Despite the snow in Chicago, the Hawks traveled to Carolina to face the terrible Hurricanes. This was sort of a reuniting of coaches, with former Ice Hogs coach at the helm of the Canes. This team is just terrible. They are looking for the end of the season, and booking tee times.
The first period was pretty favorable for the Blackhawks, considering that they scored on their first two shots, and nearly scored on another. If you check the box score, it looks pretty even in shots at 10-9, in favor of the Canes, but that wasn't necessarily the case while watching.
The Blackhawks came out and played to the level of their opponent in the middle period, getting out shot 12-0 to begin the period, and 18-6 for the entire 20. Oddly enough, the few shots that the Blackhawks had were really good and the Hawks still held the lead.
The third period was almost as bad as the second. ALMOST. The Hawks spent a vast majority of the period in their own end, and it looked like they were going to surrender their lad at ant moment, if not for their goalie. They held on long enough to get a late empty net goal and pull one out by the skin of their teeth.
- Andrew Shaw opened the scoring for the Blackhawks about half way through the first period on a pretty easy play. He was allowed to camp out about 8 feet from Khudobin, and one time a pass from behind the net by Marcus Kruger. Not really sure just what the holy fuck the Canes defense was doing, but two of them got mesmerized with a player behind the net and left Shaw wide open. Not a good idea in ANY league.
- Just over a minute later, the line of Sharp/Vermette/Hossa put the Blackhawks up 2-0, on their second shot of the game. Hossa held up at the half boards, and waited for Sharp to drive the net. Once he cleared the defense, Hossa hit him for a perfect redirect through Khudobin's wickets.
- Crawford was a beast in this game saving 43 of 44. After the first period, the Canes had 34 shots in the final 40 minutes.
- Jonny Toews got his 500th career point on Shaw's empty netter. Not that exciting, but noteworthy nonetheless. Congrats to this very serious individual.
- Watching Michal Rozsival get completely walked and then hearing Eddie O gush all over this supposed "great play" makes me want to kick puppies. Stop making excuses for him being a huge liability.
- Teuvo Tervainen showed a little immaturity late in the second period, when he was fed the puck by Toews and made a nice play to get a shot at being in all alone. He eventually made a pretty soft pass back to Toews for a nice one timer, but I would have liked to see the kid take that quick step and go 1-on-1 with the goalie, instead of conceding. In due time.
- Crawford took a physical beating. Several times, he took high shots in the collar bone area, and a shot off the face. All of those shots take a toll on you.
- Not the best game at the dots, by any means, but the Hawks won half.
- A questionable Blackhawks change early in the second period turned first into an Eric Staal breakaway, and then into a Victor Rask goal. Staal got in behind Hjalmarsson and Keith during said botched change and Crawford made the save. The defense kind of failed him when the rebound popped out and Hammer was neither able to get to the puck nor tie up Rask.
- Bryan Bickell has been just atrocious and he's not getting any better. The playoffs are all we have to hold on to, and that's getting really fucking old. After a brutal turnover in the third period, Bickell was benched and only saw 13 shifts the entire game for a whopping 9:17. If you're looking for a healthy scratch next game put your money on 29 white.
- Versteeg was right behind Bickell in the battle of waning ice time, with only 15 shifts and 11:58. As a result Richards only played 12:11 in 16 shifts. What is the point of this awful 3rd line?
- Talk about a boring game. There was ONE penalty called all game and it was early in the first period.
Saad-Toews-Tervainen
Sharp-Richards-Hossa
Versteeg-Richards-Bickell
Shaw-Kruger-Nordstrom
Keith-Rozsival
Oduya-Hjalmarsson
Timonen-Seabrook