Blackhawks Get Back to Basics and Win, 2-1

The Chicago Blackhawks got back to tight defensive basics and back on a winning track Friday night.

“We were smart with the puck and there were less turnovers,” Chicago Coach Craig Hartsburg said after his team defeated the Ottawa Senators, 2-1, at Chicago. “Any chances they got tonight, they had to earn.”

The Blackhawks, who got second-period goals from Greg Johnson and Alex Zhamnov, limited the Senators to 17 shots and few prime opportunities against goaltender Jeff Hackett.

“We were a lot better in that area,” added Hartsburg, referring to breakdowns and bad decisions made by his team in its previous outing, a 3-2 loss Wednesday night to the Mighty Ducks. “There was no sloppiness.”

The Blackhawks, now 5-1-1 in their last seven games, improved to 29-31-12 and moved into sole possession of sixth place in the Western Conference.

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Buffalo 1, Edmonton 0--Dominik Hasek stopped 20 shots to earn his 12th shutout of the season as the Sabres posted their third consecutive road victory.

Miroslav Satan scored the lone goal and the Sabres moved into a tie for fourth place in the Eastern Conference with Boston.

Hasek made a handful of clutch saves, particularly in the third period, as he shut out the opposition for the third time in his last six games. He also moved within three shutouts of Tony Esposito’s single-season league record.

NHL Notes

Center Michael Peca of the Buffalo Sabres was suspended by the NHL effective with Friday night’s game against Edmonton for an elbowing incident during Thursday night’s game against Vancouver. He will have a hearing early next week, the NHL said. The league did not specify the length of the suspension. The league said Peca was suspended for an “elbowing incident” against Mattias Ohlund.