The Killer B's are Born
The first period was dominated by the Hawks, and they could have easily been up 4-0, but only lead 2-0 after the first. The second was more of the same as the Hawks went up 4-1 in the first 3 minutes of the period, but Dallas fought their way back and made it a one goal game. The Third was much different as the only goal scored was the empty netter. Dallas certainly turned up the pressure as well, but the Hawks held them off for a big 5-3 win. Not pretty, but it's a win against a first place team, even though that's not going to last long.
- One Trick Bick was at it again. I swear every one of his goals have been from 55 or more feet out, and right in the center of the ice. He can pick a corner. That's all he can do with the puck, hence the nickname, but he's been shooting well. Can't knock snipes like that.
- Jake the Snake had another successful fight. I'm tired of hearing Eddie yapping about respect in fights. We get it! What I DON'T get is why Jake Dowell is the one that needs to do most of the fighting, when you have the Big Slow trotted out there for his obligatory five minutes a game? Why is he even dressed? to shake hands and kiss babies? His role on this team becomes less defined as the season grows older.
- You have to love Skillington's aggressiveness on the Toews goal. For all you young hockey players out there, when all else fails, go to the net. I fully believe that every great line needs a guy to crash the net, and Skille does just that. He FINALLY gets it.
- Congrats to Baby Face Morin on his first NHL goal. He snapped off a really nice wrister past Raycroft, on a, get this, nice feed from Dave Bolland. Invisi-Bolly wasn't Invisi-Bolly at all. Lets not all start the Bolland fan club just yet, but it's nice to see he actually has a pulse.
- The Killer B's show then struck. The One Trick Bick to Invisi-Bolly to Brouwer Power goal was nice as well. Brouwer actually showed some speed blowing past Morrow and including himself on a great 2-on-1. Until I saw the number I thought it HAD to be Keith or Campbell joining the play. See what can happen when you actually care to skate, Brouwer?
- Jonathan Toews did his best Boss 81 impression, by completely dominating with the puck. I think I even saw some furrowed brows and fire in Captain Serious. I could get use to that.
- The empty netter was pretty anticlimactic, but it counts towards the powerplay stats, so fire away at that empty cage, Sharpie.
- The Hawks did well staying out of the box, other than the Dowell fighting major.
- It was the usual for the Hawks. Feast or Famine. Dominate the first half of the game and try to hand it over in the second half of the second period. Really, that all belongs in the "ugly" section.
- Pick-To-Click Vik must have spit in Quenneville's face, and was relegated to bench for it. When all was said and done, he only played 8 minutes, which will always be second to Big Slow's 300 seconds of extacy. Did I miss something when I was putting my kid to bed?
- Other than Morin's goal, the second line was pretty quiet. Sharpie had the empty netter, but that was on the powerplay. I don't think Kopecky even left the dressing room because he was COMPLETELY ineffective all night.
- The obviously ugly was the the 3 goal stretch by Dallas. None of the goals were all that special, in fact the first two can be best classified as weak. The James Neal goal was pretty soft by Crawford. He was slow trying to cover it and Neal just made him look silly. Crawford had no chance on the second Dallas goal, because he was completely screened by Bolland and Morrow. Just when you need Bolly to be invisible, he isn't. You can't stop what you can't see, and someone needs to help their goalie out a little. Please? A little? The third goal was pretty atrocious by the Hawks defense, as Erickson finished a pretty tick-tac-toe play on a sick pass from Richards. Pretty if you're on the Stars, but pretty SAD if you're a Blackhawk. I felt that Crawford could have been a little more aggressive and cut off the pass, but he DID have four Hawks standing right there with their cranks in their hands.
