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 With the start of the playoffs the standings are reset, and the team
has won two Stanley Cups in the last five seasons is ready to turn
the page.
"Doesn't mean a thing," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said of the
losing streak. "Absolutely zero. Starts fresh, everything is even."
That was the perspective after their 3-2 loss to the Colorado
Avalanche on Saturday night. The Blackhawks stayed close all night
but right wing Jarome Iginla scored his second goal of the night
with 34 seconds left to lift the Avalanche to the win.
Goaltender Semyon Varlamov had 28 saves and left wing Cody McLeod
also scored for the Avalanche (39-31-12), whose season ended with
the win.
"It's tough today," Iginla said. "It's hard to be done and it's
going to be hard watching the playoffs. But at the same time I'm
real excited to be here with this group and excited for things to
come."
The Blackhawks' playoff fate was determined earlier in the day when
the St. Louis Blues beat the Minnesota Wild, securing the No. 3 seed
in the Central Division. Chicago (48-28-6) finished with 102 points
and will play Nashville in the first round, with the Predators
having home ice.
That meant Saturday night's game had no bearing on the standings for
either team, so Quenneville scratched some of his top players,
including defenseman Duncan Keith and centers Jonathan Toews and
Brad Richards.
Goaltender Corey Crawford also sat in anticipation of a tough series
against the Predators. Crawford had been the tough-luck loser in
three straight 2-1 losses for Chicago, but that frustration gives
way to the playoff focus.
"We'll get to practice and get excited about Monday and where we're
at," Quenneville said. "The last four games were pretty comparable,
all tight games. All four games, same script."
Left wingers Patrick Sharp and Brandon Saad scored and goalie Scott
Darling had 21 saves for Chicago.
After the game the players weren't talking about the loss, but
facing the Predators.
"We all know what kind of game they play," defenseman Niklas
Hjalmarsson said. "They have a real good goalie. They are a real
strong team defensively. They are scoring more goals, too. It is
going to be a real challenge."
The Avalanche wrapped up a disappointing season by ending a
three-game losing streak in season finales. Colorado finished with
90 points, 22 fewer than last year's surprising run to the Central
Division title after missing the playoffs the three previous
seasons.
"We showed that we have character and we have pride," Avalanche
coach Patrick Roy said. "I'm happy with those three games."
The Avalanche didn't pack it in after being eliminated. They won
their last three games and four of the last five, but it wasn't
nearly enough to overcome a slow start to the season.
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"We're leaving here with our heads held high," center Matt Duchene
said. "We know what kind of hockey team we can be and I honestly
think we're closer to a Stanley Cup now than we were at the end of
last year. We're learning all the time about how to win. We're going
to be better for this season I guarantee it. Sometimes you have to
take a step back before you can jump forward."
They went out on a high note in front of a sold-out home crowd that
had mostly Blackhawks fans in attendance. Iginla won it with his
second power-play goal of the night and 29th of the year.
It was the 14th time he had scored 28 or more goals in a season. He
fell just shy of his 13th 30-goal season.
"It was a power play and we were running out of time," Iginla said.
"It's fun as a team to get a goal in the last minute, to go ahead.
It was nice to shoot that and see it go in."
McLeod gave Colorado a 1-0 lead midway through the first period when
he knocked in a pass from defenseman Tyson Barrie. It was McLeod's
seventh goal of the season.
Sharp tied it with his 16th goal on a slap shot from the slot at
8:03 of the second.
Bickell went off for hooking at 13:55 and Iginla's slap shot 26
seconds later gave Colorado a 2-1 lead.
Saad tied it with his 23rd goal at 15:20 of the third.
NOTES: Avalanche D Brad Stuart did not play because of a leg injury
suffered in Thursday's win over Winnipeg. Defenseman Duncan Siemens,
recalled from Lake Erie of the AHL, made his NHL debut in Stuart's
absence. ... Blackhawks C Andrew Shaw was fined $2,000 by the league
for his second diving and embellishing call. His first one came Nov.
11 against Tampa Bay and his second occurred March 30 against Los
Angeles. ... Avalanche C Daniel Briere may have played his last NHL
game. Briere, 37, is a free agent and has played sparingly this
season.
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