Hawks get a big point

Corey Crawford was nothing short of sensational for the Blackhawks on Tuesday night, but he had to be what with Montreal goalie Carey Price matching him save for save at the other end.

Unfortunately, one of the better goalie duals of the season was decided by a penalty in overtime — an iffy penalty in the opinion of Hawks coach Joel Quenneville and captain Jonathan Toews.

It was Toews who was sent off for tripping P.K. Subban early in OT, with Subban scoring moments later to give the Canadiens a 2-1 win at the Bell Centre.

The Hawks argued that Subban already was slipping to the ice when Toews got his stick near his midsection and that the referees (Eric Furlatt and Brian Pochmara) made the call much too late, almost as if they waited to see who took possession of the puck.

Hawks defenseman Brent Seabrook scooped up the puck and was on his way to a scoring chance when the penalty was finally called.

“It seems like the fans called it for him,” Hawks winger Patrick Kane said.

“When the game is decided on something like that it's pretty darn frustrating,” Toews said.

Hawks coach Joel Quenneville was screaming at Furlatt and Pochmara as he left the ice.

“I 100 percent disagree with the call at the end,” Quenneville said. “He wasn't calling it. Johnny didn't touch his feet.

“I was upset too. I saw the whole thing develop and I watched the replay and was not pleased.”

By earning the 1 point for the OT loss, the Hawks have 93 points and lead Calgary by 2 with three games to play. The Flames have two games remaining.

Dallas picked up a point on the Hawks by beating Columbus 2-0. The Stars are tied with the Flames at 91 points with three games left on their schedule.

The Hawks host St. Louis tonight at the United Center and can't afford to lose their third straight on home ice.

“Certainly we'll take a point, but certainly we'd like the chance to get 2,” Quenneville said.

Crawford, making his first appearance back in his hometown of Montreal as an NHL goalie, had no chance to stop Subban's rocket under the crossbar from inside the left circle.

While the Hawks showed signs of life offensively with 43 shots, the fact is they scored just once (Kane's 27th goal) and were 0-for-5 on the power play.

Crawford made 33 saves and Price 42 — 20 of which came in a wide-open the third period when the Hawks buzzed trying for the go-ahead goal.

“Both goalies were great tonight,” Quenneville said. “Tough way to end it.

“I was happy with (Crawford's) game. He was great. He looked composed and very sharp. Both goalies got their teams to overtime.”

The win clinched a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference for the Canadiens.

“Our best player was our best player,” Subban said. “Price stood on his head. The saves he made down the stretch, he deserved the 2 points.”

The Hawks suffered what could be another crippling injury when Troy Brouwer missed a check and went shoulder first into the boards. Brouwer left the game and will be re-evaluated today, according to Quenneville.