No one is really sure how, but the Coyotes keep doing it. They put a competitive team out on the ice each year, even after losing MANY key players. This season is no different. The Coyotes came in 2-1-1, just like the Hawks. Captain Coy-Ote, Shane Doan, is kicking his usual amount of ass with 7 points and needed one goal for 300, coming in. The tandem of Smith/LaBarbera, or "Hanna/LaBarbera", in net are holding the fort down, so far. Considering this team had one foot on the plane to Winnipeg, they have held things together pretty well, but that could come to a screeching halt. The Hawks came in after a disappointing and emotional SO loss to the defending champs. Ya mad? Show us, boys!
The first period really didn't have much of note, with the Hawks scoring on a powerplay they should have score on, and being generously credited with 15 shots to the Yotes 4. The second period was another story. Each team scored two goals, with the Hawks scoring theirs on 12 shots, and the Yotes on a measly 5 shots. In the third, Phoenix threatened, but the Hawks quickly blew the game wide open, finishing with a convincing 5-2 win.
- Hossa played last night, and generally didn't look all that hurt. That line was still the best Hawks line on the ice, in the offensive zone. He scored the first goal of the game on a 5-on-3, which was a pretty straight forward one timer. It really SHOULD be a shooting gallery on a 5-on-3, and it was.
- Just a few short minutes after the Yotes got a fairly easy rebound goal, the Hawks got one of their own. Bruno threw a puck at the net and Tazer poked the rebound in, when LaBarbera half-asses an attempt to cover the rebound. We'll take it.
- Again, the Hawks answered a bad goal with a goal of their own. MegaMayers tipped a Duncan Keith point shot past LaBarbera. Nothing fancy. Shot, tip, goal. Flesh and taters goal.
- In what I'll call the play of the night, Davey Bolland stripped Radim Vrbata while shorthanded at the Phoenix blue line, skated a few strides and beat LaBarbera with a cannon of a slapshot, to put the Hawks up 4-2. He's gone from "Invisi-Bolly", last year, to "Incredi-Bolly" from the playoffs on into this season.
- Ladies and Gents, lets welcome One-Trick Bick to this landslide. He was given about 3 and a half days to tee up that wicked wrist shot by Derek Morris and he took full advantage. All you hockey young players watching at home, don't let a guy with a lethal wrist shot get a clean one off within 20 feet of your own net. Just an idea there.
- Making smart defensive plays, taking "smart" penalties while defending, big clean hits, passing well, composure...just who IS this Carcillo kid? We're all just waiting for Mr. Hyde and we haven't seen him. None of us thought it was possible, and we haven't even seen him tenderize any faces, yet.
- Fallacy or not, out shooting a team 35-16 in their home rink is worth noting.
- Funny how Banana-hands Torres had no hits, and was invisible all night. Much different story when you're not yapping from behind a team full of studs, isn't it you gutless ginger weasel?
- Watching the early powerplays of both teams, was like watching the Special Olympics. They were doing good things, but not up to the usual standards.
- Less that a minute into the second period and Taylor Pyatt got position on Hjalmarsson and Seabrook, or was basically left alone, and poked a rebound past Crawford. It all started when the Hawks couldn't get the puck out of their zone. What do you know? It ends up in the back of their net. To the tele-strator, Eddie!
- Three hits for Car Bomb, and 7 for Biznasty. Why didn't these two put on a show for the fans?
- Toews was at 81% on faceoffs and the rest were at roughly 50%. Meh.
- In what's becoming a frustrating occurrence, the Hawks gave up yet ANOTHER ugly shorthanded chance against. If Daymond Langkow could get ANY shot off at all, would have been tied up the game. This shit needs to stop EEEEE-MEDIATLY
- Duncan Keith continued with his painfully comical fuckery, tripping over an armadillo hyde and leaving the puck on a silver platter for Ray Whitney, who faked a shot, hesitated for a moment, and then released an eephus shot past an already committed Crawford.
