Chicago Blackhawks' Glass 'disappointed' about call
Upon further review, it appears the Chicago Blackhawks really got the short end of the stick in the third period of their 3-2 loss to Calgary on Tuesday night.
The game-deciding goal, officially credited to Michael Stone with 3:30 remaining in the game, apparently should be credited to Johnny Gaudreau.
Or - more likely - should have been disallowed after officials looked at the replays.
For those who missed it, Stone's shot from just inside the blue line sailed toward a sea of bodies in front of Blackhawks goalie Jeff Glass. Just before reaching Glass, the puck appears to change direction off Gaudreau's stick, which was pointed up and possibly above the crossbar.
If it did - and if the stick was too high - the game should have stayed 1-1. Instead, the Flames took a 2-1 lead and sent the reeling Hawks to a fifth straight home loss.
"I got a tip on it," Gaudreau said. "But whoever gets (credit for the goal), it's not the end of the world. It's a big goal for us, big win because of how close we are in the standings with these guys. I was really jacked up."
Here's the conversation with Glass after the Hawks practiced at the United Center on Wednesday:
Q: All right, what happened? Did it hit Gaudreau's stick?
A: I'm just disappointed with how it ended up. That's probably as far as I'll go today.
Q: It looked like it might have hit off of your stick?
A: One hundred percent it didn't my stick. I can guarantee you that.
Q: Why won't you tell us if it hit Gaudreau's?
A: I wish I made more money. (Big laughs)
Q: So You don't want to make a donation?
A: No, I don't feel like it. Unfortunately, it didn't touch my stick and it ended up in the back of the net.
For what it's worth, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville wasn't overly animated on the bench after the call went against his team. The next day, he also admitted - even with plenty of high-tech cameras - it can be tough to tell for sure what happened.
"Those are very, very seldom overturned once the call on the ice was made, even if you can have concrete evidence," Quenneville said.
Crawford update:
Corey Crawford was not on the ice Wednesday, nor will he be Thursday as he rehabs from an upper-body injury that has kept him out of game action since Dec. 23.
Coach Joel Quenneville doesn't know if Crawford will be able to travel with the Hawks when they begin a three-game road trip that begins in Minnesota on Saturday and continues in Arizona and Las Vegas.
Asked if Crawford could return in less than two weeks, Quenneville said: "We'll see. It would have been nice to know that he could be on this trip. If he comes on the trip, that will be a good sign."
Slap shots:
Artem Anisimov (maintenance) and Jan Rutta (injured) did not practice Wednesday. Coach Joel Quenneville didn't go into specifics of Rutta's injury and said he'd know more Thursday. … Alex DeBrincat (19 goals) is just 2 behind Patrick Kane for the team lead. He's on pace for 29 for the season.