Blue Jackets edge Blackhawks 3-2
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Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith and Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Nikita Filatov tangle for a loose puck during the first period. Associated Press |
The Blackhawks behind their top line of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane were on overdrive.
The visiting Columbus Blue Jackets were on their heels.
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Mike Spellman’s game trackerWith less than a minute remaining in the second period Saturday night, the Hawks were cruising, up 2-0 and looking like they were on their way to avenging a tough loss in St. Louis the night before.
But a funny thing happened on the way to what looked like an easy night at the office. The Hawks suddenly lost their steam, allowing a goal with 36 seconds remaining, and then Troy Brouwer followed that seconds later by taking a five-minute major for boarding, one that coach Joel Quenneville said you “could argue” and defenseman Duncan labeled “debatable.”
Either way, the foundation was crumbling.
Less than 30 seconds into the third, the Blue Jackets tied it. Five minutes later, they took the lead for good on Antoine Vermette's goal, getting out of town with a 3-2 victory in front of a stunned and unhappy crowd at the United Center.
They weren't the only ones upset.
“I have to try not to run my mouth and say things I'm going to regret right now I'm a little worked up right now,” Toews said. “This is a similar loss to that game against Nashville in our own building. There's no way we throw away that game it's two big division points.
“Giving up a goal with 30 seconds left and taking a five-minute penalty is not the way we want to finish the second period. It seems like that's when we started letting off the gas pedal. If we're going to score 2 or 3 goals a night, we have to find ways to be smarter defensively.”
Sharp started the scoring by taking a sweet pass from behind the net from Toews and beating Steve Mason for his league-high eighth of the season. Toews made it 2-0 when he scored on a power play at 14:45 of the first off a rebound.
It went downhill from there.
“We kind of let up a little bit,” Keith said. “It's not so much what they did but what we didn't do. This has got to be a lesson we have to learn early on that you can't just get a lead and sit on it.”
Consecutive losses have the Hawks sitting at 5-4-1 after 10 games.
“That reflects where we're at,” Quenneville said. “It's accurate.”
As for yet another tough loss, Quenneville could only shake his head.
“We left some meat on the table,” he said.
