Viktor Stalberg (middle) celebrates with teammates after his second-period goal (AP)
The Chicago Blackhawks beat the San Jose Sharks Friday night by a score of 2-1. The Sharks struck first when Patrick Marleau put a rebound past Ray Emery. The goal occurred with only 15 seconds left in the opening frame. The score remained the same until late in the second period. Viktor Stalberg came into the Sharks’ zone and attempted a pass across the crease. The pass hit Antti Niemi’s pad and the puck crossed the goal line. Early in the third, Brandon Saad was wasting the last seconds of a penalty kill when he fired a shot that went below the glove of Niemi and into the net.
The Hawks improved to 14-0-3 with the victory. The win gave the Hawks the record of the most games with a point to start the season (17). The three teams to hold the record previously won the Cup.
Coach Joel Quenneville knows that his team cannot stop here. There are still 31 games left in the regular season and many tough teams still to play. But as of now, there is no team that can stop the Hawks.
