After all the hoopla and bullshit in Los Angeles Saturday, the Hawks had no time to celebrate. It was off to Phoenix for a rematch of the the playoffs last season. This is a team that might have even gotten a little better than the one the Hawks saw last spring.
The first period started off looking terrible with the Yotes scoring an awful goal, but the Hawks recovered nicely and scored a powerplay goal of their own, which sent the teams into the locker rooms tied at one. The Hawks even outshot the Coyotes 11-9 in the first frame.
The second period looked like it was going to be a rough one too, with the Coyotes taking an early 2-1 lead, but the Hawks roared back and scored 3 straight goals to send them back to the locker room down 4-2. Oddly enough the Yotes took advantage of some powerplays to out shoot the Hawks 10-8 in the period, but the Hawks led where it counts.
The Hawks came out flying in the third, scoring just 14 seconds in, but then proceeded to give two up. Twenty two shots in the third made for a wild period. After a time out to settle the troops down, the Hawks regained their two goal lead, and that was all she wrote, Ladies and Gents.
- Kaner had his second break-a-way in as many games which drew a powerplay, which was unsuccessful. Playing in Switzerland did him good. I like what I see.
- Just a few seconds after a Shane Doan high sticking penalty, Bolland scored from the back door. Kane fed Bolly with a nice tape to tape pass, and all Bolland had to do was chip it in. Two powerplay goals in two games? I could get use to this.
- In just six periods of play, Hjalmarsson has played some great hockey. He laid Steve Sullivan out in the first period, like we all wish he had been doing for years.
- Earlier in the day I commented on Paul Bissonnette's Instagram, and begged him to take Bollig off the ice for at least 5 minutes. Well, my prayer was answered as BizNasty and Bollig went at it about halfway through the second period. Neither player had a defined edge but I'd give the decision to BizNasty. Bollig tossed in a stellar 5:40 of playing time after 5:27 in the Kings game. Here we go again with this pointless horseshit.
- Being a goalie with an attitude at heart, I never get sick of goalies defending themselves, and Emery is no exception. In the second period he took a poke at Chipchura, after Chipchura took a few extra whacks at Emery's glove.
- Sharpie tied the game back up half way through the second, on a bang-bang play from Oduya, to Bolland, to Sharp. Sharp took a Bolly pass, took one stride and snapped a tight top chizzle shot over Smith's blocker.
- Michal Rozsival and Marian Hossa worked a beautiful give-n-go after to consecutive successful Hawks penalty kills. Hossa took the pass back from Rozsy, delayed a bit and picked Smith apart. 3-2 Hawks
- Fifty seconds later Pick-to-Click Vik took a feed from Bickell and snapped it past a very deep Smith to give the Hawks a 4-2 late in the second period. Bickell had powered through a check a the blue line and given himself enough room to hit Stalberg, who was wide open.
- Fourteen seconds into third period Hossa rushed in on Smith and sent a real stinker past Smith for a 5-2 Hawks lead. The goal was a harmless backhand that Smith just muffed. The puck rolled through him like a slot machine and over the line. Three of the four goals Hossa has this year have been stinkers.
- Roughly thirty seconds after the Doan goal, Bolland scored on a shot that flipped up and over Smith. Sharp held up and saucered a pass to Bolland, who redirected it on net. Smith made the save, but the puck flipped up like a coin toss, over him, into the net. The best part of this play was Smith thowing a tantrum and beating the shit out of the post with his $200 goalie stick. Meltdown city!
- Tazer and Kruger were over 50% at the dots, but Bolland and Shaw were both under.
- Vermette got in behind Seabrook after Kaner lost a faceoff deep in the Hawks zone. Vermette picked up a fat ass rebound to Emery's right after a long Schlemko slapshot, and deposited it in the net. 2-1 Yotes.
- The Coyotes took advantage of a powerplay early in the third when Boedker streaked up the wing and sent a shot in on Emery. The rebound flipped up in the air in front of Emery and Hanzel bunted it into the net.
- A few minutes later Shane Doan pulled a 1-2 move after a feed from Schlemko and roofed a backhand over Emery to bring the game back within 1 goal, with over 14 minutes left.
- This one didn't start as well as Hawks fans would hope. David Moss took a deep turnover and pushed it between Emery's legs just over three minutes into the game. The shot was weak, and I can only gather that Razor thought it was going to be coming at him much faster, because it was a weak 5-hole shot.
- Keith and Seabrook had a rare off night and looked like steaming dog shit with minus two each. Luckily the rest of the team picked their asses up.
