Overturned goal has Blackhawks coach Quenneville steamed

One question.

That's all a steamed Joel Quenneville took from the assembled media after his team dropped a 2-0 decision to San Jose on Tuesday night at the United Center.

Quenneville, just like Marian Hossa said moments earlier, couldn't believe that yet another goal by his team was overturned by a coach's challenge. This one came with 2:37 remaining in the first period when Brandon Mashinter appeared to give the Chicago Blackhawks a 1-0 lead after the puck bounced off his right leg and past Sharks goaltender Martin Jones.

The problem was that Dennis Rasmussen was in the crease and the referees determined that he “interfered with Jones before the puck crossed the goal line.”

As opposed to two games ago in Arizona — when a Hossa goal was disallowed and Quenneville earned an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty — the Hawks' coach mostly kept his cool on the bench when the call was made.

After this game, though, it was a different story.

“Yeah, it's gone to a different level,” Quenneville said. “I don't know the rules anymore or something's changed. My understanding — I've played a lot of hockey — I don't know. I think everybody has an interpretation of what's a good goal and what's a bad goal.

“But I can't believe it.”

With that, Quenneville threw his arms up and stormed off without taking any other questions.

Rasmussen and Jones did come together as Mashinter rushed the net, but the contact seemed awfully minimal.

“As a goalie, you're obviously trying to step out and make a play,” said Corey Crawford, who made 25 saves for the Hawks. “But it didn't really look like there was that much contact to begin with.

“But we've got to live with the call — there's no excuses. We kept playing hard; it's just they were a better team tonight.”

Jones said he'd “like to think” the refs got it right. “My glove got caught in his legs,” he said.

The loss snapped a seven-game home winning streak for the Hawks, who played without Artemi Panarin (illness) for the first time this season. Carolina, on Dec. 27, was the last team to defeat the Hawks at the UC.

The Sharks got their goals from Patrick Marleau (a power-play tally at 9:09 of the second period) and Joe Thornton (an empty-netter with 1:42 remaining). Jones made 33 saves in recording his fifth shutout.

The Hawks certainly had their chances, with one coming just three minutes after Marleau's goal on a Teuvo Teravainen shot that whizzed just past the left post. Another golden opportunity fizzled when Hossa failed to corral a puck with 8:05 left in the game and Jones completely out of position.

Just like Quenneville, Hossa was especially incensed with the overturned goal.

“Every (little) touch with the goalie seems like it's a goal disallowed,” he said. “The league wants to get more goals, but it seems like the rules (are) doing a good job of taking goals away.”

The Hawks are 36-17-4 and will take on Dallas on Thursday at the United Center.