The Blackhawks carried a 2-0 series lead back to Minnesota, Sunday afternoon, with an opportunity to take a commanding lead in their first round series. After a shaky first game, the Hawks won convincingly Friday night. The Blackhawks didn't have any lineup changes, nor did they need to. They were playing their game, and taking it to the Wild. Something tells me that the Wild were going to ramp up the effort for this one. Live from usually chilly Minnyhaha, it's the Blackhawks and the Wild.
The first period was a fast a furious one. The Wild came out with something to prove, and out shot the Blackhawks 15-9. Both teams scored to make a game of it. The Blackhawks would need to step up their intensity because the Wild weren't going down without a fight.
The second period was actually worse than the first for the Blackhawks. They were out shot 14 to 8 in the period, partly due to some stupid penalties. There were no goals in the middle frame, but there easily could have been. The Blackhawks were going to have to dig down and find some heart to win this one.
The Blackhawks came out in the third period and surrendered the lead with some lethargic play. That woke them up enugh to out shoot the Wild for the first time in the game, and eventually tie the game. This baby was going to extra time, and it didn't take long for the Wild to pull this one out 3-2 at home. Next game, Tuesday.
- Crazy 8s set up Oduya for the first goal of the game, with about seven minutes remaining in the first period. Kane pulled his usual curl in the zone, and the Wild defense all turned into hungry zombies, just blindly drifting towards him. Oduya snuck in from the point and Kane hit him on the tape. Johnny waited about 4 days, and picked Harding apart.
- The Blackhawks caught the Wild in a bad change with just over 2 minutes to go in the third period and tied up the game. Sharp noticed the change and rushed the puck into the zone. He dumped the puck off to Kane who waited for Deuce to catch the play, and fed him with a beautiful pass. Deuce just sized Harding up and blazed a shot through him. Keith was wide open because Cal Clusterfuck tried to take a cheap shot at El Capitan as they were both going for changes. That timing delayed Clusterfuck's replacement long enough to leave Keith wide open. There is what your ass hattery gets you.
- Outside of a questionable overtime goal, Crawford bailed out the Blackhawks several times. The loss should not overshadow his effort.
- Kane was on fire all game, but how much can you do all by yourself?
- With a minute to go in the first period, the Hawks failed to control a Cal Clutterbuck rebound and Pierre-Marc Bouchard scooped it up. He backhanded the puck off the crossbar and in. THe Hawks defense was a little too passive cleaning up the mess in front of the net, and it cost them.
- The Wild clearly had an agenda in the first, and that was to agitate the Blackhawks. They were hitting and jawing all period. This was a surprise, considering head cementhead, Zenon Konopka, as scratched.
- The Hawks got caught running around deep in their own zone just a couple of minutes into over time and the Wild's Zucker picked a spot over Crawford's shoulder to win the game. Oduya was floundering around, Stalberg got caught not giving a fuck, and Crawford was down and out early. Sloppy for sure, but the Wild still have a long way to go in this series.
- The Hawks got their dicks kicked in at the faceoff dots. El Capitan was the only center to win more than he lost, and Handzus was a team low 31%. That has to get better.
- Brandon Saad had a minus 2 hung on him. He wasn't directly responsible for the goals, but so be it.
- In an effort to control a game that was getting out of control, the refs called some chintzy calls in the second, especially one on El Capitan.
- A Roszival double turnover with about 4 minutes gone in the third turned into the go ahead goal for the Wild. Roszival got beat and Toews over pursued the play. The puck squirted out to the one guy you DON'T want to be one on one with your goalie, Zach Parise. Parise put a shot over Crawford's glove, similar to the one on the first period Bouchard goal, and we had ourselves a game.
