Blackhawks' 4th straight win increases cushion in West

It's the middle of December, about the time in the NHL season when teams begin to separate themselves in the standings.

The Blackhawks continued to inch away from the pack in the Western Conference on Sunday night by rallying to defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 at the United Center.

That's 4 wins in a row for the 15-6-7 Hawks, who find themselves fourth in the conference and with a 6-point cushion for a playoff spot that they hope to keep adding to this week on a three-game road swing through Western Canada.

"Teams are trying to catch us and at the same time the standings are so tight," said goalie Cristobal Huet, who made 31 saves to extend his personal win streak to three. "Every game now can make a difference at the end of the season, and we realize that."

The Hawks overcame a sluggish start that found them trailing 1-0 deep into the second period.

But Patrick Sharp's power-play goal with four-tenths of a second to play in the second period tied it and the Hawks got what proved to be the winning goal from Martin Havlat with 10:24 left in regulation.

Sharp banked the puck in off Columbus goalie Steve Mason from behind the goal line to the left of the net.

"That was an ugly goal, but that's why he has 17," Huet said.

Havlat's goal, a wicked snap shot past Mason, came after a four-pass give-and-go with Duncan Keith.

"They kept going give-and-go; I was wondering when they were going to shoot it," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville joked.

Keith had a clean shot from the left side but decided to give it back to Havlat flying through the slot.

"No, I didn't think of shooting it," Keith said. "He's got a better shot than me."

It was Havlat's eighth goal and first game-winner.

"That was his (Keith's) goal," Havlat said. "It's nice to see pretty plays like that because a lot of goals aren't pretty."

Brent Seabrook added an empty-net goal in the final minute.

The Hawks keep showing they are beginning to get the hang of this winning thing. It was their 28th game and they have lost just six times in regulation.

"Every game is different, but we've been finding ways to win," Quenneville said. "When games are on the line, I think our tendencies are doing things that lead to wins and lead to good habits. That's how you win games, by being diligent in that area."

Good teams also win games when their best players make huge plays, such as those by Sharp, Keith and Havlat.

The Hawks might not win Sunday if Sharp doesn't think to bang the puck at the goalie from behind the net with time running out in the middle period.

"Tremendous presence of mind," Quenneville said. "Not too many guys would have still stayed in there and made that play. Over the course of games, plays like that, that include intelligence, can really complement our game. That was a real smart play."

<p class="factboxheadblack">Classic countdown: 17 days until faceoff</p> <p class="News">Bob Costas will work the Winter Classic for NBC, serving as the network's host on New Year's Day when the Blackhawks face the Red Wings at Wrigley Field.</p> <p class="News">Costas, mostly known as a baseball and football guy, does have hockey in his background. He did play-by-play for the minor-league Syracuse Blazers in 1973-74, then later in his career in St. Louis filled in for Hall of Famer Dan Kelly on Blues games over KMOX.</p> <p class="News">Analyst Eddie Olczyk will cover his second straight Winter Classic.</p> <p class="News">"This was one of the best events I've ever been a part of as a player, coach or broadcaster," Olczyk said.</p> <div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=258186">Quenneville anticipates 'fun trip' <span class="date">[12/15/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=258172">Goal scorer's goal, no two ways about it <span class="date">[12/15/08]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>