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DETROIT -- The Chicago Blackhawks' shootout win over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday earned them a No. 6 seed and a first-round playoff matchup with the winner of the Pacific Division, which will be determined later Saturday night.

Despite losing the game, the Red Wings will be the No. 5 seed, finishing the season with 102 points to the Blackhawks' 101. The Hawks were 47 seconds away from a regulation win -- and one more point in the standings -- which would have earned them the No. 5 seed by virtue of a tiebreaker. Instead, the Red Wings will play the No. 4 seed Nashville Predators in the opening round.

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DETROIT -- All 30 NHL teams will be in action on the final day of the regular season Saturday and, finally, the playoff picture will be set. The only game on Friday that affected the Western Conference race saw the Phoenix Coyotes beating the St. Louis Blues, 4-1, vaulting the Coyotes back into first place -- and the No. 3 seed -- in the Pacific Division.

Here are the playoff scenarios facing the Chicago Blackhawks as they take on the Detroit Red Wings Saturday afternoon. Keep in mind the first tie-breaker is total non-shootout wins by each club and the second tie-breaker is total points earned in the head-to-head series between the two teams.

If the Hawks beat the Wings in regulation:

The Hawks will earn the No. 5 seed by virtue of the second tie-breaker. Both Chicago and Detroit will have 101 points and 39 non-shootout victories but the Hawks will have more points in the head-to-head season series so they would earn the No. 5 seed and would play Nashville in the opening round of the playoffs. That series would begin in Nashville on either Wednesday or Thursday.

If the Hawks beat the Wings in overtime or a shootout OR lose to Detroit:

Chicago will be the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference and play the winner of the Pacific Division to be determined later on Saturday.

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Every day between now and the end of the regular season I’ll update you on the playoff race as it pertains to the Chicago Blackhawks:

The Los Angeles Kings prevented the Hawks from clinching a playoff berth as they beat the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night, 4-1. The win vaulted the Kings back into first place in the Pacific Division knocking the Dallas Stars down to the No. 7 seed as they lost 5-2 to the Vancouver Canucks.

The Hawks have a chance to clinch on their own if they earn at least a point in Saturday night’s game against the Nashville Predators. Nashville beat Detroit 4-1 on Friday to take over the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. Nashville has 98 points, Detroit has 97 and Chicago has 95. Even if the Hawks beat Nashville and tie Detroit in the points, they’ll still wake-up on Sunday as the No. 6 seed due to tie-breakers.

The Hawks can also clinch a playoff berth if the San Jose Sharks lose, in regulation or overtime, later on Saturday when they host the Stars. If Dallas loses in regulation or Phoenix does the same against Anaheim, the Hawks also clinch. Lastly, if the Kings lose to Minnesota in regulation or overtime the Hawks can clinch.

The Hawks are 1-4 against Nashville this year while the Predators have earned points in all five games. Nashville’s win on Friday earned coach Barry Trotz his 500th career victory. The Hawks are 14-6-2 against the Central Division while the Predators are 16-4-3.

If the playoffs started to the Hawks would take on the Kings in the opening round of the postseason.

Here's a quick look at the Blackhawks' loss to the Coyotes on Saturday.

How it happened: The Hawks fell behind 2-0 early in the game and never mounted a serious attack to get back into it. Once again a Chicago netminder -- this time Ray Emery -- lost his net as Radim Vrbata went around him and banked a puck off defenseman Sami Lepsito for the opening score. A few minutes later, Boyd Gordon was found open in front of the net for a goal after the Hawks couldn’t retrieve the puck in their own zone. Phoenix added a score in the second period when Dylan Olsen couldn’t keep a puck in the Coyotes’ zone and then was beaten badly in the other direction allowing Kyle Chipchura to tally on a 2-on-1. The Hawks offense was stagnant against Phoenix managing a few chances in the second period but nearly nothing on three power-play attempts.

What it means: The losing streak has reached eight and shows no signs of ending. The Hawks gave up their usual three goals and added to their struggles by getting shutout for the sixth time this season. Getting down 2-0 before the first television timeout doomed them as Phoenix gave up very little once it earned a lead. Mike Smith was good when he had to be while the Hawks' power play has helped doom them during the road trip. It’s 0-for-16 over the first six games, all losses. Major changes might be coming for the Hawks as they prepare for the final leg of their nine-game road trip. The season potentially hangs in the balance, if not in the standings, then in the game of confidence. The Hawks look like they have none.

What’s next: The Hawks head back home to Chicago for a practice session or two before taking on the final three teams of their trip. Next up is a date with Nashville on Tuesday. The Predators handed the Hawks the first two losses on their current skid.

SAN JOSE -- Make no mistake, the Chicago Blackhawks' seventh consecutive loss, a 5-3 defeat to the San Jose Sharks on Friday, came down one thing and one thing only: Another awful display of killing penalties and subsequently playing defense.

San Jose scored three times with the man advantage while the Hawks lacked a commitment to blocking shots near the point before they could cause chaos near the net.

But it’s hard to get them to admit a lack of real desire is the problem in breaking this losing streak.

“Minutes after another loss its tough to look at the bright side of things,” Jonathan Toews said. “But we played hard out there. Saw some fights, saw some scratching and clawing, some battling in front of the net. We played the way we had to but gave them too many opportunities on the power play.”

Too many opportunities is one issue, but what about killing them off? What about laying out to block some shots? The Hawks haven’t done it all season.

“It’s the second chances that they’re getting, the rebounds that are going in,” Toews said. “We weren’t clearing those today.”

True, but the question put to Toews was about blocking shots. They want to avoid the question because the answer goes to a lack of commitment to win a game. The Hawks wouldn’t have to clear as many pucks in front of the net if they were willing to pay the price near the point. Scared is a dirty word in hockey but why else wont they get in front of a shot?

Power plays are where shots get blocked by forwards. San Jose spent 8:43 on the power play to the Hawks’ 5:42. Sharks’ forwards blocked 17 shots while Hawks forwards got in front of exactly five. This was about lack of desire and it goes to the bigger picture about this team. If they aren’t scoring bushels of goals they don’t know how to win.

“They had a shooting power play,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “We have to make sure the pucks don’t get through. We have to be in those lanes. Whether it’s the rebound lane or shot lane.”

No one was worse in this department than Marian Hossa. On the first two San Jose goals, he did very little to break up the plays. He came at Brent Burns from a bad angle allowing a shooting lane that led to a Justin Braun score. Later, he stood intact near the slot while Braun fired from the point leading to a Dan Boyle tally.

“The rebound came right at their guys stick and basically it was in,” Hossa said. “It seems like every little mistake we make it’s biting us and ending up in the net.”

Again, he’s addressing the aftermath and not what caused it. The Hawks are in denial about their effort and nowhere is it more obvious than on the penalty kill.

“I think we all share out there what we could have done differently,” Quenneville said.

Maybe the coach should stop sharing the blame and start pointing at individuals. Yes, Nick Leddy was on the ice for four San Jose Sharks goals, but his lack of execution pales in comparison to Hossa’s lack of desire to get in front of a shot.

But he’s not alone in lack of desire and execution killing penalties. The Hawks are 28th in the league in that department so there is plenty of blame to go around. They lack execution, desire and maybe even personnel. The sooner they admit it, address it, and deal with it the sooner they might win a game.

On Friday the Hawks' penalty killing was a microcosm of their season. Knowing they have average goaltending should only increase that desire to stop everything from getting to the net. It’s simply not happening because they aren’t committed to it.

“It’s beyond frustrating,” Jamal Mayers said. “We’re going to be better for going through this.”

The question is, when?

Slappers

• Marcus Kruger scored his fourth and fifth goals three minutes apart in the second period. Both came on rebounds as he stood in fron of the net. Kruger led the Hawks with six shots on net.

• Bryan Bickell briefly tied the game in the third period with his first goal since December 21.

• Hossa is pointless and minus-5 since the All-Star break.

• Viktor Stalberg was benched after being part of a turnover that led to the Sharks third goal of the game. Stalberg didn’t play in the third period.

• Quenneville said his goaltending “has to be better” when asked about Corey Crawford’s performance

Here's a quick look at the Blackhawks' loss in San Jose on Friday.

How it happened: The Hawks tied it at 3-3 early in the third period on a Bryan Bickell goal, but San Jose regained the lead for the third time in the game when Corey Crawford couldn’t recover in time to stop a Benn Ferriero shot. The Hawks fought back after falling behind 2-0 thanks to two Marcus Kruger goals in the second period, but a turnover by Viktor Stalberg and break the other way resulted in a Joe Thornton score as Dylan Olsen tried to swipe at the puck on a centering pass. Instead of knocking it away he knocked it into his net for the goal. San Jose scored twice on the power play in the first period after a high sticking call on Michael Frolik and then later a scrum produced an extra penalty for the Hawks. On both man advantage scores Marian Hossa allowed point shots to get through to the net causing rebound type goals for San Jose. The Sharks iced it with a third power-play goal later in the third period. The Hawks played well in the second but never led in the game.

What it means: It’s a seventh consecutive loss and there are no moral victories to this one. And there are no excuses for Hossa’s lack of effort on the penalty kill. On the first shot, he came at the point from an angle allowing a good shooting lane. On the second he stood deep in the zone, near the crease, allowing another lane to shoot. Kruger’s goals this year have come from in front of the net and he did it twice in the span of three minutes but that was about the only good news in the game. Again, a breakdown at the offensive blue line resulted in a goal while the winning one was scored because yet another point shot go to the net causing Crawford to be out of position on the initial save. Crawford was caught scrambling all night long and it cost him. The Hawks haven’t kept an opponent under three goals since Jan. 20. The beat goes on.

What’s next: The Hawks take on the red hot Phoenix Coyotes in Glendale on Saturday night to complete the second leg of thie rnin game road trip. They’re 0-4-1 through five games.

SAN JOSE -- The Chicago Blackhawks trail the San Jose Sharks 3-2 after two periods at HP pavilion.

The Hawks got back into the game thanks to two Marcus Kruger rebound goals; he paid the price in front of the net to score three minutes apart. The goals tied the game at 2-2 and came after point shots by Nick Leddy and Brent Seabrook got to the net.

But a late goal by San Jose gave the Sharks the intermission lead after Viktor Stalberg turned a puck over at the Sharks' blue-line. An odd-man break ensued for the Sharks and eventually Joe Thornton tried to center a puck which Dylan Olsen knocked into his own net as he lay near the crease.

The Hawks had the better chances in the middle 20 minutes and are outshooting San Jose 24 to 15 after two periods.

SAN JOSE -- The Chicago Blackhawks trail the San Jose Sharks 2-0 after the first period at the HP Pavilion.

San Jose scored twice on the power play as the Hawks gave up shooting lanes, creating rebound chances during the ensuing chaos. Michael Frolik took a four-minute high-sticking penalty that led to the first man-advantage score then a scrum near the benches gave the Sharks a second power play.

The Hawks were called for three roughing penalties while San Jose sent two men to the box on the play. On both goals, Marian Hossa failed to get in front of point shots and Justin Braun and Dan Boyle capitalized.

The Hawks missed on three power-play chances of their own as Antti Niemi made seven saves in the period. Corey Crawford stopped 10 of 12.

SAN JOSE -- San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson will only smile when asked the question, as he was again on Friday before his team took on the Chicago Blackhawks.

In 2010 after the Hawks had won the Stanley Cup, Wilson famously offered Hawks’ defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson, a restricted free agent at the time, a mammoth four-year, $14 million contract. It stunned the Hawks and the hockey world. When Chicago matched it, and subsequently walked away from an arbitration award for goalie Antti Niemi, Wilson scooped up Niemi instead.

Did Wilson know he would get one or the other when he made the offer to Hjalmarsson? It’s a question he’s never answered. The Hawks were up against the salary cap. A fact the entire league was aware of.

“You appreciate good players on teams that have had success,” Wilson said diplomatically Friday morning. “You’re always looking for ways to improve your hockey team. He played outstanding against us.”

Niemi and the Hawks swept a four-game series against the Sharks en route the Stanley Cup in 2010. It was the goaltender’s shining moment. Twice he made 40-plus saves, and Wilson took notice.

“Making the big saves at key times was probably the difference-maker in that series,” Wilson said.

The move to keep Hjalmarsson and let Niemi go is proving larger at the moment due to the Hawks' woes in net and on defense. Mired in a six-game losing streak, could the Hawks have made the wrong decision?

“Not really thinking about it,” Niemi said after practice on Thursday. “It’s a long season. I think they have great goalies, and it’s a long season and they just have to keep working on it.”

As the story goes, Chicago's brass gathered at the organization’s prospect camp in the summer of 2010 with a decision to make.

Days earlier, Wilson had made the offer to Hjalmarsson -- the only offer made to any restricted free agent that offseason. Just days before that, Hawks general manager Stan Bowman said he wasn’t worried about such offers for his restricted free agents. He was wrong.

Instead of potentially paying Hjalmarsson around $1.5 million the Hawks had to decide to commit to him for four years at a steep price or let him sign with the Sharks in return for a compensation package of draft picks.

Ironically, the decision they had to make didn’t revolve around Hjalmarsson. It revolved around their goaltending. Niemi had just come off a glorious playoff run to the Stanley Cup. He was due a raise. The Hawks could not pay Hjalmarsson and Niemi their new salaries. One had to go.

The decision to let Niemi walk was as much about Corey Crawford as anything. Goalie coach Stephan Waite had worked with Crawford since he was drafted by the Hawks in 2003. Many inside and outside the organization believed he would have been the backup to start the 2009-2010 season if not for the fact Niemi had to clear waivers to go to the minors while Crawford did not.

The decision-makers voted in favor of Crawford, which meant Niemi was sent packing as his former team walked away from the arbitration award making him an unrestricted free agent. The Hawks got nothing for the goaltender who won them a Stanley cup for the first time in 49 years. Ironically, weeks later, he signed a one-year deal with those same Sharks and a year after that he signed a huge extension worth $15.2 million.

“He’s a young, developing goaltender,” Wilson said. “If you watch how he plays and the commitment he puts into the game, it’s contagious. People really want to play for guys like that.”

Most of this is well documented, but now fast-forward to 2012. By even the most generous of standards, the Hawks are having goaltender problems. As of this moment it’s still safe to say they haven’t replaced Niemi -- despite a good run by Crawford last season. Currently, the Hawks are 26th in defense in the NHL and 27th in penalty killing. Crawford’s .900 save percentage ranks 41st out of 46 who qualify. His 2.94 goals-against average is 40th. Niemi only ranks 20th and 13th in those categories but the difference is he has a ring and was arguably the best goaltender in the league in the second half of last season.

And last year, Niemi became the fourth goaltender in league history to take two different teams to the conference finals in back-to-back years. The Sharks lost to the Vancouver Canucks in six games.

“It was fun,” Niemi said of his attempt at back-to-back titles. “I wish we could have gone further.”

Did the Hawks make a major mistake in essentially choosing Hjalmarsson and Crawford over Niemi? Winning four rounds in the playoffs is the biggest test in hockey, and Niemi passed it. Hjalamrsson and Crawford have both had their struggles. Hjalmarsson last year, Crawford this season.

The answer to that question has yet to be determined though currently the Hawks defensive situation looks so bleak any alternative is bound to appear better. Niemi says he’s not following the Hawks closely but probably realizes this year’s team defense is nowhere near what he played behind.

“I heard a rumor they’re giving up a lot of scoring chances,” Niemi said.

The former Hawk Wilson, his netminder Niemi and Hjalmarsson are linked through the set of events that took place in the summer of 2010, but it was the Hawks' decision that made it all happen. Was it the right move?

Wilson will only smile.

SAN JOSE -- Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp has a message for Hawks’ fans: “We’ll be better because of this.”

As strange as it sounds, Sharp and the Hawks are hoping their six-game losing streak eventually brings them closer to being the team they want to be. Maybe completely bottoming out on defense is the way to start over.

“If I had the right quote or the magic recipe I’d throw it out there,” Sharp said after a lengthy practice at HP Pavilion on Thursday. “All I can say is we’re working through it. We’re not happy. We believe in each other. I know our fans out there want us to win every game and we know we have the support of them and we’re going to be a better team because of this.”

It’s a positive outlook to a situation that looks bleak. But this is early February not April so there is plenty of time to turn things around—even if the Hawks haven’t shown the ability to do so.

On Thursday, coach Joel Quenneville conducted a hockey clinic during practice stressing the basics of defense through the neutral zone. The day before he had what one Hawk described as an “ugly” film session in Denver after an awful 5-2 loss in which they gave up no less than eight odd man chances to the Avalanche.

“[Wednesday], we were at an educational facility at Denver University,” Quenneville said. “We had a perfect theater for a nice session and we did. I thought it was longer than we generally do.”

And what they found is really no different today than it was months ago: breakdowns all over the ice leading to high quality chances in the other direction.

“We’re doing too many high risk plays right now and with no outcome,” Bryan Bickell stated. “We need to do the simple things. The hard working, hard hat type of things.”

That might include dumping the puck and chasing it down. It will avoid the blue-line turnovers the Hawks were so proficient at in Colorado.

“We talked about details, we talked about our positioning and more so on the defensive side of things and trying to keep the puck out of our net,” Quenneville explained. “That’s an emphasis that we’ve gone through and probably let it slide a little bit when we were scoring goals and weren’t looking to prevent them at the regular rate.”

It’s refreshing to hear Quenneville admit to a coaching mistake, if only to show that he understands the big picture problem. He allowed offense to run the show too long. It’s now or never to get back to playing team defense like the Hawks did when they won the Stanley Cup.

“I think Joel does a good job of reinforcing systems and reinforcing the way we like to play,” Sharp said. “We have similar practices for days before games but today [Thursday] we did a little bit more instructional stuff and working to get out of this.”

Film and then intense practice. The Hawks went back to school the last couple of days. Hockey 101 is in session. Grades start to come out Friday night.

The vibe

Many fans must be wondering what it’s like in the dressing room during the toughest stretch in several years. The Hawks are simply not used to losing six games in a row.

“It sucks,” Brent Seabrook said. “No one wants to go through this. It’s something that happens in hockey. We’re going to get out of this. We have to work hard to get out of it. Everyone understands that.”

And it’s not just your every day fans that are asking questions. Friends and family members want to know what’s wrong and when it’s going to be changed.

“There are a lot of different solutions,” Patrick Kane said. “I’m sure everyone has their two cents to put into it but it’s the players and the coaches, our job, to get ourselves out of it.”

And while frustration mounts the Hawks were quick to point out that’s all it is. Frustration with each other can sometimes lead to anger between teammates. The former can be healthy, the latter can be detrimental.

“We’ve talked the last couple days how we’re going to come out of this and be a better team for it,” Sharp said. “Now isn’t the time to start pointing fingers and going against each other.”

Sharp knows it would be easy for this team to do exactly that. The defense might point to the forwards and the forwards to the defense. Goalies could point to everyone.

But maybe being so bad on defense allows no one off the hook. At this point everyone could be looking in the mirror.

“I don’t want to say it’s a fun time but it’s a challenge to get ourselves out of it,” Kane said. “We’re doing some different things to get out of it.”

Nothing like a long, losing road trip to kill the enjoyment of being a professional athlete. Their paychecks might still cash but that doesn’t mean the day-to-day is all that fun.

“It hurts when you lose this many in a row,” Seabrook said. “It sucks coming to the rink. It’s definitely a pride issue.”

Crawford starts

Joel Quenneville is grabbing onto anything he can in deciding who gets the net these days. If Ray Emery had won the last game or even played better in a loss, he’d assuredly be the starter come Friday against San Jose. Quenneville chose to go back to Corey Crawford.

“He [Crawford] played great in here last game,” Quenneville said of a 1-0 loss to the Sharks in November. “I thought he had a real strong game. Ray was in there the last two games and we’re going to need both guys and so he gets back in the net.”

Invoking a game from months ago isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement and “needing both guys” really means they don’t have one they truly have confidence in. It’s doesn’t take a hockey expert to see the Hawks are unsure at their goaltending position. There’s been no definitive evidence they’re looking at the trade market to help save this season but at this point it wouldn’t come as a shock.

New lines -- again

Practice on Thursday consisted of new forward lines as Quenneville tries to find the right combinations to end the six game losing streak. Jonathan Toews centered Marian Hossa and Michael Frolik while Marcus Kruger was between Patrick’s Kane and Sharp. Dave Bolland played the middle on the third line with Bryan Bickell and Andrew Shaw on the wings and Jamal Mayers centered Viktor Stalberg and Andrew Brunette.

The most glaring change was Frolik’s addition to the top line while Stalberg was dropped all the way down. Frolik has five goals to Stalberg’s 15 but Stalberg is more likely to make the big turnover as he did in one sequence against the Avalanche leading to the winning goal.

As usual, Quenneville said he was looking for “balance” in the makeup of the lines but Frolik is the beneficiary of a message being sent: turnovers will demote you quicker than scoring will promote.

Slappers

• Steve Montador missed practice for a second consecutive day with an upper body injury. Quenneville called him doubtful for Friday’s game against San Jose. There was no indication on Thursday who would take his place in the lineup.

• Niklas Hjalmarsson also missed a second consecutive practice with an illness but Quenneville said he was “doing better” and would likely play on Friday.

• Sharks coach Todd McLellan would not reveal his starting goaltender for Friday’s game as San Jose prepares to embark on a nine game road trip of their own. But he is well aware of netminder Antti Niemi’s past success against his former team.

“That will weigh into our decision,” McLellan said. “We also have a lot of hockey coming up so there’s a good chance we’ll see him but we still have to make that choice.”

A quick look at the Chicago Blackhawks' 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks on Sunday night at the United Center.

How it happened: The Hawks got out to a 2-0 advantage before allowing San Jose to tie it, but they pulled away before the Sharks could ever get a lead. Dave Bolland and Viktor Stalberg scored 1:38 apart in the first period, but the Sharks did them one better, scoring twice within 26 seconds early in the second. When Jonathan Toews tallied later in the second after a hustle play by Stalberg it gave the Hawks the lead again, and this time they didn’t relinquish it. Andrew Shaw scored his fourth goal in his seventh game in the third period and it turned out to be the winner after Tommy Wingels scored his first career goal to cut the Hawks' lead to one. The Hawks had to play the final 1:07 shorthanded by two players with Niklas Hjalmarssonin the penalty box after a tripping call and an empty net for San Jose. They killed it off in dramatic fashion to secure the win.

What it means: The Hawks actually played better than the final score would indicate. Corey Crawford gave up a weak goal and San Jose scored on a re-direct from Joe Pavelski but otherwise the Sharks offense didn’t provide much of a scare until Wingels scored late. On the other end of the ice, Toews, Stalberg and Patrick Kane were dominant, playing nearly every shift in the offensive zone. Shaw, Marian Hossa and Marcus Kruger also played well together as the Hawks’ time with the puck must have doubled that of San Jose. They were that good and now have points in five straight games, improving to 27-13-6.

What’s next: The Hawks get their first two-day break in the schedule in quite some time before hosting the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m.

CHICAGO -- Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said it right regarding his team’s two games against the San Jose Sharks this season.

“You flip-flop these San Jose games, who was deserving to win?” he asked. “At the end of the game the two points probably deserving for each team [that lost].”

In other words, the Hawks didn’t deserve the 3-2 overtime win Sunday night -- they lost 1-0 in San Jose last month -- but they’ll take it. After being outshot 33-13 through two periods, how could anyone think they deserved a victory? But thanks to Ray Emery, the Hawks stayed close.

“I thought [Emery] was great tonight, he was huge, rebounds were controlled,” Quenneville said. “They put everything at the net, including bodies, and he fought through it all.”

Many players in the Hawks' dressing room echoed a similar theme saying, “he kept us in it with a couple of big stops,” and though Emery probably wanted the Sharks' second goal back -- Justin Braun put one through his legs -- the Hawks' netminder more than made up for it with a 35 save performance. It probably means another start, his third in a row, against the conference-leading Minnesota Wild on Wednesday.

The tying goal

Patrick Sharp never performs his overtime magic without the Hawks tying the game with 1:06 to play in regulation. Emery was on the bench for the sixth attacker as the Hawks trailed 2-1.

Quenneville called timeout to set up a play. He and his coaches drew it up on the chalkboard and it worked to perfection.

“The coach showed us what to do and we did it exactly the way he liked it,” Marian Hossa said. “We won the face-off. Sharpie gives it to [Duncan Keith], Duncs gives it to me and I try to just one-time it. [Andrew Brunette] did a great job in front.”

It was Toews who won the face-off to start the sequence.

“We wanted to win the draw and get a shot on net and have guys going there,” he explained. “It was a good way to find our way back into that game.”

Brunette tipped it in, saying, “I just played my role which was going to the net.”

For Quenneville, it all started in one place.

“We like [Toews] in the draw area against anybody, they’re arguably the best team in the league on face-offs,” he said. “Johnny’s been excellent on draws all year.”

From chalkboard to face-off circle to the point to the net. A perfect play to keep the Hawks alive.

Slappers

• There was a scrum at the end of regulation which bloodied Duncan Keith’s nose and got Marian Hossa mad.

“I got a couple whacks,” Hossa said. “Somebody keeps hitting me from behind. I tried not to pay attention to that but the hits keep coming. I told him don’t be a coward, hitting from behind.”

The "coward" Hossa spoke of was Ryan Clowe of San Jose. No penalties were called.

• Ray Emery’s 35 saves were the most he has posted since Oct. 31, 2009 as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers. Over his last five appearances, Emery has turned aside 103-of-109 shots good for a .945 save percentage.

• The Hawks tied a season-high with 34 hits. Viktor Stalberg had a team leading six.

Here's a quick look at the Blackhawks comeback win over the Sharks on Sunday night.

How it happened: For the second consecutive game, Patrick Sharp won it in overtime. This time he knocked in a rebound goal of a point shot to get the Hawks the victory. The home team trailed most of the night thanks to goals by Jamie McGinn and Justin Braun while only managing a Marcus Kruger deflection of a Niklas Hjalmarsson shot in the second period. The Hawks had 13 shots through the first 40 minutes but they came alive with a potent third period and overtime. The tying goal came with just over a minute to play when Andrew Brunette tipped home Marian Hossa shot.

What it means: It’s a miracle win. The Hawks were rested and at home while San Jose was playing its third game in four nights -- and doing so having traveled from the West Coast on Friday. Getting 13 shots on goal in the first two periods didn’t tax San Jose, but when the Hawks came hard in the third San Jose didn’t have answer. Joel Quenneville quickly changed lines up but didn’t find much new chemistry with his trios while his star players had uncharacteristic quiet games until very late in regulation and overtime.

What’s next: The Hawks are off until Wednesday when they take on the conference leading Minnesota Wild in St. Paul.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks trail the San Jose Sharks 2-1 after two periods at the United Center.

The Hawks tied the game at 1-1 midway through the period when Marcus Kruger tipped in a laser point shot by Niklas Hjalmarsson. But the Hawks gave that goal back a few minutes later when Justin Braun sent a puck through the legs of Ray Emery.

The Hawks are getting outworked and the shots on goal tell the story. San Jose has 33, the Hawks have just 13. They had five in the middle 20 minutes. Very few have given Antti Niemi a hard time.