Hawks play one of most complete games of season

It would be hard to imagine the Blackhawks playing a more complete game than the one they produced Sunday afternoon.

The Hawks hit, they stood up for each other, they got 2 goals and an assist from Patrick Kane, they chased Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo and they played suffocating defense in a 4-1 win over the Canucks at the United Center -- all with seven rookies in the lineup.

How suffocating were the Hawks defensively? The Canucks had 10 shots on goal despite 4 power plays.

"They stuck together, they stuck to the game plan, we barely had any turnovers in the game and we finished checks everywhere," said Hawks coach Denis Savard. "Our fans got to see our kids, really. It was a big game and they stepped it up. I know it's only one game, but we know it's in them."

The victory moved the Hawks (31-28-6) back within 6 points of a playoff spot, with the Canucks being one of those teams on the inside they're chasing.

"Every win from here on out is huge, especially against a team like that battling to get in the playoffs too," Kane said. "We're going to continue working every day to do the right things and hopefully get in the playoffs."

The Hawks finished the game without one of their rookies, Jonathan Toews, who took an elbow to the face from Matt Pettinger at 5:51 of the third period.

Toews needed 50 stitches to close a cut near his mouth and he chipped at least one tooth.

Referees Kerry Fraser and Steve Kozari let Pettinger off with only a four-minute minor for high-sticking. Cam Barker jumped in and fought Pettinger.

"I didn't really see it, but when I turned around Toews was laying there and I saw the blood," Barker said. "You can't be taking liberties like that with our top players so I had to jump in there."

The Hawks frustrated the Canucks with their physical play that started with the opening faceoff.

The Hawks came out hitting and got the big crowd of 19,670 into it early. Ben Eager, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Andrew Ladd each delivered crunching checks in the first five minutes

"I thought we did a good job the whole night of staying on the body and pressure their defense," Ladd said. "We get in trouble when we sit back and try to protect leads, but I thought we did a great job of staying on the gas."

It was Ladd giving the Hawks a 1-0 lead at 17:02 of the first period when he jammed home a Kane rebound past a sprawled Luongo.

Kane made it 2-0 with a power-play goal at 4:19 of the second period through a Dustin Byfuglien screen.

Normally the Hawks are frustrated by Luongo, but this time they did what they had to do to beat him -- create traffic and screens in front.

"He didn't really have a chance on any goals," Kane said. "We did have a lot of traffic around him. I think in every goal it was either a tip or a bounce, something. He's one of the best goalies in the world and that's how you've got to beat him."

The only goal Hawks goalie Patrick Lalime allowed was on a breakaway by Ryan Kesler at 18:31 of the second period.