The Blackhawks halted the Blues' three-game winning streak and denied them a chance to climb further in the jumbled West by scoring four goals in a span of 10 minutes, 22 seconds en route to a 5-3 win over the Note.
There is plenty of hockey left to play, starting tonight at 7 with Erik Johnson, Jay McClement and the Colorado Avalanche in town, but to lose a game in which the Blues led 2-0 after the first period will be tough to put behind them.
Instead of pulling to within three points of a playoff spot, which would have been the closest the team has been in a month, the Blues remain five back.
"This was a big hockey game for us," Blues coach Davis Payne admitted.
The Blues were forced to pull their starting goaltender for the second straight game. On Saturday, Ben Bishop relieved Ty Conklin after three first-period goals, and Bishop responded with 20 saves in a 9-3 win over the Ducks.
On Monday, Bishop earned the start against Chicago, and after a productive first period he and the Blues fell apart in the second. Bishop was touched for four goals on 18 shots and replaced by Conklin after the Blackhawks took a 4-2 lead with 7 minutes, 20 seconds remaining in the second. The four goals matched a season high for the most given up by the Blues in a period.
"We had a game plan going in to have a good start," forward T.J. Oshie said. "Obviously in the second period, we took our foot off the gas a little bit, and they just took advantage of it."
The Blues took a 2-0 lead on goals by Andy McDonald and Brad Boyes in the first period. McDonald's 13th goal of the season came on the rejuvenated Blues' power play, and 1:45 later, Boyes netted his 12th for a two-goal lead with 3:11 remaining.
The offense could have had another one but with 30 seconds left in the first, newcomer Chris Stewart shot wide at an open net and grazed the far post. It wasn't known until later how much that would have helped.
The Chicago rally started Victor Stalberg scoring on a backhander between Bishop's legs just 2:18 into the second period. The Blackhawks followed up one minute later, as Dave Bolland buried an open look after a turnover by the Blues.
Payne said he contemplated taking a timeout after the second goal.
"I considered it even prior after the first (goal), just based on how we weren't playing," he said. "It wasn't a situation where you want to identify any panic in our game. You know that a team is getting a push. There's a time for it and a time not. I decided not to use it."
Chicago made it 3-2 on wrist shot by Patrick Kane with 13:31 left in the second period, giving the visitors three goals in five shots. Then, with David Backes off for slashing, Jonathan Toews scored a power-play goal to bump the Blackhawks' lead to 4-2 with 7:20 to play.
In came Conklin.
"I felt good in the first, I felt good in the second, too," Bishop said. "Just a couple of breakdowns there. I would have liked to have that (third) one back. I've got to make one big save and keep the team in the game."
The Blues trailed 4-2 entering the third period, and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo put two shots in the back of the Chicago net, but only one of them counted.
With 14 minutes, 14 seconds remaining in regulation, a wrist shot from Pietrangelo soared past Blackhawks netminder Corey Crawford, but with the Blues' B.J. Crombeen and 'Hawks Nick Leddy leaning into Crawford, official Tim Peel ruled "incidental contact" and waved off the goal.
"I thought I just drove their d-man back, and if he makes contact with their goalie, that's not my fault," Crombeen said. "But it was the call, it went against us and we've got to be able to rebound and make sure that we're getting back in that game.
"That's a tough one, especially at that time of the game," he said. "But we answered again."
Just 3:02 later, Pietrangelo punched in his seventh goal of the season to make it 4-3. The Blues outshot the Blackhawks 34-26 but had only five shots in the third period.
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