Lets get right to the highs and lows:
- The Two Blackhawks goals were nice. The first goal was Nick Leddy getting behind the defense and backhanding the puck, ala Patrick Kane, over Quick for a 1-0 lead. Later on, early in the second period, Ben Smith jumped off the bench and took a long stretch pass from the Hawks end. Smith took a few steps and snapped a wrist shot past Quick's blocker, for a 2-0 Hawks lead. Then the darkness came....
- The Blackhawks were out played in just about every statistic. How the wheels fall off the wagon in one period defies logic. Not this team. I can only chalk it up to an anomaly. The planets aligned.
- Any time Patrick Sharp wants to suit up for a game would be fine with me. He's gone from leading goal scorer to Kris Versteeg territory. He was a minus 2 with 3 shots on net.
- Handzus was completely pimp slapped at the dots. Stoll and Kopitar put on a clinic, winning 10 of 11. Well he is still good for the PK right? Right? Oh yeah, he was out there for the Carter powerplay goal, and couldn't handle Justin Williams in front of the net for the first Kings goal.
- I cannot blame Crawford for what happened. Yes, he needs to be better, but this was NOT all on his shoulders.
-Scrum in front with a bouncing puck? 50/50.
-Tipped powerplay goal? Hard one to stop when redirected 6 inches in front of you.
-Snipe from the dots when you are shorthanded? Goalies need to try and anticipate, and he got caught leaning.
-Wide open 6 feet in front of the net for a one timer? Your defense needs to help you out SOME.
-2-on-1 with one of the top snipers in the game bearing down? Enough said.
- The Peter Regin lightning in a bottle may be spent. When Shaw is back, look for Regin to be back in the press box.
- The Blackhawks third period was just abominable. They went in with a lead that should have been sustainable but literally shit the bed. Momentum shifted when Justin Williams was credited with an ugly goal in the final minutes of the second period, and snowballed.
- Two of the Kings first three goals were in the powerplay. One penalty was for "Too Many Men" and the other was from the prince of meatballs, Brandon Bollig, once again trying to make himself relevant. The goals themselves weren't exactly mind blowing, but the Muzzin goal was a nice snipe. The moral of the story is that when the Kings scored to tie the game, you cannot, under any circumstances, take another stupid penalty. Momentum is a scary thing and you don't want to tempt it.
- After the Kings went up 5-2, Quenneville suddenly turned into older brother if Patrick Roy. He pulled Crawford with 4 minutes remaining and subsequently gave up an empty net goal. Of course the Hawks could have reasonably scored 3 goals in 4 minutes with the goalie pulled all while not giving up an empty netter, right? I don't want to hear any of this, "well, he had to do something" crap. Pulling your goalie with that much time left and a 3 goal deficit is the ultimate meatball response and a sign of surrender.
- After giving up the 6th goal, Quenneville threw the combination of Handzus, Bickell and Bollig on the ice. I will generously call them the "concrete boots" line. I'm still baffled that when a guy like Bollig takes asinine penalties, like he did in this game, Quenneville keeps throwing him out there. If someone like Regin or Morin did the same thing, they wouldn't see game action for the rest of the game and probably a few more to follow. I will never understand why Bollig gets such a long least. NEVER!
