Each time the Blackhawks broke in alone on Jimmy Howard, the Red Wings goaltender was up to the task.

When the Hawks crashed the crease, however, it was a different story.

Rookies Marcus Kruger and Jimmy Hayes scored from in tight and Corey Crawford came up with a big effort in goal to help the Hawks rally to a scintillating 2-1 victory over the Wings on Tuesday night at the United Center.

Howard, who had missed Detroit's previous eight games with a broken finger, repeatedly stopped open looks from the Hawks — especially during a wide-open second period — but couldn't come up with two from the crease as the Hawks skated to their fourth consecutive win.

"Howard is having a great year (and) both of those goals were simple plays and rebounds," said Kruger, who pounced on a loose puck during a goal-mouth scramble for the game-winner early in the third period. "That's what we have to do when we play a goalie like that. Even when we were down one goal we stuck with our plan and found a way to win."

Added Hayes: "No goalie is going to want to have any traffic in front of them, so when you get some big guys there you can create some havoc and get some chances."

With the help of a stingy defense that has been stellar since the Hawks snapped a nine-game skid last week, Crawford held the Wings to a Valterri Filppula power-play goal in the first period to earn his fourth win in a row.

The Hawks claimed the victory despite the absence of captain Jonathan Toews, who is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The Wings were short-handed as well, as center Pavel Datsyuk is sidelined for two weeks following arthroscopic knee surgery.

"The last 10 minutes of that game they had barely anything," said Crawford, who made 31 saves. "We were down for most of it again and then we just kept playing our game, not trying to do too much to get back. We were playing a simple game, making the plays we should and eventually we tied it up. That's the way we have to continue to play."

After Filppula gave the Wings an early lead, Howard turned aside glorious chances from Patrick Sharp, Michael Frolik, Dave Bolland and two from Patrick Kane before Hayes broke through midway through the second by tapping in a rebound of a Duncan Keith shot that Bryan Bickell got a piece of en route to the net.

"(The Hawks) definitely got their game going after the hiccup that they had over there (with their losing streak)," Howard said. "They played another great game in front of Corey and (he) came up (with) some big saves."

The win kept the Hawks within three points of the Predators in the division and conference and pulled them to within 11 of the first-place Wings.

"We're playing a solid team game now, we're working hard and everybody's contributing," Sharp said.