Midway through the second period of Friday night’s game against the Edmonton Oilers, Blackhawks defensemen Boris Mironov and Phil Housley practiced what coach Brian Sutter has been preaching all season.
They practiced restraint.
Their refusal to retaliate when they were clobbered provided the two power plays that were the turning points in the Hawks’ 5-1 victory.
The decisive triumph over the Northwest Division leaders earned the Hawks a standing ovation from the 14,326 fans at the United Center.. The Hawks are second to Detroit in the Central Division and they moved into second place in the Western Conference, inching a point in front of Edmonton.
The score was 1-1 when the Oilers’ Jochen Hecht was sent off for roughing Mironov in front of the Hawks’ net after a save by Jocelyn Thibault. With only 29 seconds elapsed on Hecht’s penalty, Rem Murray was nabbed for boarding Housley.
“It’s twice as tough to take a punch in the head or a hit from behind,” Sutter said.
But discipline paid dividends.
Working with a two-man advantage, the Hawks got the tie-breaking goal on Alex Zhamnov’s shot from the right circle.
Forty-one seconds later–with Edmonton still a man short–a turnover by Mike Grier led to defenseman Jon Klemm’s goal that put the Hawks on top 3-1.
Housley opened the scoring with just 25 seconds elapsed when he made a penetrating move from his defense positon to send a shot from the right circle past goalie Tommy Salo.
Edmonton’s Ethan Moreau dashed Thibault’s hopes of recording his second shutout in three games by scoring in the opening minute of the second period.
Igor Korolev put the finishing scoring touches on the Hawks’ fourth victory in the last five games by ending a 21-game goal-scoring drought with goals late in the second and third periods.
Although the Hawks have the NHL’s worst penaty-killing record, they excelled in that phase of the game Friday night. Edmonton had a two-man advantage for 34 seconds in the third period but failed to propel the puck past Thibault.
