Hawks lose a tough one at home
As far as losses go, this one could prove to be damaging when the dust settles in the Western Conference.
In a game even coach Joel Quenneville admitted was the biggest of the season, the Blackhawks let Corey Perry score twice in the third period and the Anaheim Ducks walked out of the United Center on Saturday night with a 2-1 win.
“That was a brutal loss,” Quenneville said.
“It definitely hurts,” Hawks winger Marian Hossa said. “That's definitely a tough pill to swallow. We have to make sure it doesn't happen again because the games are running down and this one was important.”
At least the Hawks remained in a playoff spot in the West, but they dropped to eighth place as the Ducks passed them into seventh by 1 point.
The Hawks have only eight games remaining in the season and must play the next three on the road starting with a difficult back-to-back challenge Monday at Detroit and Tuesday at Boston.
“We're not out of it, but obviously it was a tough game to lose that one,” defenseman Duncan Keith said. “We were talking about it since Wednesday and to lose it in the third period is frustrating.”
The Hawks didn't play a great hockey game by any means, but they did take a 1-0 lead into the third period on Hossa's 22nd goal late in the first period.
A turnover in the offensive zone by Patrick Kane led to Perry's first goal 1:07 into the third period. Perry finished a wonderfully executed 3-on-2 rush with linemates Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan.
If the Getzlaf-Perry-Ryan line isn't the best in the NHL, it's No. 1A behind the Sedins and Alex Burrows in Vancouver.
Perry scored the game-winner with 4:30 to play in regulation when Keith was late to tie him up in front.
“I could have maybe done a better job there,” Keith said.
Perry has 44 goals to overtake Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos for the league lead.
“We still had the lead there in the third period and gave up a tough goal there we shouldn't have given up,” Quenneville said. “We had the puck in a good position in the offensive zone.
“Both goals were preventable. I know those guys can make plays and have good patience and good recognition, but as a group of five we could have defended better on both goals.”
After a decent first period, the Hawks didn't put much pressure on Ducks goalie Ray Emery.
“When you get a lead like that you're kind of thinking you're doing OK, but maybe making a little harder push to get the second goal would have put us in a perfect spot,” Quenneville said. “We looked happy to be in that contain mode when we should have been pushing the pace more and had more guys pushing.”
The Hawks passed up some of their best chances after the first period looking to make that one more pass for the pretty result.
“Sometimes we tried to look for the better play instead of just shooting the puck and looking for the rebound goals and ugly goals,” Hossa said. “Sometimes we tried to be a little too cute, and against a good defensive team like this it's not going to work.”