by Patrick Stankus
Send a McRib to #Fatrick
With the NHL regular season in the final forty-eight hours, the Blackhawks drew the short straw for NHL teams and had the awful task of closing out the season in Southern California. The first of the two games in California was tonight in Anaheim to take on the Ducks. In a meaningless game again for the Hawks, Joel Quenneville decided to give the night off to a few, or most of the key players. Which means were treated to an AHL lineup against a Ducks team that still had a division championship to try and clinch. While the majority of the Chicago era decided to call it a night early (I do not blame you), the Hawks still had a game to play. Well sort of.
The game didn't exactly start out ideal for the Ducks. Five seconds into the game they found themselves shorthanded after a delay of game penalty. Not surprising, the Hawks were still trying to find their legs, so the power play was nothing but a wasted opportunity. Later in the period, the Ducks made the most of their second power play of the period, with noted ballbag Corey Perry giving the Ducks a one goal lead. Thanks to a slash by Corey Perry on Ryan Hartman, the Hawks had one more chance on the power play, but nothing came of it, and they trailed by one after one.
In the second period, the Hawks lackluster effort was on full display early on. Less than two minutes in, the Hawks put themselves shorthanded by taking the ever so lazy, "too many men" penalty. Unlike the first period, the Hawks actually killed this penalty off and kept the deficit at one. Somehow the Hawks managed to pepper eighteen shots at the Ducks net, but could never sustain pressure in the zone. With just under three minutes remaining, the Ducks added another goal to give them a two goal lead after forty minutes.
With the Hawks trailing by two, they took to the ice to start the third looking like a team that was more interested in hanging out on the beach tomorrow, rather than play another twenty minutes of hockey. Actually who can blame them? Ryan Kesler scored early on to make it a three goal game, and from then on, it was merely counting the seconds left in the game. A few minutes later, things got a little chippy as Michal Rozsival took a punch to the face, and left the game. As the Hawks looked to end this scrimmage, the Ducks added another goal to make it a 4-0 lead. The Hawks had a couple of decent looks to try and end the shutout, but couldn't net one. When the horn finally sounded, the Ducks went on to win by that same four goal margin.
- You're kidding right?
- The Ducks gift wrapped a power play five seconds into the game for the Hawks, and surprise, surprise, nothing came of it.
- Corey Crawford was hung out to dry most of the night. This isn't a knock on him, the defense was putrid. That was expected with this lineup.
- The Shitshow Petroleum Power Play was 0 for 3 tonight.
- Joel Quenneville decided to be an asshole and challenge for offside on the Ducks opening goal. Frankly it wasn't even close. I'm thinking he did it just to dick around with us bloggers who had to recap a game with a 9pm local start, and make the game longer.
- Every defenseman on the Hawks was a minus tonight. It was also fitting that Brian Campbell wore an "A" on his sweater tonight. I'm guessing the "A" was to sum up his season as for what its been, average, and not for leadership.
- Corey Perry's slash on Ryan Hartman caused us to all hold our breath. Luckily Hartman returned to the game.
- Hjalmarsson, Hossa, Keith, Seabrook, and Toews all sat out tonight's game. Can you see the joy in recapping this game?
- Andrew Desjardins is now day-to-day with a lower body injury. Moving on......
- In the third period, Michal Rozsival took a suckerpunch to the chops that dropped him to the ground faster than Uncle Rozsival after his diabetes diagnosis. Rozsival didn't return.
- My reaction when I see that human disease bag Corey Perry score.....
