advertisement

Berube comes up big in Hawks' win over Sharks

Before Friday night at the United Center, the last time J-F Berube started a game in the NHL, things didn't go so well.

The 26-year-old Quebec native allowed 4 goals on 13 shots and was yanked after 28 minutes in the Islanders' 8-4 loss to the Hurricanes on March 17.

Eleven months later, Berube finally got his shot at redemption - and he made the most of it in a big, big way by stopping 42 shots in the Blackhawks' 3-1 victory over San Jose.

Jan Rutta scored at 5:46 of the second period and Nick Schmlatz at 2:01 of the third, as the Hawks (27-27-8) won for the third time in four games to get back to the .500 mark.

The Sharks finally beat Berube on their 40th shot - a Timo Meier blast with 7:51 left in the game - but Artem Anisimov put the nail in the coffin with 30.5 seconds remaining with an empty-netter.

"It means a lot," Berube said. "You always want to have a good impression for your first game. I know what I can do at this level, so it was just a matter of getting the opportunity to play and showing people what I can do."

He certainly showed something to Joel Quenneville.

"He looked really patient, square and rebound control," the coach said. "They got a lot of pucks and bodies at the net. I thought he was real good."

Berube, who was drafted by the Kings in 2009, made 13 starts for the Isles the last two seasons. He signed a two-year deal with Chicago on July 1, 2017, but made only one relief appearance with the Hawks on Dec. 6.

Soon after that Berube was injured and missed nine weeks in Rockford.

It would have been easy for Berube to wallow with a "why-me" attitude, considering he'd probably have been here instead of Jeff Glass if not for that bad timing.

But that's not the way he thinks.

"It was great for Glasser," Berube said. "He was one of those guys that probably deserved it earlier in his career and he finally got his chance. Sometimes you need a guy to go down to have your chance. So I was mostly happy for him."

The Blackhawks have scored the first goal in 13 of the last 17 games. They broke the ice in this one when Rutta collected a blocked shot and snapped it through the legs of Martin Jones for his sixth goal of the season. Rutta, who was taken off injured reserve after missing eight games, also added an assist.

"He's got a good shot," Quenneville said. "He reads plays well, sees plays with the puck. Gives us a lot of options on the back end."

Schmaltz and Anthony Duclair also had 2-point nights.

Before the game, Patrick Kane said that while it might take a minor miracle for the Hawks to make the playoffs, his team isn't giving up.

Berube echoed those thoughts in the postgame locker room.

"Everyone wants to show that we have character in this locker room and everyone wants to play hard for this team," Berube said. "It sucks to be in this position, but everyone's going to fight to the end."

Scouting report

Blackhawks vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, 6 p.m.

TV: NBCSCH

Radio: WGN 720-AM

The skinny: Columbus has struggled of late, going 3-7-2 in its last 12 games. … Artemi Panarin leads the team in scoring with 17 goals and 32 assists. The former Blackhawks forward has 4 goals and 3 assists in the last eight games. … Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky has allowed 1 or 2 goals in five of his last six starts. … Columbus converts on a league-worst 14.1 percent of its power-play chances. The penalty-kill is fifth-worst at 76.3 percent. … The Hawks beat Columbus 5-1 in their second game of the season at the United Center.

Next: San Jose Sharks at SAP Center, 9 p.m. Thursday

- John Dietz

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.