Koivu's goal gives Ducks win over Blackhawks

ANAHEIM, Calif. - It turned out Corey Crawford's surprise start in goal against the Ducks was not the biggest Blackhawks story Wednesday night.

For the second game in a row the Hawks lost a top-four defenseman in a 4-2 loss at the Honda Center when Brent Seabrook had his head rammed into the end boards by Anaheim defenseman James Wisniewski, a former teammate.

The play occurred at 2:22 of the second period when Wisniewski skated at Seabrook, who didn't have the puck, at full speed from the top of the left circle, jumped and caught Seabrook in the face with an elbow.

Seabrook's head snapped back into the glass and he appeared unconscious on his skates before dropping to the ice. And all Wisniewski got from referees Paul Devorski and Ian Walsh was a minor penalty for roughing. Wisniewski also got a major for fighting Duncan Keith, who jumped to Seabrook's aid.

Hawks coach Joel Quenneville was livid with Devorski and Walsh for not calling a major penalty.

"There are certain hits in the game that are tolerable if you have the puck," Quenneville fumed. "But if you hit a guy without the puck you can kill a guy.

"It's the most dangerous hit in the history of the game and (Wisniewski) tried to hurt him. If that's not intent - that's as bad a hit as you can ever have in the game."

Hawks captain Jonathan Toews was just as angry after the Hawks lost Seabrook just three days after Alex Ovechkin ended Brian Campbell's regular season with a hit from behind into the boards.

"A lot of guys in this locker room know the guy that did it and it becomes pretty personal when something like that happens," Toews said about Wisniewski. "He wasn't skating in from the blue line for any other reason than to run him over and take a liberty on Seabs."

Nick Boynton got some retribution late in the game when he fought Wisniewski.

The Hawks felt referees Devorski and Walsh missed another call that led to a goal by Anaheim's Saku Koivu with 5:36 to play that snapped a 2-2 tie.

Brent Sopel was ready to grab a puck in the air over his head in the slot when Corey Perry shoved to the ice from behind. The puck wound up with Koive in front for the goal.

"I was jumping for the puck, he pushed me down, and I turn around and it's in the net," Sopel said. "I'm leaving my feet to get the puck. You can't push somebody. You've got to blow it down at least, call a 4-on-4 or something. You just can't let it go in the slot like that."

Quenneville thought Crawford played "solid" in making 32 saves. He did misplay a puck at the top of the right circle in the second period that resulted in Todd Marchant's short-handed goal and a 2-1 Ducks lead.

Before the game Quenneville cautioned not to read anything into Crawford getting the start. "It's one game and that's how we're approaching it," Quenneville said.