 NHL China Games presented by O.R.G. Packaging represent the formal launch of what we hope will be a long and successful collaboration between our League, our teams and our partners in accelerating the development of hockey in China," Bettman said. "We look forward to our first games in China and to a variety of initiatives that will inspire generations of Chinese players and fans to enjoy our sport. We recognize the importance of helping China build a strong national hockey program and are committed to supporting that priority in every way possible."

The NHL plans to hold grassroots hockey programs and schools to help support local youth in an attempt to grow participation in the sport - an initiative that has already begun with both the Kings and Canucks having held hockey camps in China in recent years.

"Bringing NHL players to China for two games in September will give both current and potential new fans in Shanghai and Beijing a chance to watch some of the best hockey players in the world," said NHLPA special assistant to the Executive Director, Mathieu Schneider. "The NHLPA is committed to growing hockey internationally, and the players fully appreciate the opportunity ahead in the coming years to expand the game's footprint. The players on the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks are looking forward to participating in the 2017 NHL China Games for what will certainly be a great experience in their careers."

The initiative will hold significant importance in China with the 2022 Winter Olympics being held in Beijing.

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Whether you're for it or against it, we all knew this was coming.

As is tradition in hockey circles, the Los Angeles Kings sought retribution versus Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk in their first meeting since the rookie earned a two-game suspension for an elbow to the head of defenseman Drew Doughty.

After a small fracas in warmup and one failed fight attempt, Kings blue-liner Brayden McNabb dropped the gloves with Tkachuk early in the first period in an effort to put the feud to rest.

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One beautiful assist wasn't enough for Patrick Kane during the first period of Wednesday's contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

After setting up Artemi Panarin with a sweet no-look, behind-the-back pass less than four minutes into the game, Kane was at it again in the final minute of the first period, using a slick one-touch pass to set up Marcus Kruger for his fourth goal of the season.

He's just on another level.

(Video courtesy: NHL.com)

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The Colorado Avalanche signed forward Tyson Jost to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Wednesday.

Jost was drafted 19th overall by the Avalanche last year and had an impressive showing in his first and only season at the University of North Dakota this season, contributing 16 goals and 35 points in 33 games.

"We are excited to announce that Tyson has signed his entry-level contract and will be joining us for the rest of this season," general manager Joe Sakic said. "Tyson is an all-around player. He competes, plays the game hard and is reliable at both ends of the ice. He just finished a strong year at North Dakota and we're looking forward to seeing him in an Avalanche sweater."

Jost - who captured silver as a member of Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship - will join the Avalanche where he will play the remainder of the regular season.

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Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin were up to their old tricks early in Wednesday's marquee matchup versus the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Streaking down the wing, Kane drew all the attention from Pittsburgh's defense, then somehow spotted an open Panarin with an absurd no-look pass to open the scoring just 3:23 into the first period.

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The list of goaltenders to capture the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player is short, especially in the modern era.

Since Jacques Plante became the fourth-ever netminder to win the award in 1961-62, only four more have earned the honor, most recently in 2014-15.

As this regular season winds down, though, Sergei Bobrovsky's sparkling campaign should earn him plenty of consideration to become the next goalie MVP, as he's been the catalyst in the Columbus Blue Jackets' emergence as a contender in the Eastern Conference.

Take a look at his numbers compared to those of the most recent goalies to win the Hart:

*The Blue Jackets have seven games remaining

It goes without saying that Bobrovsky has built himself quite a case.

Save for Theodore's win in 2002, when he narrowly edged Jarome Iginla's 52-goal campaign, goaltenders that have put up seasons like Bobrovsky's have been clear favorites over their competition.

For reference, Hasek's dominant back-to-back wins in the late nineties saw him edge Paul Kariya (99 points) and Mario Lemieux (122 points) in voting in 1996-97, then convincingly beat out Jaromir Jagr for MVP in 1997-98, after No. 68 put forth a 102-point season.

If Bobrovsky ends up a finalist, his presumed competition will be Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby, who are on track to win the Art Ross and "Rocket" Richard, respectively, but wont reach any earth-shattering totals in doing so.

Beating out those two won't be easy, as his superstarstardom is nowhere near that of the aforementioned faces of the NHL. It's also difficult to discount the very real possibility of Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, and Brad Marchand earning nominations.

Bobrovsky's already been designated as the Blue Jackets' Masterton nominee, and will certainly be a Vezina finalist, but the 28-year-old owns a convincing argument to earn even more hardware.

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The Edmonton Oilers picked up their 42nd win of the year Tuesday - a milestone they hadn't reached since Wayne Gretzky's final season in Edmonton - punching their ticket to the postseason in the process.

The video above highlights a banner night for the Oilers.

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One of the most sought-after college players has elected to forgo his final year of NCAA hockey.

Spencer Foo of Union College announced on Wednesday that he will finish the Spring term and will then likely wait until the summer to sign a contract with an NHL club, Union College announced in a release.

"After much thought and consideration, I am happy to announce that I have decided to take the next step towards fulfilling my life long dream of playing in the NHL," Foo said. "While I am ecstatic to make this announcement, I am also saddened that I will be leaving Union College. This has been a very difficult decision for my family and I, but we believe it is the best decision for my hockey career."

Foo is coming off an incredible third year with the Dutchmen where he finished fourth overall in Division I points with 62 and was named a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.

The 22-year-old is expected to draw attention from many NHL clubs including the Los Angeles Kings, who have already expressed their interest according to Jon Rosen of LAKingsInsider.com.

In all, Foo concludes this season with 26 goals and 62 points - more than his previous two years combined - after Union was bounced from the NCAA tournament in the first-round last weekend by Penn State 10-3.

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Follow theScore's fantasy feed on Twitter (@theScoreFantasy) for the latest news, features and more. And download Squad Up, theScore's free-to-win-money sports game.

Here are the fantasy implications following the news that Minnesota Wild LW Zach Parise is expected to miss the next three games with an upper-body injury:

Parise's injury couldn't come at a worse time. This week is the final round of the fantasy hockey playoffs, and the Wild have a very valuable three games remaining. Given that he is expected to miss all three of these games, Parise can be dropped. Even in keeper leagues, the aging winger doesn't deserve to be kept.

Parise had been skating on the Wild's second line with center Eric Staal and winger Charlie Coyle. The club's first line of LW Jason Zucker, C Mikko Koivu and RW Mikael Granlund likely be won't be split up given the success they've had, so expect someone from the bottom-six to jump up to the second line.

The likely candidate - and hopeful candidate, for fantasy purposes - is LW/RW Nino Niederreiter. He has 20 goals, 30 assists (24 of them primary helpers), 172 shots and 111 hits on the year, providing value in all sorts of leagues. If he gets bumped up to the second line, add him immediately. Check LeftWingLock for the Wild's lineup.

The alternative would result in veteran RW Jason Pominville moving into the top six. With just 12 goals and 32 assists on the season, he certainly has less fantasy appeal than Niederreiter. Nonetheless, with three games left in the week, including a Sunday tilt versus the historically bad Avalanche, there are worse options out there.

If Niederreiter is already owned, or you don't feel like placing your fantasy season in the hands of a 34-year-old winger, consider one of the following three options:

Waiver-wire targets

(Photo courtesy Action Images)

• C Patrik Berglund, Blues: St. Louis' upcoming schedule goes as follows: Wednesday at Arizona, Friday at Colorado and Sunday vs. Nashville, who will be playing their second game in as many nights. If you can add him before Wednesday's contest, do so. He has 21 goals on the year and the Blues are already without fellow centers Paul Stastny and Jori Lehtera.

• C/RW Elias Lindholm, Hurricanes: Lindholm is eighth in the NHL with 29 primary assists. The former fifth-overall pick has a point in 11 of his last 12 games. The Hurricanes remaining schedule sets up as Thursday vs. Columbus, Saturday vs. Dallas and Sunday at Pittsburgh, who are dealing with an abundance of injuries.

• LW/RW Josh Bailey, Islanders: Bailey plays with John Tavares at 5v5 and on the power play. He has a career-high 52 points this season and the Islanders also have three games remaining: Thursday at Philadelphia, Friday vs. New Jersey and Sunday at Buffalo - three teams out of the playoff picture.

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