Blackhawks pull off historic comeback to beat Sharks in overtime

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Blackhawks have produced plenty of awful periods this season, but their first period Saturday against the Sharks might have been their worst yet, especially when considering the caliber of opponent.

The Hawks haven’t often recovered when things have gone poorly this season, however, and their resilient effort to do so Saturday deserves plenty of praise, even when considering the caliber of opponent.

The Hawks rallied from 4-0 down to win 5-4 in overtime, completing just the fifth successful comeback from a four-goal deficit in franchise history — and the first since a famous comeback against the Flames early in the 2009-10 championship season.

“It was quite the roller coaster,” said Seth Jones, who ripped the winning shot past Sharks rookie goalie Devin Cooley just 18 seconds into the extra frame.

“That shows a lot of determination [and] grit in this room. We all banded together. A lot of times this year, we’ve separated and tried to do it ourselves. Tonight, we really hunkered down and we did it together.”

Jones took responsibility for an awful start in which the Hawks looked confused, disconnected and disengaged right from puck drop. He turned the puck over nearly every time he touched it, and he was far from the only sluggish Hawk.

The Sharks finished the opening frame with a 2-0 lead and a 17-8 scoring-chance advantage. When they added two more quick goals early in the second, Jones said it felt like another “one of those nights” on the road, where the Hawks had lost 25 of their last 26 contests.

Coach Luke Richardson exploded on the team with a rant that Ryan Donato described as “a little scary.”

“I like to keep calm because [that usually gets] the message across, but tonight was a circumstance where they needed a little less calm,” Richardson said.

Richardson also shuffled the lines and discovered an effective makeshift trio in the form of Ryan Donato alongside Tyler Johnson and Taylor Raddysh.

Donato, who has played by far his best hockey over the past month, gave the Hawks life with a nifty rebound goal and a behind-the-net setup of a Johnson goal. He now touts 10 points in his last 13 games after tallying just five points in his previous 34.

"[When] you get confident, you tend to be a little more aggressive and you play on your toes,” Donato said. “You’re not sitting back, waiting to see what they’re going to do. You’re the aggressor, you finish checks and get turnovers and get chances.”

Added Richardson: “He doesn’t just get his goal and then go away. He just continued to push all night. You saw it everywhere on the ice.”

In the third period, Jones pulled the Hawks within one, Petr Mrazek made a splendid save to deny Sharks forward Thomas Bordeleau a hat trick and then — with 47 seconds left — Donato tossed the puck into a netfront scrum and Philipp Kurashev banged it in to tie the game.

“It’s easy to pack it in this time of the year, with our record and where we’re going,” Richardson said. “We’re not going to get to the playoffs. But we’re playing for lots of things. There’s guys playing for jobs and contracts. They’re playing for pride. The character they showed tonight was a good step in the right direction.”