Well, it looks like the Sharks decided that throwing their bodies around was the best redemption for getting swept last spring. I generally think the Sharks are a bunch of overrated crybaby little girls, but there is one Shark I'd love to see paroling the Hawks blue line. Doug Murray. The guy is an absolute TANK! Tell me that Murray wouldn't look nice blasting a shoulder into Pavel Datsyuk. Anyway, the game...and the schmutz on the Hawks face.
The Good
For the first time this year it was the Hawks that scored a few seconds after being scored on. Of course it was the "fourth line", AGAIN. Excellent job by Dowell and Skille just going to the net and making something happen. Too bad it, once again, got them zero reward.
Boss 81 showed the entire Hawks team how to use your body to take the puck. He was really the only consistently aggressive forward, which is no big surprise because he is the best puck control player on the ice most nights.
The Bad
The Hawks pretty much got their asses kicked for the entire game, which is the reason they went into the second period down 0-1, into the third down 1-3, and into the locker room losing 2-5. I know that they were probably still hung over from that $35K bottle of bubbly in Vegas. You can hit something in a Teal and White jersey at some point in the game, fellas. Calling Bryan Bickell and Troy Brouwer. HIT SOMETHING! They made Antti Niemi look good for a change this season, which is quite a feat. I'm just going to love hearing the Turco/Niemi chatter from the bandwagon brigade, after this.
I think there was an official Dave Bolland sighting. Too bad it was taking a crosschecking penalty, which is the only thing he's done right this season. Of course, the Sharks ended up scoring on the powerplay. Atta boy, Davey. He added to the suckfest by hanging onto the puck during the 5-on-3 to screw that up, and finished off by not converting on what looked to be a sure wraparound goal. Lookin good, Davey.
Troy Brouwer showed up for the game. Just too bad it was to have his sissy ass kicked by Ryan Clowe. He might be eating soft foods for Thanksgiving, after the beating his jaw took.
When Toews was unavailable for a powerplay in the second, Quenneville put Tomas Kopecky out on the ice with the first PP group, which literally made me laugh outloud. Stupid.
Jassen Cullimore was simply outmatched on the last PPG by Marleau. He's just not a good player. No matter who you hide him with, he's going to be big, slow and BAD. Hell, Jordan Hendry can pull that. He only player 6 minutes and 49 seconds, so the played with 5 defensemen all night. That worked well.
Jack Skille got his usual second least amount of ice time, right after Cullimore. I guess he's just a wind up toy that Quenneville expects to be able to throw out there and be in top form. The good and bad of it is that he usually is in top form.
The Ugly
I love watching Nick Boynton pass up open shot, while he waits for defensman's shin pads to shoot into and then fall down when it gets turned back the other way. Who really wants an open shot from 20 feet out anyway, Nick? Cementhead. Thank god Keith bailed his dumb ass out. Not to be outdone the next shift, Boynton turned it over in his own zone, and it ended up in the back of the net. This love affair with Nick Boynton needs to end NOW, because if he's not going to hit someone, he's useless. As I yelled to myself, "FUCKING BOYNTON!". Nick the Dick did it again by turning over the puck that lead to the Sharks powerplay goal. Thats the wrong kind of hat trick, dude.