Blackhawks-Canucks a volatile rivalry

It's always something with the Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks.

If it's not Alex Burrows pulling Duncan Keith's hair during a brawl, it's Ryan Kesler calling Andrew Ladd a coward.

“There's a history,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said.

Canucks coach Alain Vigneault added to that history the last time the two teams met Nov. 20 in Vancouver when he accused Quenneville and the Hawks of running up the score in a 7-1 win.

Vigneault claimed Quenneville was rubbing it in when he used Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Keith during a 5-on-3 power play after it already was 6-0.

The Hawks think Vigneault was way off base that night.

“I just know our intentions were just the opposite of what we got accused of, from my point of view,” Quenneville said Thursday.

Quenneville was rolling his four lines and three defense pairs with the 6-0 lead. That meant Viktor Stalberg also was on the ice with linemates Toews and Kane, as was Nick Boynton, Keith's defense partner at the time.

“It's not like we tried to rub it in their face or tried to run up the score,” Hawks center Dave Bolland said. “When we get our chances we're not going to hold off or hold back, right?

“If we have chances to score guys aren't going to go half-(way) or curl around and wait. If you're out there trying to kill time you're going to have a guy run right through you. Joel was rolling four lines one at a time when the score got up there.”

Interestingly, the Canucks are coming off a 7-2 rout of Calgary on Wednesday and in the last two games have outscored the Flames and Sharks by a combined 13-3.

“I don't know how you can blame Joel for running up the score,” Patrick Sharp said. “We had a number of different power plays out there in that situation so I'll let those guys handle it as far as what they want to say in the media.

“I've been with Joel for three years now, and he's not that kind of coach.”

Sharp and Patrick Kane pointed out Tuesday's game against St. Louis as an example of why teams can't sit on leads. The Hawks were ahead 5-1 when the Blues rallied to within 5-4 and had a power play to potentially tie.

“We just about blew a 5-1 lead, so no lead is really safe in this league,” Sharp said.

“They're saying we ran up the score, but you look at a game like St. Louis,” Kane said. “If we get 1 or 2 more goals when it's 5-1, they don't come back and make it 5-4.

“We were just out there playing hockey (in Vancouver). It's nice for players to go down and score goals. That's what we want to do in here. We want to make plays and get results, but I don't think anyone was really thinking we have to run up the score on these guys.”

No team brings out the best in the Hawks more than the Canucks. The Hawks are 2-0 against them this season and have knocked Vancouver out of the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.

“We know now whenever we play the Vancouver Canucks everybody gets pretty up for it,” Bolland said. “They're always fun games to play. It's always a tough game and a game you have to be ready for.

“We know they're not going to be happy from last game and we have to be ready for that.”

Blackhawks game day

Vancouver Canucks at the United Center, 7:30 p.m. Friday

TV: Comcast SportsNet-Plus

Radio: WGN 720-AM

Game notes: At 6-7 the Hawks can get back to the .500 mark at home with a fourth straight victory. The Canucks have won three in a row, allowing just 4 goals. They are coming off wins of 7-2 over Calgary and 6-1 over San Jose. Henrik Sedin leads the NHL with 27 assists.

Season series: Hawks lead 2-0

Next:Calgary Flames at the United Center, 6 p.m. Sunday

Tim Sassone