Vancouver rallies late to beat Hawks
By PAUL LADEWSKI – editorial@nwherald.com
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| Blackhawks goalie Antti Niemi (right) makes a save on a shot Wednesday by Vancouver Canucks left wing Mason Raymond (left) as defenseman Cam Barker watches during the first period at the United Center. Niemi made 28 saves in the 3-2 loss. (Charles Rex Arbogast The Associated Press) |
CHICAGO – The Blackhawks lost a hockey game Wednesday, but at least it was their emotions and not their goaltender that got the best of them this time.
On a night when goaltender Antti Niemi played well enough to secure two points, the Hawks lost their cool and the game in the final nine minutes, as the Vancouver Canucks escaped from the United Center with a 3-2 victory.
After a vicious-but-clean check took team captain Jonathan Toews out of the game in the third period, the Hawks responded with five penalties. Vancouver forwards Michael Grabner and Mikael Samuelsson seized the opportunity to score goals that erased a 2-1 deficit.
“The last two games we took four and five penalties in the third period,”
Hawks head coach Joel Quenneville said. “You can’t give up what equates to eight- to-10 minutes of a power play. We can’t be careless to give up so many chances.”
After defenseman Willie Mitchell charged out of the penalty box, where he had served a double-minor penalty, he lowered a shoulder into Toews from the blind side.
Toews sustained what was said to be a lower-body injury and was unavailable for comment afterward.
Teammate Kris Versteeg ambushed Mitchell immediately, a practice widely accepted in the league. The retaliation wasn’t without a price, however, as his double-minor penalty set the wheels in motion for the Canucks comeback.
A short time later, forward Dustin Byfuglien was called for a four-minute high-sticking penalty, which led to a power-play goal for Grabner that tied the score.
“I didn’t see the hit, but when a guy goes down like that, especially your captain, you got to respond,” Versteeg told reporters. “It’s nothing new in the league, so you guys know the answers.”
Quenneville said he had no qualms with the response.
“It was a clean hit, but when (Mitchell) came out of the box, it looked like he had clear ice. Every situation is different, and in that one, I won’t complain.”
Mitchell tried to downplay the contact, but there was no way to minimize the most important play of the game.
“I just hit him,” Mitchell said. “I had no choice. If I swung at the puck or swung at his stick (and missed it), it could have been 3-on-2 the other way.
“I got him pretty good there. Hopefully, he’s all right. You never want to see somebody get hurt.”
Desperate for someone to claim the No. 1 goaltender role, the Hawks got a solid performance out of Niemi in his third start of the season. He stopped 28 shots and made no obvious mistakes.
“He was good,” Quenneville said. “He gave us a chance. He kept us in the game. He made a couple key saves and looked big in the net.”
Defenseman Duncan Keith and forward Troy Brouwer scored the Hawks goals. Keith scored first on a shot that beat goalie Roberto Luongo from the between the circles; Brouwer scored on a deflection of a shot by Keith.
The immediate concern was the status of Toews and defenseman Brent Seabrook, who also reported a lower-body injury.
“We’ll how (Toews) presents tomorrow,” Quenneville said. “We’ll see how (Seabrook) is as well, but I think he’ll be OK.”
