Quick hits and a quick fix; Team overcomes Hjalmarsson's ejection with 4 straight goals
Maybe all the Blackhawks needed to get back into the win column was some adversity. Because they were faced with a lot it Monday night against the Buffalo Sabres at HSBC Arena.
The Hawks fell behind by two goals early in the first period, lost Niklas Hjalmarsson after his jarring hit on Jason Pominville, were forced to use defensemen Nick Leddy, Nick Boynton and John Scott more than they ever would and had to overcome plenty of penalties.
But the Hawks were resilient and managed to pull out a 4-3 victory. That resiliency against a solid team with an All-Star goalie in Ryan Miller should ease some pressure on the Hawks after they lost their first two games of their title defense and defenseman Brian Campbell in the preseason for at least a month with a sprained knee.
''The boys rallied around each other,'' defenseman Brent Seabrook said. ''We all pulled together.''
Marian Hossa scored twice, his first a highlight-reel breakaway on a nice feed from Bryan Bickell, to lead the Hawks. Leddy, a 19-year-old rookie, scored his first NHL goal and Patrick Kane also had a goal in his hometown.
Corey Crawford (32 saves) started in goal and overcame a rough start and a 2-0 hole, which included the Sabres' Drew Stafford scoring 14 seconds into the game.
But Hjalmarsson's hit, which occurred with the Hawks down 2-1, changed the game. The Sabres were upset and went after the defenseman. Hjalmarsson was ejected and was assessed a five-minute boarding penalty.
The Hawks' penalty kill, which lost one of its best players in Hjalmarsson, didn't break. The Sabres went 0-for-5 on the power play.
''Our penalty-killing was excellent,'' coach Joel Quenneville said.
Hjalmarsson doesn't have a history of dirty hits. But his check on Pominville appeared to be more from behind than his right side. Still, it could be debated that it came from the side and that Pominville, who had the puck at his feet, saw him coming.
Hjalmarsson lowered his shoulder and sent Pominville hard into the glass. He was on the ice for several minutes before being taken out on a stretcher. He was moving his arms.
''Everything happened so fast but I thought it was a hit shoulder-to-shoulder,'' Hjalmarsson said. ''My intention obviously wasn't to hurt him. Our doctor said he was up walking, so that's a big relief. It's never fun to see a guy laying on the ice like that. It's good to know that he's up walking. ... I didn't think I was going to be kicked out of the game.''
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said his team felt ''a little stung'' after the hit on Pominville gave him a concussion.
''[Hjalmarsson is] not that type of player, but he made a mistake,'' Ruff said. ''He caught a player in a tough spot. It'll be addressed.''
Leddy's goal, a trickler that hit off Shaone Morrison's skate, tied the game at 4:08 in the second and was part of four consecutive goals by the Hawks. Derek Roy and Tim Connolly also scored for the Sabres.
''It was perfect because we got a win and I got my first goal,'' Leddy said. ''The main focus was getting the win.''
With Hjalmarsson out, Leddy (13:17), Boynton (23:06) and Scott (16:51) all played more. Boynton had an assist and a plus-2 rating, and was on the ice with Scott during a key penalty kill in the final two minutes.
''We persevered,'' Quenneville said. ''We were fortunate to come back from all we had to overcome.''
BLACKHAWKS 4 SABRES 3
THE RUNDOWN
The Hawks reeled off four consecutive goals to overcome an early 2-0 hole. Niklas Hjalmarsson's big hit on Jason Pominville fired up the Sabres, but also swung the momentum in the Hawks' favor after they killed off his five-minute boarding penalty. Hjalmarsson was ejected. Corey Crawford (32 saves) got his first start and settled down after a shaky start. Sabres goalie Ryan Miller made 26 saves, but Buffalo's power play went 0-for-5.
HAWKS STANDOUTS
Marian Hossa's first of his two goals was something to behold. He broke free, faked out Miller with a slap shot and then slid it past the standout goalie. Nick Boynton also had a strong game with an assist and a plus-2 rating. Rookie defenseman Nick Leddy scored his first NHL goal.
HOSSA'S TAKE
''We didn't have a good start. With the two losses before, we really needed this win. We showed we can play much better defensively.''
THE SUMMARY
BLACKHAWKS 1 2 1 -- 4
Buffalo 2 0 1 -- 3
First Period--1, Buffalo, Stafford 1 (Roy, Leopold), :14. 2, Buffalo, Roy 4 (Hecht, Stafford), 2:43. 3, HAWKS, Kane 1 (Keith), 7:44 (pp). Penalties--Bolland, HAWKS (hooking), 4:49; Connolly, Buf (tripping), 6:12; Hjalmarsson, HAWKS, major-game misconduct (boarding), 14:18.
Second Period--4, HAWKS, Leddy 1 (Boynton, Kopecky), 4:08. 5, HAWKS, Hossa 2 (Bickell), 18:47. Penalties--Dowell, HAWKS, major (fighting), 5:21; McCormick, Buf, major (fighting), 5:21; Kaleta, Buf (interference), 5:21; Hossa, HAWKS (interference), 19:21.
Third Period--6, HAWKS, Hossa 3, 3:36. 7, Buffalo, Connolly 1 (Montador, Ennis), 5:24. Penalties--Kopecky, HAWKS (delay of game), 6:23; Morrisonn, Buf (hooking), 11:10; HAWKS bench, served by Bickell (too many men), 17:32.
Shots on Goal--HAWKS 5-17-8--30. Buffalo 13-10-12--35.
Power-play opportunities--HAWKS 1 of 3; Buffalo 0 of 5.
Goalies--HAWKS, C.Crawford 1-0-0 (35 shots-32 saves). Buffalo, Miller 1-2-0 (30-26).
Referees--Bill McCreary, Kyle Rehman. Linesmen--Brad Kovachik, Scott Cherrey.
A--17,896 (18,690). T--2:25.
