Eager scores twice as Blackhawks rout Coyotes 7-1

Who says there are no easy games in today's NHL?

Playing the Phoenix Coyotes on Sunday night was about as easy as it's going to get for the Blackhawks.

The Coyotes didn't come to play, the Hawks did, and the result was a 7-1 drubbing of Phoenix at the United Center.

This really was Coyote ugly. The Hawks led 4-0 after the first period and 7-0 eight minutes into the second.

"They beat us every which way," Coyotes captain Shane Doan said.

Andrew Ladd and Ben Eager led the Hawks' first 7-goal outburst since Feb. 13 at Columbus last season. Ladd had a goal and 3 assists for a career-high 4 points, while Eager scored twice.

In all, six different Hawks scored and 13 registered points.

"Sometimes everything goes right and pucks go in the net," Ladd said. "Tonight was one of those nights when everything was clicking."

The Hawks stormed out of the gate, bringing the same impressive effort they put forth in Saturday's tough 5-4 shootout loss at Detroit when they outplayed the Stanley Cup champs for most of the night.

"I thought we played with the same energy that we had (Saturday) night right from the get-go," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "We had the pace and had the puck a lot. Coming off a disappointing loss and I still thought we entered the game with a lot of competitiveness and speed and puck possession."

The Hawks scored so many times they wore out the UC fog horn that sounds after goals. It had to be shut down when its compressor blew just a few goals into the offensive barrage.

Dave Bolland, Jonathan Toews, Dustin Byfuglien and Patrick Sharp also scored goals. Sharp's came on a power play and was his 16th of the season. Toews' goal was his fourth in the last three games.

"It seems we got production from a lot of guys tonight," Quenneville said.

Coyotes goalie Ilya Bryzgalov had to endure the beating with backup Mikael Tellqvist unable to play because of a lower-body injury.

"We were OK the first 10 minutes, then Chicago took it to us," Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky said. "They outskated us, outhit us and outplayed us. Chicago is a really good team that plays really hard."

After playing eight 1-goal games in their previous 11 outings, the Hawks had this one coming.

"It seems like every game we've had lately has been tight and all on the line the whole time," Quenneville said. "You don't get many games where you've got leads. But we did a lot of good things, and that's why we had the lead."

The game got rough in spots, which happens in blowouts. Sharp said it was a tough game to get through once the Hawks went up 7-0.

"Those games are tough to play in," Sharp said. "You want to show respect for the other team but at the same time work hard and protect yourself and your teammates. It's no fun for anybody when the score is like that, but I thought we did a good job of playing hard throughout the game."

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