Blackhawks Vs. Sharks: 7th-Straight Losses Comes On Hawks 3-2 Loss

The Chicago Blackhawks just can't seem to keep it together on the road. After Bryan Bickell tied the game at 3-3 in the third period, Benn Ferriero responded with quick goal for the Sharks and then Jamie McGinn added a powerplay goal -- the third such goal of the night for San Jose -- as the Sharks snapped their two-game losing streak with a 5-3 home win. As for the Hawks, they have now lost nine straight road games and have dropped seven in a row overall.

SB Nation's San Jose Sharks blog, Fear The Fin, provides some insight of the turning point in the game that propelled the Sharks to victory:

After sleepwalking through a second period that saw them get outshot by the tune of 17-3, San Jose limped into the second intermission barely hanging on to a 3-2 lead. It didn't get any better 2:15 into the third when Dave Bolland found Bryan Bickell in the crease for the tying score-- all of a sudden San Jose, who looked dominant in the first period, was firmly rocking on their heels as the Blackhawks took it to them in all three zones on the ice.

Following a hit from Bryan Bickell that leveled Marc-Edouard Vlasic along the bench boards, McGinn stepped up to the plate to take out the kitty litter. That fight sparked the Sharks and led to a Benn Ferriero goal twenty seconds later, effectively turning the tides of a game that looked like it was going the other way.

The Blackhawks, who have sunken all the way down to sixth place in the Western Conference standings amid their recent poor play, get a chance to turn the tide on Saturday against the Phoenix Coyotes.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage of this matchup, visit Blackhawks blog Second City Hockey and Sharks blog Fear The Fin. For more from around the league, head over to SB Nation's NHL news hub.

The Chicago Blackhawks will be short two key defensemen on Friday night against the San Jose Sharks. Looking to snap their 6-game losing streak, the Blackhawks will need extra production from their reserves as D Steve Montador and now D Niklas Hjalmarsson will miss the game with upper body injuries.

Hjalmarsson has averaged 20:32 on the ice per game, ranking fourth among the Chicago defensemen. The 24-year-old Hjalmarsson sports a +5 plus/minus and 2.1 defensive point shares, good for third on the team.

With Steve Montado placed on the IR, the Blackhawks will likely ask recently-called-up D Dylan Olsen to contribute immediately to the very short-handed Hawks. Chicago is hoping to break a their losing streak, in which the defense has allowed 4.5 goals per game, facing a Sharks team on its own two-game slide.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage of this matchup, visit Blackhawks blog Second City Hockey and Sharks blog Fear The Fin. For more from around the league, head over to SB Nation's NHL news hub.

The Chicago Blackhawks have placed defenseman Steve Montador on the injured reserve list in anticipation of Friday night's game against the San Jose Sharks. Montador has been averaging nearly 15 minutes on the ice per game, meaning the Blackhawks defense will have a pretty large whole to fill in his absence.

In a corresponding move, the team also called up D Dylan Olsen, who played two games with the team in early January. Olsen has played in 44 games for the Rockford Ice Hogs in the 2011-12 season, owning a -5 +/- and 4 goals in 53 shots.

The Blackhawks are currently sloughing through a six-game losing stream, but now must do without the 32-year-old Montador for at least 7 games as he recovers from his upper body injury sustained last Tuesday.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage of this matchup, visit Blackhawks blog Second City Hockey and Sharks blog Fear The Fin. For more from around the league, head over to SB Nation's NHL news hub.