Chicago Blackhawks Live and (Almost) Die By the Sword

The Chicago Blackhawks proved to the NHL that there's a reason they're the No. 1 team in the league on the power play. 

They also proved that taking penalties late in a game can really hurt your chances at winning a game.

Patrick Sharp had tallied his second goal and third point and had put the Chicago Blackhawks in front of the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night.

It was a lead that would be short-lived. 

The Hawks were penalized for having too many men on the ice. After killing off that penalty (their third penalty kill of the night), Duncan Keith cleared it out of the defensive zone, but up and over the glass without it touching another stick, which resulted in a delay of game penalty. 

About a minute and a half into that PK, the Hawks' captain, Jonathan Toews, who just came back from an upper body injury, was called for hooking.

The Kings went to work on the five-on-three and came away with their first power play goal of the game, tying the game at three apiece. 

However, the Hawks' captain redeemed himself by finding the loose change in the crease to put it past Jonathan Quick for the game-winning goal. 

Rookie goaltender Corey Crawford made several impressive stops throughout the game, none more impressive than the last glove save he made to preserve the win at the end of the game with the 6-5 extra skater advantage.

Three Stars

1. Patrick Sharp, CHI

"Sharp Shooter" collected his 22nd and 23rd goals in the game, putting him at the No. 3 ranking for most goals scored, trailing only Steven Stamkos and Sidney Crosby. 

2. Jack Johnson, LA

The Kings' blue liner had two assists and had a plus-minus rating of plus-one.

3. Jonathan Toews, CHI

The young captain returned, brought energy back to that first line and added a goal and assist himself. 

Hawk Thoughts

• While the Blackhawks may be the best team in the NHL on power plays, they have to limit the amount of penalties that they end up taking because their PK is not as good as the other half of their special teams unit.
• The Blackhawks went 0-2 without Toews in their lineup. Coincidence? No. Chicago's captain needs to stay healthy if this team wants to make a legitimate run. 
• Crawford made 26 saves on 29 shots. While it wasn't his most dominant performance, he still looked really sharp and the Hawks are winning with him between the pipes. Expect Coach Joel Quenneville to continue to go to him until his performance slips.