Chicago Blackhawks can't withstand Hurricanes
After beating the St. Louis Blues on Sunday at the United Center, the Blackhawks talked about being fired up for their final game before the all-star break in Carolina.
But it turned out to be the host Hurricanes who buzzed all over the ice Tuesday as they racked up 5 goals in under 33 minutes and went on to claim an easy 5-0 victory over the Hawks.
A pair of former Hawks got in on the fun as Joakim Nordstrom scored in his third straight game and Kris Versteeg notched his 21st assist on Carolina's third goal.
"It was pretty evident right from the beginning that we were in a lot of trouble tonight," coach Joel Quenneville told reporters. "We lost every single puck battle, every single race. … So it was an ugly game across the board. Nothing positive came out of it except it's over."
The Hawks hit the break at 33-16-4 overall and 12-11-3 on the road, where they've been outscored 11-1 over the past three games. Said Quenneville: "We played three teams (Tampa Bay, Florida and Carolina) that played well in their own buildings. Give them some credit."
Still, for a little perspective, Hawks fans should remember this team is in first place in the Central Division thanks to a 13-3 record over the last 16 games and a 20-7 mark over the last 27.
"We had a good little stretch there where we won 12 in a row. Obviously that got us to where we want to be going into this little break," said Patrick Kane, who led the Hawks on Tuesday with 5 shots on goal.
Two of the Hawks' 7 losses over the last 27 games came against the Hurricanes, who are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games and 23-20-8 overall.
"A lot of these young guys are playing incredible," Versteeg said. "They're finding a way to contribute every night."
While the Hawks managed just 5 shots on goal in the first period, Carolina pummeled Corey Crawford with 16 and took a 3-0 lead. The first 2 goals, by Jeff Skinner and Riley Nash, were redirected past Crawford.
Quenneville put Scott Darling in net for the final two periods and he stopped 22 of 24 shots.
Jonathan Toews, who Quenneville said has been fighting an illness for a while, did not play in the third period.
"He's pretty run down," Quenneville said.
Mark McNeill made his NHL debut for the Hawks, logging 12:44 of ice time and registering a team-high 3 hits.
The Hawks now have six days before they kick off the unofficial second half of the season with what figures to be tough road games in Colorado, Arizona and Dallas. After that comes a four-game homestand, which begins on Feb. 9 against San Jose.
"The best thing to do right now is probably to get away from the game for a few days and just kind of relax and get ready for the late push," Kane said. "I'm sure when we come back we should have a sour taste in our mouths, especially after these last few games."
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