Sharp's goal leads to win for Hawks
ANAHEIM, Calif. Two days after the Blackhawks provided more giveaways than Oprah in their loss to San Jose, they were on the receiving end of a huge one Friday against the Anaheim Ducks.
And though it wasn't a new car or an all-expenses-paid cruise, for the Hawks this one was even more valuable because it led directly to Patrick Sharp's game-winning goal in the third period en route to a 4-1 victory over the Ducks in front of 16,146 at the Honda Center.
With the game tied at 1-1 early in the third, Anaheim defenseman Andy Sutton skated out from behind his own net and feathered a pass that Sharp picked off in the circle and promptly deposited past goalie Jonas Hiller for his 14th goal.
It was the first of 3 Hawks goals in the period as Niklas Hjalmarsson followed with his first of the season. Troy Brouwer (4) capped the scoring courtesy of Jake Dowell's behind-the-back assist.
But it was the goal by Sharp that was the talk afterward.
“We got a lucky, lucky break to get the puck in the middle, but it was a good shot by Sharpie,” said winning goalie Corey Crawford, who stopped 26 shots in picking up his third straight victory.
“We should have people in position to at least support the player when he makes a mistake,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. “There should be another line of defense there, but the other defenseman was behind the net.”
Sharp earlier had assisted on Duncan Keith's short-handed goal in the second period that tied the game. Keith's shorty was his first of the season and the fifth of his career. He is third among active NHL defensemen behind only Nicklas Lidstrom (10) and Adam Foote (6).
“Sharp made a nice play to find me there and I just tried to get it on net,” Keith said.
“Any time you get a short-handed goal that lifts you team up incredibly,” defenseman Brian Campbell said.
And after suffering the tough loss against the Sharks, the Hawks again showed their resiliency while improving to 3-2 on their road trip with one game left.
“We stayed with it,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “Scoring short-handed really got the momentum going in our favor and we took off in the third.
“I liked our whole game. I thought we had a real good first period we were down 1-0, kind of comparable to the San Jose game.
“Now it would be nice to get something rolling, gets some wins in a row.”
<P><B>Mike Spellman's game tracker </B></P>
<P>Blackhawks 4, Ducks 1</P>
<P><B>Three stars:</B></P>
<P>1. Patrick Sharp, Hawks: Not only does he provide a huge assist on Duncan Keith's short-handed goal, but he follows that by stealing the puck and scoring the game-winner. Good stuff.</P>
<P>2. Corey Crawford, Hawks: You don't hear too much from him, but this guy has been quietly coming through for the Hawks of late. He made 26 saves a few of the spectacular variety to pick up his third consecutive victory.</P>
<P>3. Duncan Keith, Hawks: Came through with the game-tying goal while short-handed. He also blocked 3 shots and was a plus-2 in nearly 28 minutes of ice time.</P>