Hawks' rookie first goal in the NHL is a perfect snipe!

Philippe Danrult's first goal in the NHL his one to remember for the Quebec-native.

Not only his first goal was a game winner, but it was also a real good looking goal. Danault received a pass near center-ice, picked up some good speed, faked a defenseman, skated around him and with a little hesitation sniped the puck past Buffalo Sabres Chad Johnson's shoulder, top shelf short-side.

"I was anxious [to get the first goal], but all the guys were telling me, 'Phil, keep going, you're on the right path,' and they were right," said Danault, 22, whose goal made up for his line being on the ice for O'Reilly's. "The first goal is hard to get for some guys, [and] some guys not. For me, it was hard to get, but a big achievement."

The Blackhawks won the game last night when the Buffalo Sabres were in town. Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson opened the scoring in the first period. The Sabres tied the game in the late stage of the third period, but less than a minute after Ryan O'Reilly's goal, Philippe Danault scored his first NHL goal. Jonathan Toews added an empty-netter.

Corey Crawford was solid in net and made 28 saves to earn his 22nd win of the season. The Blackhawks are still second in the division and the conference and will play the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday, and the chance to extend their winning streak to 7 games in a row.

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