'Homer drop' helps lead to Hawks loss
DENVER - There haven't been many nights when the Blackhawks were off their game.
They were Thursday and the result was a 2-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center.
The Hawks still managed to keep it close until the third period when Wojtek Wolski scored on a power play with 6:59 to play.
Despite outshooting the Avs 44-32, the Hawks didn't get their normal brand of quality chances.
"We weren't sharp around the net," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "I thought they were the harder working team tonight and they got rewarded."
Quenneville was livid with what happened leading up to Matt Walker's hooking penalty with 7:45 left in the game that resulted in the winning goal.
On a faceoff to the right of goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, the linesman dropped the puck before Patrick Sharp was ready. Avs center Philippe Dupuis easily won the draw and Walker's penalty occurred during a scramble at the net.
"You can't justify that play they made to get the power play," Quenneville said. "That's totally unacceptable. It was a homer drop. I haven't seen that in four years."
Avs goalie Andrew Raycroft made 43 saves to run his record to 8-1.
"I don't think we skated very well in the first period," Brian Campbell said. "We got better, but I don't think we got enough traffic early in the game.
"The frustrating part is we didn't find a way to get a point like we've been doing all season."
Patrick Kane returned to the lineup after missing two games with an ankle injury but still didn't have his usual jump.
"It's not bad," Kane said. "You can't be thinking about the injury. It's something I'll have to get through."
Kane assisted on Campbell's power-play goal in the second period that tied it 1-1. The power play had been 1-for-9 in the two games without Kane.
Quenneville juggled the Sharp line, leaving Ben Eager there despite Kane's return and dropping Troy Brouwer to the fourth line.
"Benny earned the opportunity to get more quality ice time," Quenneville said. "I think he's been very effective no matter who he plays with. It gives them some size and speed on that line as well."
The Avs led 1-0 after sluggish first period by both teams. Ryan Smyth got the only goal at 5:10 when he batted the puck past Khabibulin after a mix-up in the defensive zone between Martin Havlat and Duncan Keith.
Avs coach Tony Granato was full of praise for the Hawks.
"They have speed, energy, youth and confidence," Granato said. "They're dynamic because of their speed. They're a very exciting team."
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