Practice pays off for Hawks

CHICAGO – With another date against the Avalanche looming, coach Joel Quenneville had the Blackhawks practice shootouts during Tuesday’s practice.

That proved prescient as the Hawks and Avalanche decided their third consecutive game this season in a shootout Wednesday night at the United Center.

Patrick Sharp scored the shootout winner to help lift the Hawks to a 3-2 victory. The triumph was the Hawks’ second straight on their four-game homestand and improved their record to 10-5-2.

“When we tied it up in the third period, I think everybody had a hunch it was going to go to overtime and a shootout,” said Sharp, who beat Avalanche goaltender Craig Anderson with a forehand shot to end the game. “I thought we played our best period in the third and it was very timely.”

Sharp had been 4-for-17 in his career in shootouts, but Quenneville didn’t hesitate to use him after the winger scored during Tuesday’s practice.

“We practiced it [Tuesday] and Sharp had a nice move,” Quenneville said. “We know he can score on breakaways. He has a nice touch and nice finish.”

Jonathan Toews also scored in the shootout and Hawks goaltender Cristobal Huet had two stops. The previous shootouts between the teams were much lengthier than this one. On Oct. 10, the teams went nine rounds before the Hawks won and Friday they went eight rounds before the Avalanche claimed victory.

The Hawks reached the shootout after Cam Barker tied it 2-2 in the third. The defenseman skated into the Avalanche zone on a two-on-one with Tomas Kopecky and stickhandled his way toward the goal before flipping a shot past Anderson on the stick side.

After trailing 1-0 late in the first, Patrick Kane scored for the Hawks on a pretty move to tie it. The winger took a pass from Sharp, and with room moved to the bottom of the right circle to rifle a wrist shot past Anderson high into the net.

Wolski’s second-period goal gave Colorado the advantage before Barker tied it and Sharp ended it.

“We match up very well against one another. We know the Blackhawks are a good team and are considered a contender,” said Avalanche center Matt Duchene, who hit the post late in the third period and again in overtime.