Coyotes take first bite in series with Blackhawks
GLENDALE. Ariz. — It was a storybook start and darn near a miracle finish in regulation for the Blackhawks, who came from behind against Phoenix to tie the game in the final seconds of regulation only to see the Coyotes re-rally in overtime to capture a 3-2 victory in an absolute thriller at Jobing.com Arena.
Oh, what could have been.
Jonathan Toews, out of action for 22 consecutive games, returned to the lineup for Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinals and scored the first goal of the game on his first shot of the game.
And then with the Coyotes leading 2-1 and just seconds away from the victory, Patrick Kane sent a shot on net and Brent Seabrook was there to slam the loose puck past Coyotes goalie Mike Smith.
Suddenly, the booistrous whiteout crowd couldn't tell what just hit them.
“Just in the right spot at the right time,” Seabrook said. “Kaner did a great job of putting it through the net.”
But the resilient Coyotes, behind the stellar play of Smith (43 saves) never quit, and it paid off when Martin Hanzal deflected one past Corey Crawford at 9:29 of OT to give Phoenix a 1-0 series lead.
“We didn't think we were going to win this series 4-0,” Seabrook said. “We've got our work cut out for us now. We have to come back and have a strong effort Saturday. That's really it.
“They're a great team. They came back, they fought hard, got a playoff-style goal, and that's what it takes in the playoffs.
Toews, in addition to his first-period goal, also was credited with an assist on Seabrook's game-tying score with just 14.2 seconds left. It was quite a return performance for the Hawks' captain, but one that didn't finish as planned.
“There are some good things you can take out of this game, but at the end of the day we didn't get the win, so we're not happy with that,” Toews said. “We're not satisfied. We've got to do better in Game 2.”
The day began with Toews skating off the ice Thursday morning at Jobing.com Arena, making his way through a gaggle of reporters and promptly making the announcement Blackhawks fans have been waiting to hear: “Here I am, back and ready to play hockey. Let's have some fun.”
All the will-he-or-won't-he of the past two months suddenly became a thing of the past. The Blackhawks captain finally was going to take the ice Thursday night against Phoenix.
Toews' goal gave the Hawks a lead that stood up until the second period, which saw the Coyotes score twice to take the lead.
Then Seabrook struck and a wild overtime ensued before Hanzal's heroics.
“You get into overtime and anything can happen,” Patrick Sharp said. “We came close a couple of times and then they score on a deflection.
“It's the first game. Things will get better.”
mspellman@dailyherald.com
Hawks vs. Phoenix
All games televised on CSN
Thursday: at Phoenix, 9 p.m.
Saturday: at Phoenix, 9 p.m.
Tuesday: at Hawks , 8 p.m.*
April 19: at Hawks, 7 p.m.
x-April 21: at Phoenix, 9 p.m.
x-April 23: at Hawks, TBD*
x-April 25: at Phoenix, TBD
x-if necessary
* Radio broadcast on WIND 560-AM; all other games on WGN -720-AM