It was just a matter of time before the Blackhawks’ power play would kill them, and Tuesday night it did.
Trailing 3-2 after two periods, the Hawks got a 5-minute power play to open the third period, compliments of Kris King’s butt-ending penalty that ended the second.
But goalie Felix Potvin slammed the door on the three Hawk shots, and Toronto went on to post a 5-2 victory at Maple Leaf Gardens.
“Obviously it was the turning point in the game,” said coach Craig Hartsburg of the failed power play that dropped the Hawks to 6 for 97 this season with the man advantage.
“That and the boneheaded play we made when we were shorthanded.”
Indeed, that was a killer too. With the score tied 2-2 late in the second period, Chris Chelios led a 3-on-2 rush up the ice.
He left a drop pass for Jeff Shantz, who was peeling away from the play, and that set up a Maple Leafs wave the other way.
Igor Korolev capped the rush with his fourth goal of the season at 16 minutes 33 seconds.
“When it’s 2-2 on the road, just get the puck in deep,” said Hartsburg.
“I have to make a better decision,” said Chelios. “I probably shouldn’t have done that.”
The loss snapped the Hawks’ six-game unbeaten streak, while the Leafs (5-8-3) improved to just 2-5-1 at home.
The Leafs scored first, on Jason Smith’s first goal at 3:03 of the first period. A great diving save by Chris Terreri on Todd Warriner’s breakaway kept the Hawks (7-11-1) only one down, and then they stormed back.
A power-play goal by Bob Probert, ending the team’s 0-for-17 dry spell, tied it at 16:00, and Greg Johnson’s wrister at 17:22 sent the Hawks to the dressing room up 2-1.
Fredrik Modin’s backhander tied it at 4:56 of the second, and then Korolev netted the killer.
Korolev sealed the verdict with his second goal of the night at 10:13 of the third, and Darby Hendrickson’s empty-netter ended it.
