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Sharp highlights second-period surge in Blackhawks win

Dec 21, 2008 - 7:14 AM VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Ticker) -- The Chicago Blackhawks are enjoying success they have not experienced in almost 28 years.

Patrick Sharp scored the go-ahead goal to highlight a key second-period surge and help the Blackhawks extend their winning streak to seven games with a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.

Patrick Kane added a power-play tally in the second and captain Jonathan Toews registered an empty-netter with 39 seconds remaining in the game for the Blackhawks, who last won seven in a row from January 4-21, 1981 - when their run reached eight contests.

"The team's playing great," Kane said. "A lot of guys are contributing. It's just a lot of fun right now. Everyone's making a lot of plays. It almost seems like whoever we put on the ice is going to do the job right now. It's fun to be a 'hawk."

Daniel Sedin notched his 15th goal of the season and Curtis Sanford made 31 saves, but the Canucks saw their two-game winning streak come to an end.

"You've got to base your games on the process," Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault said. "I thought we came out real well, played a good first period.

"In the second, I thought we played better than them but they won the second period, 2-0, and that team right now is the best team in the NHL."

Vancouver had been 10-1-0 in its last 11 home games against Chicago.

Daniel Sedin did not waste much time in giving his team an early edge, converting passes from Jannik Hansen and brother Henrik Sedin just 3:45 into the first.

"It's really frustrating," Daniel Sedin said. "We had great chances to make it 2-0, and they go down and tie the game after that. That's not very encouraging."

Chicago snapped out of its brief lapse on the offensive end and forged a tie 2:51 into the following session when Kane netted his 16th goal of the season with a backhander in front of the net.

Kane has five goals and eight assists in his last 10 games.

"I think we're a young team and earlier in the season we were playing pretty well and we didn't seem to be winning games like this," Kane said. "We seem to be learning how to win these games here."

Sharp gave the Blackhawks the lead for good by taking passes from Toews and defenseman Cam Barker and firing a wrister from the top of the slot.

"We're really doing a great job of sticking to our structure, our game plan throughout 60 minutes," Sharp said. "I think the biggest thing is that we're just a young team.

"Winning's new to us, but we're having a great time doing it. They always say winning is contagious, we're all having fun, it's a loose locker room and it's a great time to be on the 'hawks right now."

Chicago coach Joel Quenneville has been very pleased with Sharp's play.

"(Sharp) has been scoring for us all year," Quenneville said. "He's been a very big part of our offense, big part of our power play and he scores big goals like he did tonight."

Toews secured the victory by sliding a wrist shot from mid-ice into the open net for his ninth tally of the season.

"It's always exciting. Winning's fun," Quenneville said. "That's what it's all about. Part of the process is how we're going to reflect on it. We still think that we want to get better. But it's been a fun group to work with. There's a lot of excitement in the room right now and we just want to keep going."

Starting for the second time in five contests, Cristobal Huet stopped 30 shots for Chicago, which finished a three-game, western Canada road trip.

"We managed the three games very well," Huet said. "That was a tough one tonight, too. We did what it takes to win games and that's most important."