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ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Chicago Blackhawks have high standards. Two Stanley Cup championships in a four-year span will create that. So their 7-2-3 start to the season is hardly a cause for satisfaction. This payback victory over the Minnesota Wild, at least, provided some reassurance. Patrick Sharp finally scored, Nick Leddy jump-started the stagnant special teams units with a power-play goal and the Blackhawks beat the Wild 5-1 on Monday night. "We havent been playing the way we want to play," said Leddy, a native of nearby Eden Prairie and former Wild first-round draft pick. "We know we can play that way all the time, and I think this gives us some confidence." After giving up 11 goals while losing their previous two games, the Blackhawks played tougher defence, were more disciplined and paid the Wild back for their 5-3 win on Saturday night in Chicago. "We may have had the most consistent game weve had," coach Joel Quenneville said. Corey Crawford made 29 saves, and Sheldon Brookbank, Patrick Kane and Brandon Saad all scored to give the Blackhawks just their third game of more than three goals in 12 contests this season. "It was definitely hard to lose that way at home. They really took it to us, and we were looking to return the favour," Saad said. The Wild were actually in control of the first period despite falling behind early. Then Jason Pominville got a goal, his third in two games, to tie it at 1 midway through the second period. But Niklas Backstrom never found his footing in the net. After making 33 saves against the Blackhawks two days before, his first start following a seven-game absence because of a lower-body injury, Backstrom stopped only 23 shots. Coach Mike Yeo refused to criticize the veterans performance, but he wasnt nearly as strong in the rematch. "We cant sit here and look at that game and say that any player is responsible for that loss," Yeo said. "We had too many guys who werent on top of their game, and when youre playing a team of that calibre, obviously you need a lot of guys not playing just OK games but playing good games, and I dont think we had that tonight." Marian Hossa caught Backstrom looking the wrong way behind the net and fed Sharp for a snap shot from just outside the crease over Backstroms opposite shoulder late in the first period. This was just Sharps second goal of the season. He was quiet last season, too, returning from injury to find his rhythm in the playoffs. "It was nice to put one in. Hopefully that starts something," Sharp said. Late in the second period, Backstrom turned aside Leddys shot, but Kane beat him to the rebound and circled the puck around to the other side where Brookbank was waiting for a slap shot. Backstrom collided with rookie defenceman Matthew Dumba as he was trying to climb up and reposition himself in the crease. Then in the third period, Saad scooted past Dumba on a rush to draw Ryan Suter over in coverage. Saad then pivoted to flick a perfect drop pass to Kane, who skated in front of Dumba to tap in an easy goal and give the Blackhawks a 4-1 lead. The Wild must now decide whether to keep Dumba, their 2012 first-round draft pick, or return him to his junior team. "Im not going to say I didnt think about it at all. Thatd be a lie. I did put that pressure on myself, and I wasnt very happy with my third period tonight," Dumba said. The power play has been only so-so, and the penalty kill has been a bigger early season problem for the Blackhawks, who entered the night last in the NHL with a success rate of only 72.2 per cent. They killed all three opportunities on this night. The Wild fell to 4-1-2 at home this season. They gave up four goals in standard 5-on-5 situations, more than one-third of their league-best total this season. They have allowed 11 in 13 games. "I dont know if they were better prepared than us, but it felt like they were sharper," Backstrom said. NOTES: Brandon Pirri, moved up to centre on the second line, had two assists for the Blackhawks. ... Mikael Granlund assisted on Pominvilles goal for his team-high eighth of the season. ... The Wild were again without two of their top three defencemen, Keith Ballard (seven straight games, upper body) and Jonas Brodin (three straight games, broken cheekbone). ... Hossa has 21 points in 24 career games against the Wild. league-best total this season. They have allowed 11 in 13 games. Custom Jerseys Nike . They are back to a game above .500 on the year and back to .500 on the road. It was their 10th extra time game of the year, and only the second one that did not got to a shootout. Custom Jerseys Adidas . On Thursday, a judge said Varlamov could be released if he posted $5,000 bond and be allowed to travel with the team but he was ordered to stay away from his girlfriend, among other restrictions. https://www.cheapcustomjerseysonline.com/ . The third baseman whipped the ball across the diamond to second baseman Aaron Hill. He quickly tossed it to shortstop Chris Owings, who flipped over his shoulder to left fielder Cody Ross. Custom Jerseys . Joel Embiid was nearly unstoppable in the paint in the second half, and Naadir Tharpe seemingly couldnt miss. Authentic Custom Jerseys . Joel Embiid was nearly unstoppable in the paint in the second half, and Naadir Tharpe seemingly couldnt miss.CLEVELAND - The Phoenix Suns pulled off a memorable comeback. For the Cleveland Cavaliers, it was a collapse they wont soon forget. The Suns, who looked as though they were about to get run out of the building, rallied from an 18-point halftime deficit by dominating the final two quarters for a 99-90 win Sunday night. "We were getting embarrassed," said Markieff Morris, who led Phoenix with 27 points. "Everybody knew it. Thats why we said if we were going to lose, we were going to go down fighting." Cleveland coach Mike Brown had a simple assessment of his teams meltdown. "It was hard to watch," he said. "Its disappointing we came out and played that way, and we should all feel embarrassed for the way we played in the second half." The Suns held Cleveland to six points in the third quarter and outscored the Cavaliers 56-29 in the second half. Channing Frye finished with 16 points, including four 3-pointers after halftime, and Goran Dragic scored 15 to help Phoenix rally on the first stop of a four-game road trip. "We were so, so bad in the first half, but at least everyone knew how bad we were," said Suns forward P.J. Tucker, who had 13 points and 10 rebounds. "When we were down, everyone was like, Were good. Thats the kind of faith we have in our team, but we cant keep doing this." The Cavaliers, who led by 20 late in the second quarter, fell to 1-3 on a five-game homestand considered crucial to their chances of staying in the Eastern Conference playoff race. "They outworked us in the second half, simply put," said All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, who led Cleveland with 24 points. Cavaliers centre Anderson Varejao injured his left leg late in the fourth quarter. He was down on the court for several minutes, but remained in the game. Varejao, who has battled injuries the last three seasons, will be checked by the teams medical staff on Monday. "I was worried," Brown said. "His knee was bothering him a little bit. It was tough to see." Phoenix trailed 61-43 at halftime, but hit five 3-pointers in the third quarter. Tucker scored on an offensive rebound with 45 seconds left to put Phoenix ahead 68-67, its first lead since 9-6 just 4 minutes into the game. The Cavaliers were 2 of 22 from the field in the third and set a season low for points in a quarter. Clevelands 29 points after halftime marked a season worst for a half. "I got on their case at halftime beecause we didnt give effort in the first half," Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said.dddddddddddd"It was the defence that did it. We got stops and that started it. Then all of a sudden, the other team was back on their heels." The Suns broke away from a 70-all tie with 11 straight points early in the fourth. Leandro Barbosas free throw put Phoenix ahead for good. Morris scored six points in the run before Barbosas steal and layup made it 81-70 with 8:38 remaining. Irvings two free throws with 2:06 to play cut it to 88-85. The teams traded baskets before Fryes 3-pointer made it 93-87 with 1:14 remaining. Phoenix shot just 39 per cent in the first half, when its starters combined for 24 points. Morris scored 15 off the bench. The Suns came out firing in the third quarter, forcing Cleveland to call timeout twice in the first 5 minutes. Frye hit 3s on three straight possessions, Gerald Green added a 3-pointer and a jumper, and a 3 by Dragic helped cut the lead to 65-61. Phoenix trimmed the lead to two on two occasions. Ish Smiths free throw with 1:13 remaining made it 67-66 before Tucker put the Suns ahead. Cleveland ended the second quarter on a 22-10 run sparked by Luol Dengs 10 points and six by Irving. The Cavaliers led 39-33 with 7:39 remaining in the period when Deng hit two jumpers, a layup and four free throws. He also found Jarrett Jack in the corner for a 3-pointer with a pass from the top of the key. Irving added a pair of jumpers and two foul shots. Irving had 13 points and seven assists in the first half. The third-year guard, elected an All-Star starter for the first time last week, had six assists in the first quarter, including Clevelands first four baskets of the game. Deng had 12 points, six rebounds and four assists in the first half. The Suns opened a road trip in which they will play four games in five nights. Phoenix went 1-4 on a trip earlier this month. NOTES: Suns G Eric Bledsoe (right knee surgery) is travelling with the team, but there remains no timetable for his return to the court. Bledsoe, the teams leading scorer, averaged 18 points in 24 games before undergoing an arthroscopic procedure on Jan. 10. ... Deng had his first double-double for the Cavaliers with 18 points and 10 rebounds. ... Phoenix recalled G Archie Goodwin from his NBA Development League assignment with Bakersfield. ... Cleveland brought back F Sergey Karasev and G Carrick Felix from their D-League assignments with Canton. ' ' '