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Dietz: Costly win for Hawks with Kane injury

Kris Versteeg and Patrick Sharp spoke for all of their Blackhawks teammates after seeing an injured Patrick Kane - their "friend, teammate and buddy" - leave the ice Tuesday night in the first period after absorbing a hit by Florida's Alex Petrovic.

"You're really ticked off when a player like him gets hurt," Versteeg said after the Hawks' 3-2 shootout victory at the United Center. "You never want to see a player like that get hurt, someone who is so exciting and people pay money to watch.

"It's not good for the game. It's not good for guys like that to be doing that."

Petrovic's cross-check drove Kane's shoulder into the boards, and the Hawks' superstar was down on the ice for a few seconds before gingerly skating to the locker room. The Hawks shed very little light on the extent of the injury, although coach Joel Quenneville did say he expects Kane "to miss some time. We'll know the extent of it tomorrow."

Quenneville wasn't appalled by the hit, but he did say: "Live, it looked a little dangerous."

Jonathan Toews cashed in on the ensuing power play, scoring just his fifth goal in 27 games to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead.

At the end of the first period, Sharp took a run at the 6-foot-4, 206-pound Petrovic, which led to extended scrum along the boards.

"It was an emotional game," Sharp said. "It's tough to see your friend, your teammate, your buddy go down like that. I thought we responded by playing pretty hard for the most part and we were able to get the win for him."

Sharp then added: "Yeah, I was just trying to get a big hit on (Petrovic) any way I can. I wasn't happy. I was right there when I saw Kaner go down. He was in a lot of pain.

"I was trying to do my best to stand up for my player and my teammate. I don't care if it's not my style of play or not - you do what you can to help the team."

As for replacing Kane, who shares the league lead with 64 points (27 goals), everybody knows it will have to be a group effort. And the group - even with Kane - didn't exactly get the job done on the just-completed 3-2-3 homestand. The Hawks managed just 17 goals in those eight games.

The bottom line is that Quenneville's squad needs more production from three of their top-line players: Toews, Sharp and Brad Richards, all of whom are struggling to score.

With Kane out, the spotlight on those three will shine all the brighter.

"I don't think you can replace the things that he does, with the puck, without the puck, the attention that he draws," Sharp said. "When a player goes down, we have to collectively fill those shoes. But you guys know as well as I do what kind of player Kaner is."

Said Quenneville: "He's having one of those years that is very noticeable. The guys still gotta stick with it and go with what you got, contribute the best you can. Playing the right way will be emphasized as we go along."

The Hawks nearly gave Tuesday's game away despite holding a 2-0 lead midway through the third period. The Panthers scored twice in a span of 4:08 to send the game to overtime, but the Hawks pulled it out in the shootout as Toews and Sharp scored while Scott Darling turned away both Florida attempts.

With the win, the Hawks crept within 3 points of idle St. Louis in the Central Division. "That's a big 2 points," Quenneville said.

But it's a bigger injury. And one that will be interesting to see if the Hawks can rise above in the coming days … and possibly weeks.

Darling stands tall in his return

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