Nov. 07--It wasn't pretty.
The Blackhawks dropped their fourth game in their last five Friday night, this time falling to the New Jersey Devils 4-2 at the Prudential Center. Defense continues to be a concern for the Hawks, who have given up 20 goals in their last five games. Here are some notes from Friday's loss.
Hjalmarsson owns up to it
As Jonathan Toews was addressing the media after the game, Niklas Hjalmarsson sat at his locker patiently waiting for Toews to wrap up so he could speak with the media. Hjalmarsson wanted to own up for being a minus-4 in Friday's game and for a giveaway in the Hawks zone that led to the Devils' first goal. Not every player would be there waiting after a tough game like that.
"I obviously started with a really bad play, first period there and it gave us an uphill battle," Hjalmarsson said.
But Hjalmarsson said the Hawks aren't about to panic despite their recent woes.
"We've been around for a long time, a lot of guys in here," Hjalmarsson said. "There's no panic at all. But the league is so even nowadays we have to, we can't get too far behind."
Toews mucks it up
With the Hawks down 2-0 in the first period, Toews got into a fight with the Devils' Adam Henrique, his first fight since Feb. 15, 2013, against the Sharks' Joe Thornton. It seemed like a move Toews tried to pull to inspire the listless Hawks, but after the game he denied that was the motivation.
"I think it was just a play that developed where both players got a little worked up there," Toews said. "Kind of a reaction thing. Usually it's not necessarily my thing, as we all know, to try and spark the team that way. I'd rather be on the ice making things happen in the offensive zone. It's one of those things that happens, I guess."
Pulling the goalie -- early
With the Hawks down 4-1, coach Joel Quenneville tried an interesting approach to get the Hawks back into the game. He pulled goaltender Scott Darling, who had replaced Corey Crawford, with 6:42 remaining in the game. The Hawks didn't give up any goals and got one with the man advantage.
"One other time, they scored right away. So I tried it again," Quenneville said.
