Hawks take top spot in West by cooling off Coyotes

Not like there was a lot of pressure on the Blackhawks on Tuesday night at the United Center.

All they were doing was going up against the red-hot Phoenix Coyotes, who came in winners of nine straight while the Hawks limped in having dropped five of seven and were winless in three previous meetings this season with the Coyotes.

And all that was at stake was the top spot in the Western Conference, winner assumes the lead with just a handful of regular-season games remaining.

And just for good measure, Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said repeatedly the past few days that this was the biggest game of the season.

Good luck, guys.

As it turned out, luck was the last thing the Hawks needed. In the biggest game of the year it was some of the biggest names who came through.

Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa provided the offense, Brent Seabrook was solid and inspirational in his return from injury, and goalie Antti Niemi (28 saves) was oft-spectacular in picking up his sixth shutout of the season in the Hawks' 2-0 victory.

"That was a goalie win," Quenneville said. "His quickness and desperation led to some amazing saves."

And also to Niemi's 20th victory of the season as he seems to be cementing his position as the team's No. 1 goalie.

"It's a lot of shutouts for a rookie season," Niemi admitted, "but this was one of the big games of the season and we really wanted to win and play a good defensive game."

Check and check.

After the game, Niemi was presented with a championship wrestling belt from Seabrook for his performance.

"Thank God we got 1 win against them this year," Hawks captain Jonathan Toews said of the Coyotes. "We put three solid periods back to back and our goaltender was great. He's so competitive."

Niemi needed to be because the Coyotes weren't about to back down.

"They're relentless," Quenneville said. "That was a long game - never easy until the end. That's good hockey team."

With Calgary winning Tuesday, the Hawks remain just on the cusp of clinching a playoff spot in the West for the second straight season.

"Give them credit, they played a strong game," Phoenix coach Dave Tippett said of the Hawks. "We weren't as strong as we have been."

They may not have clinched a playoff spot yet, but they sure took a big step.

"We all know the meaning of this game," Quenneville said.

"It was great. It was huge," said Seabrook, who labeled Vernon Fiddler with a big hit in the second period. "We want to be in first place, and tonight we really answered the bell."

<p class="factboxheadblack">Mike Spellman's game tracker</p>

<p class="News">Blackhawks 2, Coyotes 0</p>

<p class="News"><b>Three stars:</b></p>

<p class="News">1. Antti Niemi, Hawks: Big performance under big spotlight</p>

<p class="News">2. Patrick Kane, Hawks: Game-winner and near-goal minutes apart</p>

<p class="News">3. Marian Hossa, Hawks: Good hands on insurance goal</p>

<p class="News"><b>Shoot to thrill:</b> The Blackhawks outshot the Coyotes 32-28. They have outshot their opponents an NHL-high 62 times.</p>

<p class="News"><b>Oh, Seabrook's back:</b> If you were wondering whether Brent Seabrook would be ready after missing a couple of games, look no further than the crunching blow he put on Vernon Fiddler for an answer. Seabrook finished plus-1, with 3 hits and 2 blocked shots in just less than 23 minutes of action.</p>

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