Hawks powerless against Harding, Wild

This game had trouble written all over it for the Blackhawks.

Returning from another week on the road trip and having to play the frustrating Minnesota Wild was the perfect recipe for a defeat.

The Hawks dominated early but failed on one power play after another, letting the Wild hang around long enough to pull out a 2-1 victory Sunday night at the United Center.

Minnesota backup goalie Josh Harding made 44 saves in what might have been the best goaltending performance against the Hawks this season.

"It was one of those nights where the puck didn't go in for us," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "We had certainly some great looks. Their goalie had a special night and that was the difference."

The Hawks were 0-for-8 on the power play against the NHL's best penalty killers, including a failed two-man advantage for 1:42 early in the second period.

"They're the best at penalty killing for a reason," Quenneville said.

"We were doing the right things," Brian Campbell said. "I thought we skated well early and we had plenty of shots, but sometimes you just have to bear down more. Some areas we were good and some areas we weren't."

Harding's best save came against Troy Brouwer on a 5-on-3 early in the second period with the game scoreless. Brouwer had a mostly open net, but Harding got his his glove on the shot and kept it out.

There was a video review that appeared to show the puck over the goal line in midair.

"That's got to be more than conclusive, that one there, when it's inside the goalie glove," Quenneville said. "Great save."

The Hawks did have a beef with Dan Fritsche's power-play goal that made it 1-1 at 12:48 of the second period. Another replay went against the Hawks as officials ruled Fritsche deflected the puck through goalie Cristobal Huet with his stick even with the crossbar and not over it.

"I disagree 100 percent with the call," Quenneville said. "It's a big goal. It gets them in the game."

The Wild got what proved to be the winning goal from Peter Olvecky at 3:30 of the third period when he went unchecked in the slot and put a shot through Huet.

The Hawks got their only goal from Jonathan Toews at 10:03 of the second period, set up by Martin Havlat, that made it 1-0.

At one point right before Toews scored, the Hawks were outshooting the Wild 23-6.

"I liked how we played in the first period," Quenneville said. "We got the lead in the second and we're still in good shape then they get the break and it's 1-1 in the third period and anything can happen. They're that type of team that's always in games and they can win these kind of games."

The Hawks would have preferred to get into a skating game, but that's not what the trapping and clamping Wild does.

"It's basically put you to sleep and pray that you don't get a goal," Kris Versteeg said. "It's pretty boring to play again. You really have to try to get them to play your style, but they came out on top tonight and their goalie made a lot of big saves."