Corey Crawford shines in net as Hawks win opener
The Blackhawks knew they were heading into a hornet's nest Thursday night in Dallas.
“There are definitely no easy games in the Central Division and if you think there are any easier games outside the division you're going to be wrong,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville told reporters earlier in the day.
“Teams that think they can make a run at winning the Stanley Cup obviously want to have a great start to the year,” Jonathan Toews said.
“We need to be ready for it with that same mentality.”
Yeah, that didn't happen — for quite a while, that is.
The improved Stars had the Hawks on their heels from the get-go and never let up over the first 40 minutes, and if not for the play of goalie Corey Crawford, the Hawks would've been heading home losers in their season opener.
But Crawford simply wasn't having any of that, stopping 32 of the 34 shots he faced, a handful in jaw-dropping fashion, and the Hawks rallied late to somehow sneak out of Dallas with a 3-2 shootout victory.
“We have to call the cops,” Quenneville said. “We stole 2 points tonight.
“Crow was great.”
Was he ever, particularly in the first two periods when the Stars outshot the Hawks 24-11.
Crawford is now tied with Murray Bannerman for fifth-most wins in franchise history with 116.
The Stars came out flying, outshooting the Hawks 8-1 just past the midway point of the first period. For the entire period the Hawks could muster just 3 shots.
But somehow, some way Duncan Keith made the third one a charm when he sent a puck on net from the top of the circle that beat Kari Lehtonen to open the scoring with less than a minute remaining in the period.
The Hawks were outshot 16-8 in the second period and trailed 2-1 after two, but over the final 20 minutes of regulation they found a way to pick up the pace and it paid off.
Patrick Sharp's power-play goal midway through the third tied the game at 2-2 and a spectacular save by Crawford on a shorthanded break in the final minutes ensured at least a point for the Hawks who a year ago were a middling 17-8-15 in 1-goal games.
Patrick Kane scored in the shootout, and — no surprise here — Crawford stopped all 3 attempts he faced to give the Hawks the big win.
“Q called it a goaltender win, and I think it was more evident today than ever before,” Kane told reporters. “He was awesome.”
• Follow Mike Spellman's reports on the Blackhawks via Twitter @dhspellman.