|
 Chicago scored four goals in under eight minutes in the second
period to overcome a 2-0 deficit, and the Blackhawks recorded a 5-2
win over the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Wednesday night.
"I've been fortunate, I'm happy with the way things have gone and
the places I've been," Quenneville said after career victory No.
693. "It took a while to get this last one. It's been fun."
Quenneville, who also coached the St. Louis Blues and Colorado
Avalanche, trails only Scotty Bowman (1,244) and Al Arbour (782). He
passed Dick Irvin Sr. (682) on Wednesday.
"He knows how to handle the mentality of every guy in here," Chicago
goalie Corey Crawford said. "Coach Q brings out the best of
everyone."
Trailing 2-0 after Canucks fourth-line left winger Tom Sestito
scored 2:44 into the second period, the Blackhawks staged a rapid
rally.
Right winger Marian Hossa finished off a pretty back-and-forth pair
of cross-ice passes by roofing the puck under the crossbar on a
power play at 6:30. The goal assured Chicago would remain one of
only four teams not to have been shut out this season.
Barely three minutes later, left winger Brandon Saad redirected a
puck past Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo to draw Chicago even.
Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews then beat Luongo when the puck
jumped over the stick of Vancouver defenseman Kevin Bieksa right to
the Chicago captain at the side of the net at 10:47.
Toews then fed left winger Patrick Sharp a drop pass at 14:11, and
Sharp beat Luongo from the top of the faceoff circle.
It took Chicago five shots and 7:41 to score the four goals.
"That was a big momentum shift in the second period," said Toews,
the Blackhawks' captain. "We have a quiet confidence that's always
there.
"Chalk it up to a good win."
The Canucks opened the scoring 16 seconds into the game after left
winger Chris Higgins bodychecked Chicago defenseman Brent Seabrook
off the puck then skated to the front of the net for a pass from
center Ryan Kesler. Higgins tucked the puck under Crawford.
Vancouver maintained the one-goal lead despite being outshot 13-3 by
Chicago over the first 18 minutes of the opening period.
"You never like to be scored against on your first shift; it's not a
good feeling," Toews said. "But we decided that wasn't going to be a
deciding factor."
[to top of second column] |
Chicago's four quick goals in the middle period weren't indicative
of the performance by the Canucks, who were aggressive in playing
the body and who showed a lot of jump that created scoring chances.
They just couldn't convert, as has been the story most of the
season.
"We kind of lost ourselves in the second period there, and it turned
into a track meet," Canucks interim head coach Mike Sullivan said.
"We had a four-on-two, a two-on-one, then the puck winds up in our
net."
Sullivan fell to 2-3-0 while filling in for the suspended John
Tortorella, who has one more game to serve on a six-game suspension.
Saad added an empty-net goal as the Blackhawks posted at least five
goals for the 20th time this season, tops in the NHL.
Chicago was 0-2-2 heading into Wednesday's game and could have
wilted after Vancouver jumped ahead in the first minute.
"I don't know if it was a wake-up call," Chicago defenseman Duncan
Keith said. "It definitely got our attention.
"It was kind of a weird play, and we just kept chipping away."
The game was the third and final regular-season meeting between the
teams, with the Blackhawks taking five of a possible six points.
Crawford finished with 29 saves, while Luongo stopped 35 shots.
NOTES: The Blackhawks will send 10 players, spread among five
countries, to the Sochi Games. That is tied for a league high with
the Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues. ... Vancouver is sending
seven players, representing four countries, to the Winter Olympics.
... The Blackhawks collected at least one point for the 45th time in
56 games, and they began the night ranked first in the NHL with an
average of 3.44 goals a game. ... Duncan Keith, who had one assist,
leads all defensemen with 45 on the season. He became the fastest
Blackhawk to 40 assists (46 games) in franchise history. ... Canucks
C Henrik Sedin (ribs) missed his fifth consecutive game after having
played 679 straight games, the sixth-longest ironman streak in NHL
history. ... The Canucks played their final home game prior to the
Olympic break. ... Chicago does not play a home game until March 1.
The Blackhawks' last home game was Jan. 26.
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
