Hawks get bad break in loss to San Jose

SAN JOSE, Calif. — December has historically been a time when NHL teams begin separating themselves in the standings. Neither Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville nor Sharks coach Todd McLellan is sure that's going to happen this year, so tight is the playoff chase in the Western Conference.

“We're 7 (points) from the top and 5 from the bottom,” McLellan said before Saturday's 2-1 overtime win over the Hawks at HP Pavilion. “It is quite remarkable. Every night is a playoff game.”

Ryane Clowe's goal at 3:52 of overtime decided it, but the Hawks didn't think the game should have even got that far. The Hawks caught a bad break at 6:58 of the second period in a 1-1 game. Viktor Stalberg had a rebound goal taken away when referee Greg Kimmerly blew the whistle, thinking Sharks goalie Antti Niemi had caught Jack Skille's shot.

Niemi clearly never had the puck.

“He admitted he was wrong, that he blew the whistle too early,” Jonathan Toews said. “While you appreciate that, it still doesn't give you a 2-1 lead, but you're not going to sit there and let something that happens like that dictate the final score of the game.”

Stalberg said the puck went right through Niemi.

“The ref was at a bad angle and he blows it down a little too quickly,” Stalberg said. “That's a game changer, obviously.”

The loss snapped goalie Corey Crawford's seven-game winning streak one shy of the franchise record. Crawford made 28 saves and was sharp again.

“I thought he played great,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “You could argue that was his best game. He was the reason we got a point.”

Going into the weekend only 12 points separated first-place Detroit from last-place Calgary in the West.

“Over the last five years it seems like every year we say this race this year is amazing, but this year it's even more amazing than any of them,” Quenneville said. “It's incredible. One to 15 are all in the mix. Every conference game, every divisional game, the meaning is huge and the implications are gigantic. If you're not (playing) you root for a 2-point game and not a 3-point game. You basically hope it doesn't get to overtime.” After a rocky start the Hawks are 8-3-1 since the middle of November.

“We're at that point where we can't wait any longer to start expecting results and getting those results,” Toews said. “We've been adjusting quite a bit over the first weeks and months of the season, but we're at that point where it's time to really start expecting our best hockey.

“Even though we have some injuries and some guys out, it's time to go out there and really bear down and make things happen. We still have the guys who can do that.”

The Sharks opened the scoring at 9:16 of the first period on Clowe's redirection past Crawford off a feed from Jason Demers. Jordan Hendry tied it at 18:23 as the Hawks' makeshift fourth line cashed in on a good forecheck.

<p><b>Three stars</b></p>

<p><b>1. Ryane Clowe, Sharks: </b>Both goals on 7 shots.</p>

<p><b>2. Antti Niemi, Sharks:</b> Ex-Hawk made 28 saves to beat his old team for the second time.</p>

<p><b>3. Corey Crawford, Hawks: </b>His seven-game winning streak ended, but he got his team 1 point.</p>

<p><b>Line it up</b></p>

<p>The Hawks' top line of Jonathan Toews, Jack Skille and Viktor Stalberg combined for 14 shots on goal led by Skille's 7. Stalberg had a goal taken away on a controversial referee's call.</p>