Where there’s a will, Hawks find a way
It was only fitting that Ben Smith’s goal in the 11th round of the shootout won the game for the Blackhawks.
On a night when the fourth line of Marcus Kruger, Smith and Brandon Bollig helped turn around the game in the third period with their hard work, the Hawks rallied again to beat the Dallas Stars 2-1 on Friday.
Smith’s goal made a winner out of goalie Corey Crawford, who stopped 10 of the 11 Stars he faced in the shootout.
It was the Hawks’ fifth straight win on their seven-game circus road trip.
Patrick Sharp’s 10th goal tied the game at 7:21 of the third period. Sharp redirected a point shot by Duncan Keith past Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen. It was Keith’s 21st assist of the season.
Sharp also was the only other Hawk to beat Lehtonen in the shootout.
“I thought we hung in there well,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville told reporters. “I thought Crow was rock solid, great in the shootout as well.
“It’s pretty remarkable: We’ve had three games in the last four down 1-0 in the third and we find a way to win. We showed great character tonight.”
Crawford, who posted his 100th career win, made 8 straight saves in the shootout after Rich Peverley scored in the third round.
Bollig was the only forward Quenneville didn’t use in the shootout.
“I told everybody they were 12,” Quenneville said.
Turning serious, Quenneville liked what he saw from his fourth line.
“That line has been very effective,” he said. “I look at the last 4 wins and they’ve been outstanding. They start in their own end almost every shift and they end up in the other team’s end at the end of it. They can really make us a better team.”
The Hawks close their long road trip Saturday at Phoenix. So far, Quenneville has managed the trip beautifully giving the team plenty of time off along the way.
“When you look at it, it’s 14 days and there are going to be days when it feels like (it drags), but the guys have been great,” Quenneville told reporters at the morning skate. “We had the one practice in between games (in Calgary), and it was a very short practice, so we have our morning skates. I think the guys feel like, ‘Let’s play.’ It’s not like we’re on the ice a lot so hopefully there’s some appetite to play.
“These guys want to be successful and they want to win as well. I think that comes internally from the leadership through the lineup. We all have this certain standard of how we want to compete and have success and they push one another the right way.”
Crawford returned to the net for the Hawks after being off for Wednesday’s game in Calgary when rookie Antti Raanta made his NHL debut in a 3-2 victory.
Crawford was caught out of the net on the Stars’ only goal by Peverley at 16:40 of the first period.
Crawford tried to play the puck but lost the battle to Shawn Horcoff, who fed Peverley in front for the shot into the open net.
The Hawks and Crawford dodged a bullet early in the second period when Alex Chiasson hit the post on a penalty shot. It made Crawford 9-for-9 stopping penalty shots for his career.
Dallas finished the game with only five defensemen after they lost Stephane Robidas in the second period. Robidas suffered a fractured leg when he fell hard into the end boards.
ŸFollow Tim’s hockey reports on Twitter @TimSassone and check out his Between the Circles blog at dailyherald.com.