After Thursday night's fairly dominating win in St. Louis, the Blackhawks were back home to face the sad sack Columbus Blue Jackets, Friday night. Despite the recent domination on the scoreboard, the games haven't been that out of hand. That being said, the Jackets were without their two top defenders and Brandon Dubinsky. Huge hits for that team. Ray Emery was starting in net for the Hawks after that double top secret "upper body injury" that forced him out of action in the game Thursday night. Live from the United Center in Chicago Illinois, it's the Blackhawks and the Blue Jackets.
The first period began with the Jackets having a little blue flame under their ass. They took a lead under a minute in, but the Hawks were able to battle back in the latter part of the period. Even though the Hawks were out shot 5-1 early, they were able to eventually even up the shots 7-7.
The second started off similar to the first as far as pressure goes, and the Hawks looked a bit on their heels. The Jackets took a lead, but soon surrendered two late goals to the Hawks, and giving them a lead going into the third. The late flurries actually left the Hawks out shooting Columbus 8-5 for the period.
In a rare Hawks event this year, they gave up a lead in the third period all while out shooting the Jackets 17-8 in the final 20 minutes of regulation. This one was going to extra time to decide who got the extra point.
Overtime saw the Hawks steal the extra point and the Daggar echoed throughout the UC. Next victim, Detroit on Sunday.
- The Hawks tied the game up with about 4 minutes to go in the first period. Even though it wasn't officially on the powerplay, the goal was scored one second after the powerplay expired. Stalberg found a free puck off Saad's skate and chipped it past Mason to put the Hawks on the board.
- Shooter tied the game up once again on an awful goal with 2:40 left in the second. He skated up the left wing and and threw the puck on net from the backhand. The puck hit Mason's left leg and ended up in the net. Terrible goal.
- A minute after the Shooter goal, Bickell played super man on an end to end rush. First of all, Bickell picked off a Tyutin cross ice, point to point, pass and then powered through, or over, Nikitin and raced in on Mason. He set himself and sent a lazer of a snapper past Mason to put the Hawks up 3-2. Finally using his powers for good.
- Tazer set up the game winner in overtime on a beautiful display of patience. He carried the puck up the left wing fighting through an Adrian Aucoin check along the neutral zone boards and holding the puck as long as he possibly could, until Seabrook caught up with the play. Aucoin was beaten again by Seabs on the way to the net and El Capitan hit him with only a gaping net in front of him. Game, Set, Match. Kudos to Aucoin for getting beaten twice in the same play. Gotta love Captain Healthy Scratch getting horsed.
- In the obligatory anticlimactic staged fight of the night, Sheldon Brookbank and Nick Foligno threw hooks in the first. Brookbank took the edge in the decision, but this was one of the rare times when a fight actually DID grab momentum for the Hawks.
- Stalberg was a plus 3 on the night, but if he had any finishing touch at all, he would have had a hat trick. He's also become the Versteeg of 2013, because he loves to turn the puck over in the neutral zone.
- All the Hawks centers, other than Kruger, were 50% or higher at the the dots. That suggestion of Sharp taking his faceoffs? I wasn't kidding. That needs to happen, sooner than later.
- The Jackets tied the game up late on a Ryan Johansen. A bad giveaway in the Hawks zone was taken in on Razor. Johansen waited Emery out and beat him on the backhand. 3-3
- Nikita Nikitin took exception to a clean, but big, Carcillo hit on Fedor Tyutin and jumped Carcillo. He basically had his lunch handed to him, and took the extra two minutes for unsportsmanlike, as well. The Hawks blew that powerplay, which is another story altogether. How Nikitin gets an unsportsmanlike penalty but no instigator is beyond my comprehension.
- Carcillo and Hossa were minus 2, each, on the night.
- The Blue Jackets started much like the Hawks did the night before scoring a fairly weak goal just 30 seconds into the game. Dorsett got a step on Deuce and sent a deflected shot in on Emery, that he had problems handling. The rebound plopped down right in the slot for Prospal to put in the net.
- The second Jackets goal wasn't much better than the first. Artem Anisimov took a long shot from the point that went off Carcillo's skate and past Emery.
- Life could be so easy for all of us, Q. You could keep Saad with the talent on the first line, and you could leave Carcillo with the fourth line slugs where he belongs. Life can't be that easy can it? In a streak where there is little to critique, you have to give us something, don't you? As I said before, Carcillo was a -2 and Saad had an assist. What more does this kid have to do to cement a spot?
