Chicago coach Joel Quenneville liked the way the Blackhawks finished a lot more than the way they started. Kris Versteeg scored the tiebreaking power-play goal with 30 seconds left in the second period, Nikolai Khabibulin stopped 31 shots, and the Blackhawks overcame a lethargic beginning to beat the Dallas Stars 6-3 on Thursday night.

Eighteen NHL teams have road trips at least as long as the six-gamer the Blackhawks are on now, but the Hawks have to shake off history. This two-week late November trip, when a circus takes over their home ice at the United Center, has been a nightmare.

Last year's 2-2-2 showing was considered a huge success, but the Hawks must do better this time and they got off to a good start with a 3-2 shootout win at Phoenix.

Five games still remain, however. On Thursday they face Dallas, a team they walloped 5-2 at the United Center on Oct. 31. Then it's on to Toronto, followed by a brief return home, followed by games at San Jose, Anaheim and Los Angeles.

New coach Joel Quenneville says, "The trip will be good for us."

It will, at least, help him get to know his...

The Chicago Blackhawks' annual circus trip got off to a wild start. Nikolai Khabibulin made 36 saves through overtime, then stopped two shots in the shootout as the Blackhawks edged the Phoenix Coyotes 3-2 Tuesday night. "It was nice to start the road trip with a win," Khabibulin said. "Any time you can start a long road trip with a win, that's a good thing." The victory was the Blackhawks' first in...

The San Jose Sharks' power play is starting to show some bite. Devin Setoguchi's power-play goal with 4:15 left gave San Jose a 6-5 victory over Chicago on Sunday night, the Blackhawks' first home loss in regulation this season. Setoguchi scored on a screened shot from the high slot. "As soon as I got the puck I took a quick look at the net and saw traffic there," said Setoguchi, who also had an...

Andy McDonald helped the St. Louis Blues end a draining road trip on an up note. McDonald scored his second goal on a power play 2:15 into overtime to give the St. Louis Blues a 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night, ending their trip 1-3-1. "That was an intense hockey game," Blues coach Andy Murray said.

Boston's Tim Thomas needed some help from P.J. Axelsson to win a goaltending duel with Chicago's Nikolai Khabibulin. Axelsson scored in the third round of the shootout to give the Bruins a 2-1 victory Wednesday night. He faked Khabibulin to the ice, then lifted in a backhand shot. "I've been working on it in practice," Axelsson said.