Puck plays hide and seek

At 16:27 of the first period, things came to an unexpected halt at the United Center.

The reason: no one could figure out what the heck happened to the puck after Blackhawks goalie Antti Niemi stopped Nashville's Nick Spalding's wrist shot from point-blank range.

Teammate John Madden poked and prodded at Niemi's chest.

Nothing there.

What in the name of Larry Biitner was going on?

Series supervisor Nick McGeough called down from the UC's seventh floor, warning the referees on the ice they better find the darn thing before play resumed.

"They probably would have had to have (Niemi's) sweater removed," McGeough said in between periods. "It's too much of a gamble if you don't find it."

Finally, Hawks captain Jonathan Toews actually lifted Niemi's jersey up from the front and ... Voila!

"It just dropped out when Tazer touched it," Niemi said. "I couldn't feel it in there."