Yet again, Hawks fail to hold another lead
DALLAS — What happened to the Blackhawks on Friday night at American Airlines Center is something Hawks fans have seen with regularity almost since opening night.
In other words, the Hawks lost a hockey game after failing to hold a lead — this time falling to the Stars 4-3 in a shootout after going ahead 3-0 in the first period.
“I don't have anything new to say to you guys,” Hawks captain Jonathan Toews said. “Every time we lose it's the same thing that happens and we don't change it. We get comfortable with a lead and that's where you see us just giving the other team a chance to come back every time.
“I don't understand what's going on here. The writing is on the wall, it's right there. We get satisfied and we give teams a chance to come back. Unless we change that and every single guy works harder through 60 minutes, nothing is going to change.”
The Hawks regrouped late in the third period to at least force overtime and get 1 point, but the shootout was all Dallas.
Marty Turco, making his first start against his former team, was 0-for-3 in the shootout, beaten by Brenden Morrow, Brad Richards and Mike Ribeiro while Toews scored for the Hawks and Patrick Sharp didn't.
“It's disappointing not to come away with a win as valuable as these points are,” Turco said. “We needed to get 2 points to stay with the pack right now.”
The Hawks played the third period and OT with only nine healthy forwards after injuries to Viktor Stalberg, Fernando Pisani and Ryan Johnson. Pisani and Johnson appeared to suffer head injuries while Stalberg left holding his shoulder after taking a big hit.
The Stars dominated physically and had 39 hits to the Hawks' 16. The biggest hit was delivered by Mark Fistric on Pisani in the second period, snapping Pisani's head back into the glass.
Pisani had to be helped to the dressing room and Fistric was penalized for interference, but the Hawks couldn't make the Stars pay with a power-play goal that would have made it 4-0.
“That's another thing,” Toews said. “We can go back and work our (butt) off on the power play and really try to show them up and get them back for hurting one of our players and we don't.
“We were satisfied and it was a terrible power play and one thing led to another and they found a way to come back.”
Hawks coach Joel Quenneville wasn't as angry outwardly as Toews after the game.
“We got a point and there were 10 or 12 games over the course of the year where that didn't happen,” Quenneville said.
The Hawks built a 3-0 lead in the game's first 13 minutes on goals by Patrick Kane, Brent Seabrook and Patrick Sharp.
They wasted a chance to go up by 4 late in the first period, failing on a 5-on-3 that lasted 49 seconds.
The Stars got goals from Stephane Robidas at 15:59 on a wraparound that got through Turco, and from Brad Richards on a power play with five seconds left in the period after Troy Brouwer took a costly goalie interference penalty.
Morrow tied the game 47 seconds into the third period.
Tim Sassone's game tracker
Stars 4, Blackhawks 3 (SO)
<B>Three stars</B>
1. Brad Richards, Stars: Was everywhere with a goal, 6 shots and won 10 of 15 faceoffs.
2. Stephane Robidas, Stars: A goal, assist and 5 hits for the defenseman.
3. Jonathan Toews, Hawks: Played almost 26 minutes and was plus-1 with 2 assists.
<B>Upon further review</B>
The Hawks had two video reviews go against them. Coach Joel Quenneville didn't have a problem with Brenden Morrow's tying goal in the third period batted out of the air but thought Brent Seabrook scored on a 5-on-3 in the first period when Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen appeared to glove the shot in the net.
“The picture we saw looked like it had to be in,” Quenneville said.