The Blackhawks travelled to warm, sunny Sunrise Florida to play the Panthers for the second game of their "Home and home", Thursday night. This would be "the first game of the rest of their lives", following the season ending injury Tuesday night to Patrick Kane. Teuvo Teravainen was called up to take the roster spot, but no player could "replace" Kane. Do the Blackhawks have the balls to dominate without Kane? We will see from here on out.
The first period got off to a good start with the Blackhawks scoring an early goal and out shooting the Panthers 10-4. They had a chance to really put their boots on the Cat's throats with a 5-on-3 powerplay, but weren't able to get any more than a few weak chances.
The second period was almost a carbon copy of the first. The Blackhawks scored their second goal at approximately the same part of the period and play was very similar. This period, however, the Hawks were out shot 9-8. More please.
In the third period, The Blackhawks spent a majority of the play on the offensive. This didn't result in a goal, outside of the empty netter, but they were able to freeze out the Panthers, and head to Tampa with a win in their back pocket.
- Just a couple of minutes into the game, Patrick Kane's roster replacement, Teuvo Tervainen, picked up a loose puck that was dug out by Andrew Shaw, and beat Luongo for a 1-0 Blackhawks lead. OF COURSE that was going to happen. The story couldn't be written any other way. If this kid can keep this up, at all, the Blackhawks will have something to look forward to without their leading scorer and MVP. That's an enormous "if". Even though he scored, Teuvo was limited to a team low 9:50 and only took 2 faceoffs.
- Almost exactly a period after the Teravainen goal, following another abomination of a powerplay, Brandon Saad beat Mr Strombone for a 2-0 Blackhawks lead. Marian Hossa led the rush over the Cat's blue line, and chipped it to a rushing Duncan Keith. Keith found a wide open Saad, who tried to one time the puck, but it flipped up like a change up and slowly went over the outstretched arm of Luongo.
- Corey Crawford was solid. That's all he had to be. He earned the shutout in a pretty easy game. He really deserved to have an easy bounce back game.
- Hossa quietly had 2 assists. Good start.
- Funny how the Blackhawks come out and win almost 65% of their faceoffs, and they win convincingly. Toews won 21 of 28.
- Florida keeps Florida'n. They drew a late 1st period penalty and immediately took not one, but TWO penalties of their own. In typical Blackhawks fashion, they blew the advantage.
"Here take the game"
"No YOU take the game".
"We don't want it, YOU take it"
Hossa hitting the post on a long shot, which was the loudest shot off the post I've ever heard, was the best chance they had. - The dynamic duo of David Rundblad and Tim Erixon are pretty fucking slow. Just saying.
- Andrew Shaw was somehow credited with 8 hits. Can you feel my excitement? Keeping things in perspective, Jimmy Hayes had 7 which, oddly enough, is roughly the same amount he had his entire Blackhawks career. Whoever credited the Panthers with 50 hits, needs to be drug tested immediately.
- I'm thoroughly finished with this "clear the puck up through the slot" in the Hawks zone. It's a cutesy play and it's dangerous. Knock that shit off.
- I did not hear the names Ekblad, Bjugstad, Barkov or Huberdeau at all. The Panthers need these young players to be big if they want to win.
Saad-Toews-Hossa
Sharp-Richards-Versteeg
Shaw-Teravainen-Bickell
Smith-Kruger-Nordstrom
Keith-Hjalmarsson
Seabrook-Cumiskey
Rundblad-Erixon