Ed Belfour forgot one little detail in his contract. There should have been a provision that he gets to play every game against Toronto. Next time he will know to read the small print.
Dominik Hasek elbowed Belfour out of the two earlier victories against the Maple Leafs this month, which can put an awful dent in those bonus clauses. But Belfour finally cashed in Thursday night with a 4-0 victory against a Canadian bunch that loses on considerably more than the exchange rate when it crosses the border.
This was the third time this season Toronto had been shut out by the Hawks at the Stadium and the second time in a week. Belfour has three shutouts this season.
Linemates Jeremy Roenick and Steve Larmer were really a matching pair in this game, each scoring two goals. All the positives were overshadowed somewhat by an outbreak of violence with 3 minutes 46 seconds remaining. Referee Dan Marouelli issued a five-minute match penalty and a five-minute fighting infraction against Toronto`s Wendel Clark.
Hawks enforcer Stu Grimson received a double game misconduct from the incident, which automatically suspends him from the next game, Jan. 23 against Quebec. Grimson was tackled to the ice at one point by Marouelli as he raced around the ice seeking a conflict.
With a dominant 4-0-1 record against the Leafs this season, Hasek and Belfour should flip a coin to get to see who wins the remaining games with Toronto.
Belfour had watched from the bench as Hasek started four of the previous six games and the last two in a row, a rare period of inactivity that left last season`s Vezina Trophy winner eager to reclaim his well-worn position in the net.
The victory was only Belfour`s second in his last seven decisions and gave the Campbell Conference All-Star Game starter (Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia) an 11-10-5 record at the break. Coach Mike Keenan`s plan is to have Belfour refreshed for the upcoming stretch run, but facing Toronto is about as tiring as swinging in a hammock. You only need to keep your balance to make it work.
Belfour`s most colorful save of the 16 he had in the first two periods came just before the second intermission. Jamie Macoun came out of the penalty box, picked up the puck in the neutral zone and raced at Belfour. But the goalie stayed upright and only had to flick out his right stick and pad as Macoun tried to go inside the left post.
Belfour wasn`t challenged too much during a two-man advantage Toronto had for two minutes in the third period; a five-minute major against Chris Chelios for high-sticking part of that problem. But he made one solid stop and the Hawks killed off the shorthanded situation with aplomb.
Goalie Grant Fuhr made the Hawks dig for their goals Thursday, just as he did in a 2-0 loss at the Stadium last week when he made 42 saves. He compiled 40 saves Thursday.
Relentless pressure resulted in Larmer`s second-period goal and a 2-0 lead. Larmer`s 20th goal and Roenick`s team-high 34th and 35th goals were all the Hawks got from a 31-16 shot advantage in the opening two periods. Larmer scored again in the third period.
Roenick delighted the fans with his eye-to-eye duel with Fuhr in the second period. He stayed forehand at the finish of his breakaway, getting Fuhr to budge first and tucked the puck past him easily at 15:59.
Defenseman Steve Konroyd was responsible for the play. From along the left boards in the Hawks` zone, he hit Roenick with a pass at mid-ice with the center on the move.
Larmer was in the right spot right of the crease to backhand his score past Fuhr, who had stopped Larmer to begin a sequence of shots at him. Michel Goulet, on a pass from Roenick, tested Fuhr with a rocket off his stick and defenseman Steve Smith worked down low in a crowd to wrestle the puck loose for Larmer`s successful shot on the power play.
The Hawks had a disappointing first period, despite leading 1-0 when it was over. The dissatisfaction stemmed in large part from a frustrating first minute when they peppered Fuhr with five shots and couldn`t salt one away.
Roenick centered for Larmer, a shot the winger didn`t hit cleanly. But Roenick quickly regained control and found Dan Vincelette wide open at the left crease edge. Instead of slamming the puck, he tried to deflect it into the net with a languid sweep of his stick.
Fuhr used that extra millisecond to adjust and show off his agility as he stopped Vincelette`s high-percentage chance.
