Monday, April 25, 2016

PLAYOFFS: Blackhawks at St. Louis
Game 7 3-2 Loss
Season Ending Recap

"Killswitch Not Engaged"

by Gatekeeper

Who thought we'd be watching a game 7, Monday night in St. Louis. I certainly HOPED that the Blackhawks could pull off the comeback, but who could honestly EXPECT a team to look so terrible and then magically turn it around, again? It is not something that even seems to be a reasonable expectation. Here we were, though. Against the Blackhawks most hated rival. With a chance to drive a stake deep into their hearts. The question is, will they be able to finish their dastardly deed? Live from St. Louis, the Blackhawks and the Blues...

To say the Blackhawks came out a little flat in the first period was a bit of an understatement. The slow start may have had something to do with the actual FALSE start, due to some faulty glass that broke loose just seconds into the game and forced both teams to stand around yanking their cranks for over 5 minutes. We'll never really know, but it should not go without being noted. As far as play went, Once again, the official scorer was sniffing glue, because they claimed that the Blackhawks had no giveaway and they out shot the Blues 11-9, even though they were down 2-1.


The real Blackhawks came out for the second period and sent the cheap first period imitations home for the night. From the puck drop, the Hawks showed just why they were able come back from a 1-3 deficit to tie this series. The Blackhawks surgically drew a powerplay and then tied the game. This period, the "official" shots actually reflected the play, with the Blackhawks leading 13-12. How else would we go into the third period of game 7 than tied?

Looks like maybe half the imitations snuck their way back for the third period. The Blackhawks could not find a way to get that final goal they needed to move on. The Blues did score that goal, by none other than the guy brought in to be a Hawks killer, Troy Brouwer. That was the only goal and the proverbial dagger in the Blackhawks hearts. Final score, Blues 3 - Blackhawks 2. On to the golf course for the Indianhead.

I cannot finish this without thanking both the new fans and all the long time fans that take the time out to read our bullshit each game, and listen to our stupid potty mouthed podcast. Sincerely, without the fans, there is literally no reason for us to do these things. Have no fear, people, there will still be content and Shoutcasts all summer. As long as you keep coming back, we'll keep them coming. THANK YOU!

Lets also give a hearty thank you to the other stooges: Pat, Derek and Bryan. This site and team grows stronger every year. No matter what obstacles get dropped in our path.


The Good
  • Very late in the first period, an innocent and patient neutral zone play by #DickPanik led to the first Blackhawks goal. Panik held the puck long enough for Marian Hossa to pick up steam coming off the bench and hit Hossa's tape with a rink wide pass. Hosss wasted no time crossing the blue line and lining up a half clapper. Brian Elliott, ye of stellar glove, whiffed on the shot and the Blackhawks were back in the game, just that easy.
  • Shortly into the second period, the Blackhawks earned a penalty and wasted little time capitalizing. Andrew Shaw took the puck on the goal line extended, and threw the puck through the crease. The puck deflected off Jay Bouwmeester's leg and past Brian Elliott.
  • Despite his 3rd period penalty, #DickPanik was a really nice surprise to this lineup all postseason.
  • This Corey Crawford was the biggest reason this game wasn't 5-2, and these saves were incredible:

    And don't forget this one:


The Bad
  • With about 6 minute remaining in the first period, the Blackhawks went down 2-0. The got trapped deep in their end, AGAIN. They tried to sneak a line change in, and ended up running around. Patrik Berglund set the table for big gun Colton Parayko, and Parayko unleashed a laser that beat Corey Crawford. David Rundblad was an enormous help as he not only stood and watched the shot beat Crawford, but he allowed Alex Steen to stand in front of his goalie to screen him and attempt to redirect the shot. I can totally see what he brings to the team.
  • Halfway through the the third period, the Blackhawks got spun around and ended up leaving Troy Brouwer wide open in their crease. He was able to take two whacks at the puck before he finally cashed in on the third chance.
  • Brent Seabrook had a prime chance to tie the game with around 3 minutes remaining and blasted a shot off both posts.

The Ugly
  • After St. Louis Blues took a solid 5 minutes to fix some glass problems, just 26 seconds into the game, the Blackhawks got pinned deep. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook failed more than a few times to clear the puck out. Eventually, the puck made its way to Jay Bouwmeester who uncorked a long clapper. Jori Lehtera got a piece of the shot about 10 feet in front of Crawford, and it was 1-0 with only a minute gone in the game. Swell.
  • Whoever told me that David Rundblad played good in game 6 because we didn't notice him, needed to watch this game. Rundblad took an absolute physical beating, was taken advantage of badly nearly every other shift, and was a total rotten apple.

The Lineblender
Panik - Toews - Kane
Panarin - Anisimov - Teravainen
Ladd - Kruger - Hossa
Desjardins - Shaw - Weise

Keith - Rundblad
Gustafsson - Seabrook
Hjalmarsson - van Riemsdyk