Blackhawks Week That Was - 11/22

11/16 - Blackhawks at Nashville - 7-2 Loss

• Khabibulin was rather terrible, giving up two questionable goals, before leaving the game injured in the first period.
  
• Versteeg made his debut with the Hawks by taking a bad penalty behind the play that eventually let to the Preds third goal. It was technically on Bollig's delay of game penalty, but Bollig air mailed the clearing attempt while killing off Versteeg's dump penalty.
  
• After going down 4-0 with 21 minutes to play, Crazy 8s broke the shutout right before the end of the second period.
  
• Fifteen seconds after Pirri scored his third goal in as many games, Viktor fucking Stalberg put the Preds back up by 3 goals. Sometime that epitaph writes itself.
  
• The Hawks gave up a total of SEVEN goals, which obviously is fucking brutal.
  
• Ben Smith and Marcus Kruger were both minus 3.
  
• Hawks faceoff percentage was a paltry 36%. Pirri and Shaw won 6 of 31 total draws.
  

Here are the video highlights: 11/17 - Blackhawks vs Sharks - 5-1 Win

• Sharpie had two goals and an assist. One of the goals was a late third period penalty shot goal that put the Sharks to bed for good.
  
• Tyler Kennedy is the fucking pigman.
  
• The Pavelski goal that Crawford gave up was just oogly. He swatted at it like a fruit fly and pretty much directed the puck into his own net, after completely losing it. They happen. They didn't cost the Hawks. I'm no one to talk.
  
• Kruger's feed to Sharp, for Sharp's second period goal, was pretty crisp and precise. He not only knocked the original pass right out of the air, but he then put the brakes on and hit Sharp on the back door between three defenders.
  
• El Capitan's third period goal was sheer determination. He just stayed with the puck and eventually tucked in a rebound behind Niemi. His balls are bigger than yours.
  
• Vertseeg's goal was set up by Saad's blazing speed. Saad took two steps and was in behind Hannan. Niemi stayed with Saad, but the rebound popped loose right back onto his stick. Versteeg just camped out in front of the net long enough for Saad to find his tape, and it was a slam dunk.
  
• Shooter's penalty shot move was pretty sick, and roofing it that close to the net isn't all that easy.
  
• Funny how the Hawks generally dominate when they are over 50% at the dots, eh? Actually it's not funny OR surprising. They were at 52% for this game. Consequently, Sharp won 6 of 8 faceoffs, but Quenneville won't allow him to play center. Shaw and Pirri were both under 45%. ::headdesk::
  
• Bickell only played 13 minutes, which means he did something to piss off Q, or he got hurt.
  
• Everyone but Kane, Pirri, Bickell, and Brookbank were minus on the night.
  

Here are the video highlights:11/19 - Blackhawks at Colorado - 5-1 Loss

• Crawford was chased form the game after giving up 3 goals in under 14 minutes, on only 6 shots. The team didn't play well in front of him at all, but one of two of those needs to be stopped. Raanta looked pretty good. The first goal was a 2 on 1 where he was picked apart like a desert carcass, and the second one was a rebound that went off Hjalmarsson's skate and right onto McLeod's stick. The kid can play.
  
• The first Avs goal was atrocious, and it all went downhill from there. Seabrook tried to pass off the back boards to Keith, and it shot directly out into the slot. Crawford panicked, never got set, and it's 1-0 Avs.
  
• Bickell went into the net awkwardly in the first period and never returned. The grim reaper is watching over.
  
• A huge break up at one end on a Toews rush ended up in an odd man break back the Hawks way, and eventually into the net. This night just went that way.
  
• Saad continued his hot play with the only Hawks goal of the game. It was far too late at that point for the goal to matter.
  
• On a positive note, the Hawks won 59% of their faceoffs. All Hawks players were 50% or above.
  
• No more use beating this dead horse.
  

Here are the video highlights: 11/22 - Blackhawks at Winnipeg - 6-3 Win

• The Saad goal, in the second period, was a thing of beauty, and completely set up by Boss 81's ferocious forechecking. Hoss looked like he was snuffed out in the corner by two Jets defenders and ended up walking out with the puck. Saad was camped out in the slot and one timed the shot past Pavelec.
  
• Nineteen seconds after the Saad goal, Ladd and Little caught the Hawks with a little afterglow, and a one time pass across the Hawks slot to Lad ended up beating Crawford.
  
• Twenty nine seconds after the Ladd goal, an almost identical play resulted in the tying goal. Keaton Ellerby took a pass from the Big Fluff, and one timed THAT past Crawford. Three goals in 48 seconds. Wasn't THAT fun?
  
• Later in the second period, El Capitan absolutely mugged Keaton Ellerby with a shimmy/spin move and drive to the net from the boards. Toews worked himself one on one with Pavelec and roofed a shot up and over the former Wolves goaltender's glove.
  
• The Hawks pulled it together in the third period, scoring three goals, to put the Jets to bed.
  
• Two powerplay goals against is concerning, especially from the Jets, who are 26th in the league on the PP. The Hawks PK is now second worst in the NHL behind the Islanders.
  
• The Hawks had another great night at the dots, with a very nice 63%. Shaw was the low man at 57%. I'll take it. Bryan Little couldn't win a faceoff agains any Blackhawks, winning only 7 of 27 draws. That's 26%!
  
• Toews had a 4 point (1G, 3A), and the dynamic duo on Deuce and Carter Seven each had a plus 4.
  
• It wasn't Crawford's best night, giving up 3 goals on 25 shots, but the rest of the team picked him up. I would expect to see Antti Raanta make his first NHL start in the near future.
  
• Jets' stars Evander Kane and Olli Jokinen were a combined minus SIX.
  

Here are the video highlights: