"This is how I pad my shot blocking stats"It was official, the Blackhawks WERE back on a hot streak after beating the Canucks pretty convincingly, at home. A few things had happened since that night, with Michael Frolik sustaining a shoulder injury against Vancouver, Seabrook would be missing his second game in a row with and injury, Rosty Olesz being sent to Rockford, and the messiah, Ben Smith, being recalled from Rockford. In the Calgary camp, they were sitting on a record that was 2 games under .500. That being said, they still have the firepower and the goaltender to do some damage. It's just a question of which team would show up in Calgary. Obviously, the better of the two is what we got.
Even though the Hawks were outshot in the first period, they were able to keep the game tied at 1-1. If the ref hadn't lost site of a loose puck, they would have actually been up 2-1. The second period started as a complete and utter disaster, with the Flames scoring two goals in the first minute of the period. The Hawks were able to get one back, but the Flames scored a third one of the period on only 8 shots, to go into the third period up 4-2. The third period really wasn't much better, with the Hawks giving up the 5th and final goal of the night. Not the effort the Hawks needed, whatsoever. No time to sit on this one, with Edmonton on Saturday.
- A couple of minutes after Calgary took the lead, El Capitan flexed his enormous coconuts and took the puck hard into the zone, hitting Pick-to-Click Vik for a tap in goal on Kiprusoff. Tazer was clearly not happy with the original disallowed goal, nor should he be.
- The Hawks took advantage of a rare 4-on-3. It was a really simple play, as the PP group was led in by Tazer and Deuce. Keith held the puck long enough for Hoss to get in position for a one timer, and he lasered it past Kiprusoff to bring the Hawks within one goal at 3-2. Unfortunately, that's as close as they got.
- In a side note; the soft, pathetic and worthless Rosty Olesz scored in regulation and in the SO, in a Rockford SO win. Good thing they didn't need any of that horseshit in Calgary. POPPYCOCK!
- With about five minutes into the game, the Hawks were robbed of a goal, when the back ref lost sight of a free puck that El Capitan poked into the net. Very unfortunate.
- Something you dont see very often happened, soon after the disallowed goal. Deuce was completely undressed. Lee Stempniak put a nice little drag move on, and Deuce was left swimming. Have to give credit where it's due, because Stempniak made a hell of a move, but that was atrocious by Keith.
- The Hawks defense clearly missed Seabrook's presence in this game. There was a healthy list of questionable plays by the defense.
- Glencross got his second of the night when Keith, Hoss, and Montador looked like three guys that had never held hockey sticks before. They threw the puck all over the ice, and it progressively made it's way from the Flames blue line all the way back behind the Hawks blue line, finally ending up on Jokinen's stick. Jokinen gave it right to Glencross, who knifed right up the middle of the Hawks zone and beat Crawford after a bounce or two. 5-2 Calgary.
- Glad that the savior, Ben Smith, was on hand to witness this, eh? He was beat out in ice time by Big Slow...and every other player on the team, for that matter. Don't want to miss mentioning that -2, either.
- The dream team, Pistol and Big Slow, showed EVERYONE how to properly give up a 3-on-1. Well done!
- Less than a minute into the second period, Former Blackhawk Rene Bourque put the Flames up 2-1. The Hawks couldn't get the puck deep into the Flames zone and Pistol was a little too aggressive, leaving Bourque open enough to take a pass and streak in the zone. Crawford got a piece of it, but it still snuck in.
- Seventeen seconds after the Bourque goal, Nick Leddy made a questionable pass that went off a Flames forward's skate, and right to Paul Byron who backhanded it past Crawford.
- Bouwmeester and Glencross hooked up about halfway through the second to put the Flames back up by 2 goals. Car Bomb slid out to take away the shot, but Bouwmeester tried for the pass. He hit Glencross's stick, and Glencross was able to put it past Crawford.
- A 3 goal second period on only 8 shots is just utterly deplorable.
- Good thing Big Slow was out there to prevent Hannan from taking liberties on his captain. That's why you're out there, Big Guy.
- For the 53rd time this season, the Hawks almost gave up another break-a-way to a guy coming out of the penalty box. Didn't see THAT one coming.
- Duncan Keith, -4 on the night. OOO-FA!
