Hawks make it six straight wins at home

The Blackhawks have the best home record in the NHL and want to keep it that way.

Taking advantage of a Toronto Maple Leafs team that mailed it in for most of the first two periods, the Hawks hung on for a 3-2 victory making it six straight wins at the United Center with one more game to play before the two-week circus road trip.

The Hawks are 9-2-1 at the UC and have allowed only 8 goals in their six-game winning streak.

"We pride ourselves in being a good home team and really just owning our own arena," Hawks winger Troy Brouwer said. "We're going out on a six-game road trip here for two weeks and you've got to have wins at home because its always tough to win on the road."

The Hawks had a 3-0 lead late in the second period, but Phil Kessel's 2 goals brought the Maple Leafs back and made for a tense finish.

The Hawks (11-5-2) had only 6 shots on goal in the third period.

"They got that one goal there towards the end of the second and it gave them a little life there," defenseman Duncan Keith said. "Give them credit, they came on hard in the third and (Cristobal) Huet made some big saves for us. That's what we need there at that time of the game."

It was Brouwer's power-play goal early in the second period that made it 3-0 and turned out to be the game winner. Brouwer also fought Leafs defenseman Luke Schenn, leaving him an assist short of a Gordie Howe hat trick - a goal, assist and fight.

"I was looking for it on the empty net, but it doesn't really matter as long as we got the win," Brouwer said.

"I thought Brouwer had a great game," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "He did a little bit of everything."

Patrick Kane started the Hawks on their way at 3:22 of the first period when he pick-pocketed Schenn in front of the net, turned and fired a shot past goalie Vesa Toskala.

"We made too many bonehead mistakes," Toronto coach Ron Wilson said.

Keith made it 2-0 at 13:20 of the first with slap shot that hit the stick of Toronto's Nikolai Kulemin.

Brouwer's power-play goal came at 5:31 of the second period with Toronto's Alexei Ponikarovsky in the penalty box for goalie interference.

The Leafs attempted to play rough with the Hawks, which is about all they have going for them these days other than Kessel.

Toronto (3-9-5) came in the worst defensive team in the league and among the worst on offense.

The Leafs got on the board late in the second period when Kessel beat Huet with a long wrist shot that had the crowd of 21,036 - the largest of the season - grumbling.

Huet looked awkward again on Kessel's second goal at 5:33 of the third period, but it was another wicked wrist shot by the Leafs' center, who has 4 goals in five games since returning from shoulder surgery.

"Kessel was outstanding, but we need more from other guys," Wilson said.

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