UPDATE: Blackhawks beat Sharks 2-1, Set New NHL Record
Tonight's the night, Blackhawks fans.
Chicago hits the ice against the San Jose Sharks in hopes of beating the NHL record for consecutive games without a regulation loss to start a season.
The Hawks matched the record Tuesday with a 4-3 win over Vancouver, giving them 16 straight games with at least one point.
The record feels even more attainable after coach Joel Quenneville on Thursday gave star forward Marion Hossa the OK to play after a nasty hit by Vancouver Canucks player Jannik Hansen this week that took Hossa out of the game.
Hossa was back on the ice at practice Thursday feeling few ill effects from the hit.
"Yeah, it scares you," Hossa admitted after practice. "I think it's natural for everybody when you had a hit like that just a few months ago and something similar happened. I'm not saying the hit was similar, but you're just laying on the ice, hit in the head ... things go through your mind definitely."
Hossa missed the remainder of the season last year when he sustained a concussion thanks to a dirty hit by another Canucks player, Raffi Torres.
NHL brass fined Hansen one game for his hit on Hossa.
