The Blackhawks traveled to balmy Denver Colorado for a black Wednesday tilt with the struggling Avalanche before a day off for Thanksgiving. Right to it.
The first period was pretty favorable for the Hawks after a slow start. They out shot the Avs 13 to 9, and had a majority of the scoring chances. I think it is safe to say that the Avs were happy to get out of the period tied 0-0.
The second period gave us more shots and more scoring, with the Avs opening up the scoring and the Blackhawks answering the bell with two powerplay goals of their own. Despite going into the third winning the shot battle 32-19 the Hawks were only up one goal.
The third period might have been the sloppiest of all three. The Avs tied the game early and the Blackhawks tied it later. The Blackhawks had a third straight period of outshooting the Avs, this time 13-10. After a late period flurry, the Blackhawks left Denver a 3-2 winner and winners of three out of 4 circus trip games.
- Hawks forwards dominated for pretty much most of the first period but, again, didn't score.
- The Blackhawks finally got on the scoreboard on a second period powerplay. Seabrook let a cannon go from the blue line and the puck squirted through Pickard, who had dropped his stick. El Capitan found the gift in behind Pickard and easily swept it into the net to tie the game.
- Clendening and Richards on the second powerplay point. Not sure how I feel about that.
- Shortly after the Toews goal, the Blackhawks drew another powerplay and this time Andrew Shaw scored the go ahead goal. Hossa and Kane set the table and Shaw yanked the table cloth out with a perfect one timer.
- With five minutes left in the third period, Patrick Kane worked some of his stick magic long enough for Bryan Bickell to set up camp in front of Pickard. Kane few Bickell, who slammed the puck home for a 3-2 Blackhawks lead.
- Any time you can out shoot a team 45-29 on the road, you're doing something right.
- The Blackhawks won 40 of 65 faceoffs which is exceptional.
- Roughly halfway through the second period the Hawks defense was a little lax in their own end and let Max Talbot get in one on one with Crawford. The "fourth" line and third defensive pair got stuck out on the ice together, which should never happen. Talbot ended up working his way through Clendening, Roszival, Shaw and Carcillo. Not exactly defensive wizards.
- In the final minute of the game, the CSN crew fixated on Andrew Shaw and Jarome Iginla chewing each others asses out.
- Late in the first period, Brent Seabrook mishandled a puck at the Avs blue line on the powerplay, which left Tanguay in on a shorthanded break-a-way for 2/3 of the rink. Eventually, Crawford made the save but WOOF!
- Four minutes into the third period, a complete Shanghai Fire Drill in the Blackhawks crease resulted in Ryan O'Reilly chipping a the puck into the net with his 9-iron, tying the game up.
- Dr. Lineblender was at it in the third period, benching Adam Clendening. No need for that 6th defenseman.
Kane-Richards-Versteeg
Carcillo-Shaw-Bickell
Nordstrom-Kruger-Smith
Keith-Seabrook
Oduya-Hjalmarsson
Clendening-Roszival