PLAYOFFS: Blackhawks vs. LA KingsGame 5 Series Win Recap

"King Nothing"

Preview, Schmeview. Right to it!

The Hawks couldn't have had a better first period, Saturday night. They came out and took a quick 2-0 lead, on ten shots, before the game was ten minutes old. They also held the Kings to only 4 shots, which is perfect. What a period!

The second period wasn't as good, for the Hawks. The Kings were able to score a goal, and cut the Hawks lead in half. The Kings also out shot the Hawks 8-6 in the middle period, and made sure the Hawks didn't run away with this one.

The Hawks looked to have won the game late in the third period, but a very late Kings goal sent the game to overtime. This could have been a back breaker, but the Hawks recovered. In that third, the Kings out shot the Blackhawks 11-8.

It took an overtime and a half, but the Blackhawks finally sent the defending champs home, and sent themselves to the cup finals. Like I said on Twitter, if you would have told me at Christmas that the lockout would end, the Hawks would have a record point streak, and make it to the cup finals, I would have told you to quit bullshitting, yet here we are.

The Good

• Not even 4 minutes into the first period, and Duncan Keith opened the scoring. Welcome back, eh? Roszival recognized a slow Kings line change, and got the puck to Keith. Keith was just trying to make it over the blue line and get a rebound, but the puck snuck between Quick's 5-hole and into the net. Queue up that Chelsea, Chelsea!
• Just a couple of minutes later, some miscommunication between Jonny Quick and his defense led to Bickell stealing a waved off ice call and setting up goal number two. The chaos in front caused Quick to end up on his back, with a the puck loose in the slot. Crazy 8s swooped in and scooped up the puck. He skated parallel to net and waited for the defense to clear the open net, and hit the gaping cage. 2-0 Blackhawks.
• The Hawks took 3-2 lead courtesy of Crazy 8s and Bickell, with just under 4 minutes remaining. Jason Williams was chased behind the net by Bickell, and as soon as Bickell's stick got near him, his legs stopped moving and he flopped. Bickell got the puck to Kane who beat Quick. Chaos ensued!
• Brandon Saad made a HUGE play with a minute left in the game to keep the puck pinned along the Kings boards for a good 10 seconds and then create enough trouble on the forecheck to take another 5-10 seconds off. You won't see that on the highlight reel, but it was a huge play and deserves to be pointed out.
• It took until past the halfway point of the second overtime, but the two guys that needed to step up the most put the Hawks into the Stanley Cup finals. Toews stole the puck at the Kings blue line, with Kane streaking up the wing. El Capitan took his time and hit Crazy 8s for the one timer, the hat trick, the winner, and the STANLEY CUP FINALS!
• I guess it was a given that the guys that were going to put the Hawks in the finals would be the bromance brother, Kane and Toews.

The Bad

• Johnny Oduya had a wide open net in the third period and Quick somehow got a piece of the puck with his blocker.
• A bad Bryan Bickell checking from behind penalty gave the Kings all they needed to tie the game, with over 15 minutes remaining in the game. It was only a matter of time before a stupid Hawks penalty would bite them in the ass, and this was that time. Crawford made the save on the long shot but Kopitar stuffed the rebound past Crawford.
• Toews and Kane worked a beautiful odd man break in the first OT, that almost ended up on Kane's stick with a wide open net, but the pass missed Kane. SO close!
• The Hawks took SEVERAL bad icing whistles in the overtime which led to far too many stressful faceoffs in the Hawks zone. Not smart at this point in the playoffs.
• Kings Captain Dustin Brown and defenseman Robyn Regehr were both minus 3. Woof!
• The Hawks were dogshit at the dots AGAIN. Only Shaw was over 50%.

The Ugly

• Vik Stalberg got caught racing for a loose puck versus Robyn Regehr, which was pretty comical as Stalberg blew by him and got the puck to the net. I'm not going to miss his lack of finishing touch, but I WILL miss his speed. Dude is BLAZING fast.
• The Kings scored their first goal of the game, shorthanded, on the Hawks first powerplay of the game. The Hawks rattled up little pressure and gave up a 2-on-2 shorthanded rush. Crawford made the initial save, but Dwight King followed up and beat Crawford, who had committed to the poke check. Find a clue on the powerplay, for fuck's sakes!
• Andrew Shaw took a crosscheck to the face halfway through the third period that drew blood, but apparently the refs didn't recognize the red liquid coming out of Shaw's face. Should have led to a 4 minute powerplay, but the Hawks only got 2 because the refs called a crosscheck instead of a high stick. Not like the Hawks powerplay can generate anything anyway. What was I thinking?
• The Hawks gave up the game tying goal with seven seconds left in the third. After an icing call, Stoll won the faceoff against Toews, and it got back to the point. The puck was worked to Kopitar who hit Richards with the shot and past Crawford. Not much you can do as a goalie right there. What the....

Cup Finals, Muthas!
Courtesy of Mighty Mike D at Cheer the Anthem, and HockeeNight for starting the tradition.

Here are the video highlights:

Read More

PLAYOFFS: Blackhawks at Los AngelesGame 4 Win Recap

"Crash Course in Brain Surgery"

The Blackhawks were looking to get back on track in LA, Thursday night, after a 3-1 loss in game 3. If they were going to win, they were going to have so without Duncan Keith, because of his one game suspension for clipping Jeff Carter in the face. As I said before, the Hawks lost, pretty much, a 2-1 game to a team that hasn't lost at home in the entire playoffs, and they didn't even really show up for 40 of the 60 minutes. No reason to panic. Lets get right to the action.

The Hawks looked like they might have come out a little flat in the first period, giving up the first goal, early on. They didn't roll over, though, tying the game up late and out shooting the Kings 11-10 in the period. This one was going to be a game.

The second period started the same as the first, with the Kings taking the lead early on, but the Hawks came back again and tied the game again late. The Kings actually out shot the Hawks 9-8 in the middle period, but no harm done.

The third period is where the Hawks clamped down HARD. They took the lead early on, and just shut the Kings down the rest of the way. The Hawks out shot the home team 9-2 in what might be the final period of hockey in the Staples Center this season. When the final horn went off, there were no silly streamers, and the Blackhawks were on their way home with a 3-1 series lead.

The Good

• Only a few minutes into the game, El Capitan was sent in on a break-a-way and had Quick beat, but the Datsyuk-esque move rolled just wide. Of course, the Kings ended up opening the scoring on the next rush up the ice.
• Sudden playoff juggernaut Bryan Bickell tied the game up with about 6 and a half minutes left in the fist period. He brought the puck in just over the blue line and let a long wrist shot go on Quick. Quick couldn't get a handle on the knuckling puck and it squirted past him. Weak goal, but fortunate for the Hawks. It's going to be fun laughing at whatever team gives him some asinine amount of money because of the playoffs, completely over looking the previous mediocre 5 years. Hello, Sean Bergenheim, John Druce, and Ville Leino. Pull another chair up to the table, because you'll have company shortly.
• With just over 1:30 left in the second period, the Hawks tied the game once again. The Hawks were all over the Kings and Crazy 8s was flying around the zone like his pubic hair was on fire. After a few separate scrums in the crease, the puck was sent back out to Hjalmarsson. Hammer unleashed a shot that Bickell tipped and once again dribbled through Quick. Kane spotted the puck behind Quick and helped it over the line. Kaner! Nice to see you, kiddo! Thanks for joining the Western Conference Finals.
• Handzus and Hossa recognized and jumped on a terrible Kings line change just a minute and ten seconds into the third period, and gave the Blackhawks their first lead of the night. One they would never lose. Handzus set up Hossa for a one timer on a silver platter, and Hoss didn't miss. He is Marian Hossa, and you are not.
  
• When you hold the home to to TWO shots on net in a one goal third period, you're doing something right.
• Corey Crawford made several huge saves, once again, and kept the Blackhawks in the game. None were bigger than the poke check on the Justin Williams break-a-way four minutes into the second period.
• Da Hocks gotta hit more of dem Kings guys! They were out hit almost 2-to-1 and won.
• The Hawks beat a team that hasn't lost at home, without arguably their best defenseman. End of statement.

The Bad

• I'm getting tired of hearing the name Slava Voynov, that's for sure. Brookbank's first shift was a complete clusterfuck, and ended up with Voynov blasting a long shot past Crawford. Terrible way to start the game, and thank god we shouldn't have to see any more of Brookbank this postseason.
• The Hawks were still dogshit at the dots. At this point, I guess we just have to come to terms with it, but just imagine how dangerous they would be if they STARTED with possession more than 4 out of every 10 faceoffs. Toews was the low man last night at 39%. How he goes from virtually tops in the league in the regular season to this is beyond me.
• Sheldon Brookbank minus 2 in 6:50. Your seat in the press box is warm and waiting for you. OOOFA

The Ugly

• The second Kings goal was a pretty lackluster one. Jeff Carter put a really soft backhand shot on net, and Crawford kind of lost it. Brookbank lost his man, Penner, behind Crawford and Penner just chasséd into the crease and poked the puck in to the net. Things did not look well for the Hawks at that point, but they got better.
• The Hawks had a 5-on-3 early in the second period and couldn't manage Jack Shit. They manged one shot overall, and none on the 5-on-3 portion which is just absolutely pathetic.
• Lard ass Penner took a cheap shot at Bolland early in the third period that the league will have to take a look at. Turnabout is fair play, LA Kings fans. Elbow to the head is a suspendable offense, especially to a player that already has concussion issues.

Back on track again
Courtesy of Mighty Mike D at Cheer the Anthem, and HockeeNight for starting the tradition.

Here are the video highlights:

Read More

PLAYOFFS: Blackhawks at Los AngelesGame 3 Loss Recap

"Clash with Reality"

The Hawks were told that they were going to have a good old fashioned dogfight on their hands back once they got to LA. At least that's what just about every analyst said. This would make sense. The Kings are a proud team that didn't make it this far by rolling over and dying. A dogfight was exactly what the Hawks got, in fact.

As just about everyone expected, the Kings came out with a chip on their shoulders. There were lots of big hits, annoying little cheap shots from the Kings as well as the only goal of the period. Thanks to some penalties, they had a little more room to work than they did in the UC. They only out shot the Hawks 8-7, but it seemed like double that count.

The second period was even worse than the first period. Thanks to a really stupid Blackhawks penalty, the Hawks ended up spending almost a quarter of the period killing penalties. Luckily, one of their paltry three shots ended up in the back of the net, which brought the game back to within one goal, before the final buzzer.

The Hawks actually showed up for the third period, but weren't able to get that elusive game tying goal. According to the official scorer, the Hawks were out shot 11-10, but not in the game I was watching. Anyhow, the Hawks were going to have to recover enough for an attempt to take a 3-1 series lead, Thursday night, before coming back to the UC.

The Good

• Not sure what wild hair was up Patrick Sharp's ass, but he was perfectly willing to drop the gloves with Justin Williams late in the first period. The refs jumped on them before any hooks were thrown, but it was going down. He's been skating with an edge all series.
• Bickell continued his great play scoring a late second period goal with under a minute left. He grabbed the puck behind the net after the Kings defenders took each other out. He had plenty of time to come around the net and out wait Quick. Huge goal for the Hawks when they had absolutely nothing going on.
• Bickell WAS the offense and had the majority of the Hawks chances. He's earning himself a lot of money somewhere else this summer. Where has this Bickell been for the last, oh say, six fucking years????? All of a sudden it's a contract year and he's figured everything out?

The Bad

• The Kings took a 1-0 lead, about 5 minutes into the game, off the stick of Justin Williams. The play started when Nick Leddy got a little too full of himself, and tried to pull one of his end to end rushes. He didn't make it past the top of the Hawks circle before Williams cut him off. The puck rattled around the top of the Hawks zone until the puck ended back up on the stick of William again. He let a quick one time shot go, and beat Crawford to the stick side. Williams caught Crawford trying to slide across, and Crawford didn't make it far enough across his crease to make the save.
• The Hawks got caught running around in their own zone with Keith and Seabrook on the ice and Slava Voynov ended up with a clean look at the net from about 20 feet out. He wound up and actually broke his stick on the shot, but the change up ended up slowly hitting Crawford's left pad and skidding into the net. 2-0 Kings just a few minutes into the second.
• The drooling troglodyte, Dwight King, scored an empty netter. Enjoy it, maybe it'll get you laid, but I can't imagine any woman stomaching that hideous serial killer grin. 3-1 Kings, aaaand fade to black.
• Toews? Kane? Alright, you can join the rest of your teammates anytime you're ready. Play time is over. Your team is going to slowly start to hit the IR, from the sore backs they have as a result of wearing you two clowns as backpacks. Remember when we were up in arms because they weren't mentioned for the Hart Trophy? That was fun.

The Ugly

• If the Hawks had even an AVERAGE powerplay, they might never lose a game but, alas, this team is enrolled at the Harvard of Clown Colleges.
• The Hawks took a bunch of completely idiotic penalties. Keith's four minute penalty for whacking Jeff Carter in the face behind the play was no exception. You have to be smarter than that. Don't become the Penguins.
• Hjalmarsson took a shot right to the inside of the knee on a Kings powerplay and was in some SERIOUS pain. I can't see him NOT missing time after that shot, even though he made it back out to finish the game. That would be a big loss on the Hawks back end if it swelled up.
• Brian Engblom actually had the balls to say "good no call" on an inadvertent high stick against Keith. He couldn't be any more wrong. The refs just plain missed the call. A high stick is a high stick. One of the easiest calls to make and one of the few black and white calls this game has.
• Hawks; Faceoffs; Suckfest Extraordinaire. Forty one percent is all I need to say. I still don't see these highly paid analysts mentioning this, but it's important. Instead we'll beat
• Anze Kopitar? Anyone? This guy is supposed to be the best center no one talks about? We can see why they don't talk about him.

Still not jumping off this bandwagon just yet.
Courtesy of Mighty Mike D at Cheer the Anthem, thanks to HockeeNight for starting the tradition.

Here are the video highlights:

Read More

PLAYOFFS: Blackhawks vs. LA KingsGame 2 Win Recap

"Ride the Lightning"

The Blackhawks and Kings met Sunday night, just over 24 hours after the Blackhawks Saturday night game 1 win. The Kings were sure to look at tying up the series despite their terrible playoff road record. Mike Richards and Jason Muzzin were missing from the Kings lineup with the Blackhawks dressing the same successful group of guys from game 1. Another big win, and the Blackhawks had a chance to head to LA leading the series 2-0.

The Kings came out and actually out shot the Hawks in the first period 13-9, but two great chances put the Hawks up 2-0 and got the ball rolling, which is the complete opposite of Saturday's game where the Hawks were down 1-0 after out shooting the Kings 17-2.

The Hawks blew the game open in the second period scoring two more goals on 11 shots, and the Kings finally got on the scoreboard with one of their 6 shots. All the Hawks needed to do was hold the third period, and they were sitting pretty.

The Hawks were in defensive mode again, in the third, for the second game in a row, which is a nice thing to have to do. Getting out shot 13-6 is a little more than you would like to see, but the game was pretty far out of hand already. The Kings put in a late powerplay goal, but it wasn't nearly enough. The Hawks were off to Cali, up 2-0. I don't want to put a damper on this, but both of these teams were in two game holes and came back to win series, so don't start tooting the Blackhawks horn just yet.

The Good

• It took all of two minutes for the new energy line to open up a 1-0 Blackhawks lead. The play was started by Nick Leddy causing the turnover by holding the puck in along the Kings boards. General Saad jumped in to pick up the loose puck, feed Stalberg. Stalberg then shocked everybody by making a slick little blind backhand pass to a streaking Shaw, who beat Quick low to the glove side. This Shaw kid is defying the odds and Chicago is eating it up.
• With under a minute left in the first period, Seabrook put the Hawks up 2-0. El Capitan and Hoss weaved into the Kings zone and Hoss hit Seabrook with a nice drop pass, leaving him all day to pick his spot. Seabs did all the work beating Quick, who had slightly over pursued the play, to the stick side.
• Corey Crawford made a great save in the first period when a dump in, off the glass, dropped right in front of him with Tyler Toffoli hauling ass. He went full Hasek with the two pad stack and made the save. Highlight reel save.
  
  To follow that up, he found himself 1-on-1 with pancake aficionado Dustin Penner in the second period. Crawford ended up stuffing Penner and smothering the rebound.
  
  Finally, late in the third period, when dumb ass cement head Kyle Clifford took a shot at El Capitan, it was refreshing to see Crawford jump into the fracas and help his captain. Jonathan Bernier thought he'd be slick and skate out to the blue line. Not a bright idea, because Crawford can beat some goalie ass.
• Bryan Bickell pulled his best lard ass Byfuglien impression on the powerplay, in the second period, with a little help from Robyn Regehr. Sharp took a long slap shot that Quick initially saved, but Bickell used his big ass to cause havoc right in Quick's kitchen, and swatted at the rebound. He wasn't able to put anything on the rebound, but Regehr whacked at the puck and put it right between his own goalie's legs. Thanks big guy!
• Michal Handzus made it 4-0 just two minutes and nine seconds later on a 2-on-2 break with that Sharp Dressed Man. Handzus used the odd man break to his advantage, and Zus blew it by Quick's stick side, which was a theme Sunday night. That was the end of Quick's night. Na-Na-Na-Na, Hey-hey-hey, Goodbye! Grab a ball cap and have a seat, kid! I joke, but I would not be surprised if Quick comes back with a vengeance on Tuesday and shuts the Hawks out.
• Since Saad has taken over Bickell's old spot on the third line, the speed of that line has been lethal. Saad's ability to adapt makes him that much more valuable.
• Keith and Seabrook were a combined plus 4. That'll do, yes sir, that'll do.
• Even though the Kings scored on the powerplay, the Hawks penalty kill has just been lights out. Not much more needs to be said.

The Bad

• Dustin brown hit on Keith in the first period was a little shady with the elbow to the face, but considering that the Hawks might have gotten away with one from a Bickell, who looked to kick the skates out from under Drew Doughboy, late in the first.
• Party Boy Jeff Carter broke the Crawford shutout with under a minute left in the second period. Carter won the faceoff and the Hawks were never able to get their shit together. Eventually, Tyler Toffoli got the puck back to Carter for a one timer past a shifting Crawford.
• Finally, someone was able to score a powerplay goal on the Hawks at home. With about a minute left in the third period, after another stupid delay of game penalty, Tyler Toffoli chipped the puck over Crawford. Meh, they can have it.
• If Colin Fraser thinks that the stupid head fake he threw at Seabrook was going to scare Lucky Number Sleven, he's more stupid than he looks. Sit down and enjoy your 51 minutes on the bench with your dead eyes and clown hair.
• For the second game in a row, the Blackhawks were just under 50% at the dots, and Michal Handzus was the only Hawks center to eclipse 50%. While they are winning, this is ok, but in LA they are going to need the puck control.

The Ugly

• Dwight King and Kyle Clifford are a couple of talentless drooling gorillas. Throw them in a cage with Ryan Reaves from St. Louis and let them beat each other to death Thunderdome style.
• Dave Bolland is really beginning to piss me off. He's really bringing nothing to the Hawks at this point, and there is no way they can keep him around next season with that salary. Over 3 million a year to play the fourth line is not feasible and his best days are behind him. That's sad to say, at 26, but it's the truth.

A little Holiday Road, courtesy of Mighty Mike D at Cheer the Anthem, thanks to HockeeNight for starting the tradition.

Here are the video highlights:

Read More

PLAYOFFS: Blackhawks vs. LA KingsGame 1 Win Recap

"Who Cares Wins"

After the exhausting Wings series, things got no easier for the Blackhawks. They opened up the Western Conf finals against the defending Stanley Cup champs. How is that for stepping up the competition? This was a team that the Blackhawks ruined the banner raising for, so there were no doubt some sour grapes. Live from United Center, in Chicago, it's the Blackhawks and Kings.

The Blackhawks looked really good offensively in the first period, out shooting the Kings 17-2. Luckily for the Kings, the Hawks gave up a flukey goal, and went into the locker room down 1-0.

Even though the Kings and Hawks played much closer in the second period, the Blackhawks were able to take a 2-1 lead. The Hawks had 14 shots to the Kings 12, and carried some momentum into the third period.

The Hawks went into safe mode in the third period, but the Kings really didn't offer much pressure, either. I can't say there was a point where there was much threat of a Kings comeback. It felt like more of a "we got this" attitude from the men in red. When all was said and done, the Hawks held on and opened up a 1-0 series lead with their 2-1 win. Seven more wins!!

The Good

• Almost halfway through the first period, and the Hawks were out shooting the Kings 9-0
• As I said, The Hawks had 17 shots on net in the first period alone. Traffic in front or not, 17 shots are good.
• It took the Blackhawks twenty six shots and a period and a half to finally solve Jon Quick. Johnny Oduya took a solid slap shot off Quick's left pad and it ricocheted right back out in front to Patrick Sharp, for a fairly easy goal. The UC crowd finally woke up with this one....for a second.
• Just a few short minutes after the Sharp goal, Hossa tipped a long Duncan Keith slapshot past Quick to take their first lead of the series and never lost it.
• Late in the third period Dave Bolland freight trained Mike Richards while Richards tried to whack at Corey Crawford. Richards was pretty clearly hurting after the hit.
• Final shot tally was right in the Hawks wheelhouse at 36-22. That is exactly how they drew it up.
• The Hawks tripled the Kings up in takeaways 18-6. Huge!!
• The hits were MUCH closer than anyone would have expected and even though the Hawks were out hit, it was only by six at 44-38.
• Quenneville was able to roll all 4 lines just like he did in the Wild series. The fourth line had several great plays despite being on the ice for the only goal against.
• Crawford. The goal wasn't his fault, and he was his usual solid self.

The Bad

• The Hawks first powerplay lasted under 30 seconds when Andrew Shaw took a stupid interference penalty.
• Drew Doughty was the only King that was a minus 2. Funny, We haven't heard all that Norris Trophy talk this year.
• Once again, the Hawks were beat at the faceoff dot. This time it was 48% to 52%. Handzus was the only Hawks player to eclipse the 50% mark. If something needs to improve, this is it. The Hawks might have won 3-0 if they had done better at the dots.

The Ugly

• The Kings scored on their second shot of the game when Dave Bolland non chalantly handled the puck in front of the net and then tried to pass across the slot. Justin Williams picked the puck off and redirected it past the shocked Corey Crawford. Terrible first goal, and terrible play by the Hawks in their own end.

Since it's tradition now, thanks to HockeeNight

Here are the video highlights:

Read More

Playoffs: Blackhawks vs RedWingsGame 7 OT/Series Win Recap

"Dog Day Sunrise"

This was it, folks. The game for all the beans. The Hawks fought back against the hated Red Wings to force a game 7, at home. They had the momentum, and their home crowd behind them. Could the avenge the last game 7 they played in, where Vancouver ended their Stanley Cup defense, in 2011? There were no settled stomachs in Chicago for this one, and a riot damn near broke out, on West Madison, but not for what you'd expect.

The game opened up with a furious pace with wide open skating, physical play, and great chances. This was exactly what everyone had hoped for, in a game 7. The Hawks were out shot early, but rebounded to lead the period 13-10. What a first period.

The action only let up slightly in the second period. There was more wide open skating, physical play and more great chances. The Blackhawks took a 1-0 lead early on, and held onto that lead for the entire period and out shot the Wings 11-6. Twenty minutes to go...

It didn't take Detoilet long to tie up the game. Twenty six seconds, to be exact. They also had a majority of the third period chances. The Hawks came back and eventually won the game, if not for a terrible call, but more on that later. They took the game to overtime and eventually finished off the Wings. Next target, LA! Holy crap, can I breathe now?


The Good

• The Hawks killed off an early Duncan Keith tripping penalty, but not without a few tense moments. Crawford was huge, and the PK stood tall.
• Bickell was an absolute bulldozer early on, plowing through the Detoilet defenders and throwing some big hits. He also pulled a filthy move on The Whipping Boy in the second period, but couldn't get a shot off. If only he could finish.
• Just a minute into the second period the Blackhawks Hossa, Handzus and Sharp took advantage of a long shift and ended up with a 3-on-1. They used their open players perfect, and the puck ended up on Shooter's stick with a wide open net.
• How can you not mention the play of Corey Crawford. He was a wall all game, and had no chance on the goal. Mention Ray Emery; I DARE you! This is Crawford's net, and if anyone thinks otherwise, they are colossal morons.

The Bad

• Keith's first period penalty could have put the Hawks in an early hole, but the PK bailed him out after a stupid trip.
• Thirty seconds into the third period the Blackhawks let the Wings walk around them and score a 2 on 4 goal. Bad decisions all around on this play. Oduya misjudged the play at the blue line and everything fell apart after that. Zetterberg was the fortunate goal scorer on this one. All tied up. This was just the beginning of Johnny Oduya's third period obituary. He played like a hot mess for a majority of the play in that period.
• Blackhawks; faceoffs. Only El Capitan was over 50%, and Kruger was 0-4. The rest were in between, to the tune of 48%
• Jonathan Toews was minus 1 with ONE shot on net. He HAS to be better against LA, and you can bet your ass they will be watching tapes of what Detoilet did to him.
• Blackhawks powerplay. Back to being a steaming pile of rancid bull dung. They will not get away with this against LA, I promise you that.

The Ugly

• After Filppula went off with an injury, it was blazing through twitter that Shaw gave him a slew foot. I watched the play a few times, and I didn't see it. Call me blind. Shaw looked slightly off balance, but it didn't look like he kicked Filppula's foot out. It's ice, folks. It's slippery.
• Watching Duncan Keith work the first powerplay point is fucking maddening. Nick Leddy needs to be there, end of story. Leddy is the only Hawks defenseman capable of carrying the puck past center ice.
• The ugliest of ugly!!! Ugly like Tyler Kennedy. The Blackhawks looked to have scored the game winning goal with 1:49 left, and because of some chippy bullshit behind the play, referee Stephen Walkom claimed to have blown the play dead. Brandon Saad got pushed into the Detoilet bench and then body slammed to the ice. For his trouble Saad was assessed a coincidental minor with dumb shit Kyle Quincey. Saad did nothing, but receive a rough ride, and was thrown to the ground. You don't make that call with 2 minutes left in game 7 of a tie game. Not on any planet. The NHL averted a huge controversy with the Hawks winning in OT, and Stephen Walkom averted what might have turned into an uncomfortable legacy. I hope Walkom has Brent Seabrook on his Christmas card list.

REDEMPTION

• This needed a section of it's own...Brent Seabrook and Dave Bolland had been the Blackhawks goats for the entire series, and changed that all in a matter of a few seconds. Bolland threw a big hit on Gustav (don't call me Gus) Nyquist in the neutral zone, separating him from the puck. The hit freed the puck up for Seabrook to grab and head into the Wings zone. He got over the blue line and unleashed a wrist shot that went off the foot of Tigger Kronwall and over Howard's glove. Game, Set, Match; on to round 3!!!

Here are the video highlights:

Read More

Playoffs: Blackhawks at Detroit - Game 6 Win Recap

"Sweating Bullets"

Game 6 in Detoilet with the season on the line. We all know how the Blackhawks got here. Here is what went down:

The Hawks looked a lot like the Hawks of games 1 and 5 as play started, Monday night. The shots were even at 10-10 and the Hawks had an early powerplay goal, but Detoilet was able to tie the game late very late in the period.

The second period was owned by the Wings. They out shot the Hawks 18-10 and had the only goal of the middle twenty. This left the Blackhawks with 20 minutes left in their season. How would they respond?

Te answer the previous question, the third period was all Blackhawks. Even though they were out shot 10-8, they scored three goals to the Wings one, and forced the series back to Chicago for game 7. Playoff hockey, baby!! If you're not bordering on a full Myocardial Infarction, you're not breathing.

I'm not predicting ANYTHING, and my optimism will stay VERY guarded. Wednesday will be a nervous night in the Puckin Household. The Vancouver series a few years ago (Fucking Chris Stromboli) taught me not to get ahead of myself, but the odds are favoring the Hawks.

The Good

• It didn't take long for the Blackhawks to take a 1-0 lead, with a Brendan Smith (aka The Whipping Boy) penalty led to a Marian Hossa goal. El Capitan took the puck from behind the goal line right to the net, with all hell broke loose in front. Hoss was the one who finally put it into the net and after a delay from the booth in Toronto, it was confirmed. Imagine the powerplay being a huge part of a playoff win. Shocking, I know.
• The Hawks didn't take long in the third period, to tie the game up. Just a minute into the period an Oduya keep in and a Hjalmarsson corner dig out, ended up on the stick of Handzus. Zus waited Howard out and surgically beat him stick side. The play was set up by The Whipping Boy being out of position again. Brendan Smith stupidly got mesmerized by the puck like a Labrador chasing a squirrel and chased it into the corner, leaving Handzus wide open.
• Four minutes after the Handzus goal, Toews looked to get away with an offsides play that eventually ended up in the Wings corner. Toews dug the puck out and fed Bickell, who had position on The Whipping Boy. Howard made the first save, but Bickell poked the rebound in around Howward's leg, for a Blackhawks lead. After further examination by Pierre McGuire, the play wasn't offsides because the Ginger Jack Ass brought the puck back into the zone himself.
• The Hawks kept pouring it on about half way though the third period. Frolik out raced Carlo Colaiacovo and was in on a breakaway, when Colaiacovo slashed him and drew a penalty shot. Frodo took full advantage of Howard's bad positioning on the penalty shot and beat him on a backhand high to Howards glove side. 4-2 Hawks. Detoilet fans and Mike Milbury can bitch all they want about the call, but these are today's NHL rules. Slash a guy on the hands from behind on a breakaway and you'll get called.
• I would have never guessed, in twelve parsecs, that Bryan Bickell would become the Blackhawks John Druce, yet here we are. One Trick Bick has taken all of my shaming to heart. He's hitting people, and making shit happen in front of the net. He's a man possessed.
• Yes, Crawford gave up a total woofer of a goal, that put the Wings up 2-1, BUT he also made up for it with SEVERAL huge saves. 35 saves in nothing to bark at.

The Bad

• With the first period closing, the Blackhawks Dave Bolland failed to get the puck out of the zone and Detoilet capitalized. The Whipping Boy was able to direct the puck along the boards to the 150 year old Drew Miller (or he just looks that way), who just sent it on net. Crawford made the initial save but Eaves scooped up the rebound and put it around Crawford, to tie up the game. That's not good for my acute angina
• Everyone takes a turn to be stuck on stupid for the Blackhawks, and this time it was Michal Roszival. Two dumb second period penalties didn't help the Hawks effort. Keep playing with penalty kill fire and they will get burned.
• With about 4 minutes remaining, El Capitan was sent in by a Hjalmarsson stretch pass for a breakaway and missed. He is clearly off his game because he doesn't miss those. Those are usually money.
• After a stupid Marian Hossa penalty late in the third period, the Wings dug a loose puck out of the Hawks corner and a long Brunner slapshot ended up beating Crawford with 51.7 seconds remaining. Just had to make it interesting, Hoss, didn't you? 4-3 Hawks.
• Dream Warrior and Lucky Number Sleven were both minus two. How does that even happen in a game that you score 4 goals and win?
• Stalberg still hasn't made it out of Chateau Bow Wow, because he only played 7:35. By far the least time by any Hawks player.

The Ugly

• I never thought I'd say that a bad El Capitan penalty changed momentum, but that's exactly what happened. It's almost like the Hawks collectively all thought, "not again". They finally shook off the stink off in the third period, but it took quite a while.
• I can't express how annoying it is to watch Duncan Keith blindly shoot into opponents shin pads. It's like he's oblivious to the previous 1,000 times he's done it. Wake up and adjust, already!
• Crawford picked a terrible time to give up a weak goal. Half way through the second period he let up a 45 footer to forth liner Joakim Andersson (who coincidentally won 8 of 9 faceoffs against Hawks centers). It was just a wrist shot that Crawford just completely whiffed on. Complete woofer of a goal. If there is one think I've learned as a goalie it's that you should never trust your glove alone, on a long shot. If you get your body/head/weenis in the way and you miss with the flipper, you still block it. We can all let him slide based on his followup performance, but I hope Stephane Waite is beating this into his head with a mallet.
• If you can imagine, the Hawks were even worse than past games at the dots. They were 39% AS A TEAM. El Capitan was the only Hawks center than even sniffed 50%. It's really amazing the Hawks managed 4 goals, when they were that awful.
• The Whipping Boy, Brendan Smith. The guy was in on almost every goal against. Hilarious. I'd like to find that guy on Twitter who was yapping at me about Smith during game 2. How's your boy treating you now? Somewhere, Ben Smith is laughing his ass off.

The fine gentlemen at HockeeNight started this, and I have to jump on the bandwagon.
Mighty Mike D from Cheer The Anthem gets the credit for the mash, and the #GorillaSalad reference is genius. I'm just mad I didn't do this first.

Here are the actual video highlights:

Read More

Playoffs: Blackhawks vs RedWings - Game 5 Win Recap

"More Than Meets the Eye"

Saturday turned out to be Detoilet's first chance to eliminate the Hawks and send them packing for good. After this magical season, the Blackhawks worst arch enemy had a chance to upset them and end their season. With the Rangers getting eliminated right at game time, it was up the the Blackhawks to keep from having two highly touted teams bounced. On to the action.

The Hawks came out more physical in the first period, and had a majority of the chances. They also had the only goal of the period. Forgive the fans for not falling for this false sense of security, because we've fallen for it before. Big hits and a goal on 12 shots were a good start but 11 shots given up were also concerning.

The Hawks opened up a two goal lead in the second period, after letting the Wings tie the game. They out shot the Wings once again, 16-11. One would think a 2 goal lead would last, but we've learned not to count our blessings in this series.

The Hawks continued their new more consistant play in the third period, they out shot the Wings a cartoonish 17-4 in the period and iced the game with their 4th goal. There will be a game 6 in Detoilet on Monday.

The Good

• Dr. Lineblender was in full effect Saturday night. The defensive pairs were back to what they were early in the season(2/7,4/27,32/8). Saad was playing with Stalberg and Shaw. Bickell, Handzus and Hossa were together. Toews, Kane and Sharp were together. The forth line was Kruger, Frolik and Bolland.
• The combination of Bickell, Hanzus and Kane caused all kinds of problems for the Wings defense resulting in Bryan Bickell with the puck on his stick in front of a gaping net. This time around the puck made it's way to the back of the net for a 1-0 Hawks lead.
• Andrew Shaw put the Hawks back up by one goal, in the second half of the second period, tipping a Duncan Keith powerplay shot past Howard. The Hawks had dominating control of the play for the duration of powerplay. The Wings simply couldn't even get a stick on the puck. Where has this powerplay been, and why can't they do this all the time?
• After another Abdelkader penalty, El Capitan finally broke his slump with a sweet snipe from the right side of the net. He read Howard down on the ice, banked it off Howard's mask and into the net. 3-1 Hawks.
• Shaw got his second goal of the game, when he picked up a Stalberg shot that was blocked wide of the net and wrapped it around the post beating Jimmy Howard, who was late getting back to his post. Shaw just happened to be coasting behind the net, when the Stalberg shot went wide and died just in front of him. In one motion he pushed it to the goal line, and into the net.

The Bad

• With the Hawks holding momentum almost halfway through the first period what does Stalberg do? He takes a lazy offensive zone interference penalty. Fucking brain dead.
• I am sick to death of Duncan Keith shooting into opponents shin pads. Sick and fucking tired of it!
• Dan Cleary used a 4 on 4 situation halfway through the second period to tie the game up. Zetterberg set him up with a nice backhand saucer pass that Brendan Smith got a piece up, and ended up on Cleary's stick. Frolik was late on the back check and Cleary beat him to the net.
• The Hawks were still pretty bad at the dots, but better than the last few games. Toews and Bolland were the worst, at 40% and 47% respectively.

The Ugly

• I haven't bitched much about the refs this series at all, but the Wings got away clear and obvious too many men penalty in the second period. Brutal! They missed several calls, including what should have been a goal, in the first period and a Frolik breakaway.

Here are the video highlights:

Read More

Playoffs: Blackhawks at Detroit - Game 4 Loss Recap

"Hand Of Doom"

By now you all know the bad news. The Wings beat the Hawks 2-0, to go up 3-1 in the series. The Hawks controlled the first period, but went completely mental in the second, loosing all composure. The third period was all about Red Wings lock down, and the Hawks headed back home with the prospect of being eliminated Saturday, at home no less.

I'm too disgusted with this effort to put up a cutsey period by period analysis. Let's be honest here, the Hawks are in bad shape, and 60 minutes from an early summer of golfing. Memorial Day may end up being the Blackhawks memorial. On with the bad news, brace yourselves:

The Good

• It's hard to find a anything good in a 2-0 loss, but the Hawks actually played very well in the first period. They out shot the Wings 14-10 but couldn't capitalize on the MANY Wings turnovers. Maybe I need to give Jimmy Howard credit, but just who the hell is this Jimmy Howard and where did he come from??????
• Corey Crawford did what he is suppose to do. He played well, and only gave up one goal. In fact, the way he has played for both series should tell you that all that "play Ray Emery" horseshit should be over. He has not cost the Hawks a single game. The Hawks are beating themselves. As I'll reitterate below, Two goals scored, in three games, are in no way shape or form Corey Crawford's fault. If you even utter the name of Ray Emery, you deserve to be flogged with a bag of rusty nails.
• I know he ended up with a couple of infractions in that nightmare of a second period, but it should be pointed out that Bryan Bickell has been HITTING PEOPLE! In what are probably the final games of his Blackhawks career, he finally figured out that he's bigger than most opponents and can use that to his advantage, rather than act like he is some 180 lb sniper ripping off wrist shots from 55 feet out. Enjoy New Jersey or Florida, Bick.

The Bad

• As was said by some people watching the game with me, you could just see the goal coming from a mile away. Six straight powerplay minutes (or should I say 5:59) and the second Kindl got the puck on his stick, I knew it was going in the net. You cannot physically kill every powerplay, especially when you've gone apeshit and taked three penalties in the first half of the second period.
• The empty net goal doesn't even matter, but their puck possession prior to it should be noted. PISS POOR.
• 40%, 47%, 44%, 29%. Those are the Blackhawks faceoff percentages, minus El Capitan's 61%. It all starts with puck possession for this team, and they weren't getting it.
• Is it too late to go back and wish for the San Jose matchup?

The Ugly

• I have no explanation for Jonathan Toews absolutely losing his shit in the second period, and taking three penalties. The frustration was clearly evident with El Capitan. The third penalty was the worst, because the game winning goal was scored with one second remaining on it. You can't expect to win many games scoring 2 goals in three games. I'm not looking forward to a summer of the rest of the NHL fanbase mumbling about how Toews cracked under the pressure.
• I said it before, and I'm repeating it once again. Their fucking terrible powerplay and lack of anyone named Toews winning faceoffs was a concern. To all of you Twitards that wanted to argue the fact, because they were rolling through the regular season, HOW YA LIKE ME NOW?????
  
• Oh, and when I was concerned they were peaking too early, yeah that.
• Lets talk about Toews and Sharp missing breakaways in the first period shall we? Bet they'd like to have at least ONE of those back now, dontcha think?
• How the hell does your best puck moving defenseman end up with EIGHT FUCKING THIRTY EIGHT of ice time? Really, Q? This was your answer to the Wings trap? If there wasn't some unreported injury, this alone should get Quenneville fired. It makes NO fucking sense.
• Other blogs and fans might tell you it's still not time to panic, but they are wrong. Get your voodoo dolls and antacids out because the Hawks are dangerously close to choking.

Here are the video highlights:

Read More

Playoffs: Blackhawks at DetroitGame 3 Loss Recap

"Random Acts of Senseless Violence"

After a disappointing game 2 the Blackhawks were in Detoilet for game 3. No preview needed, you know the drill. On to the action.

The Hawks came out with a little more of an edge in the first period than they have in a while, but it wouldn't last long. They weren't able to manage any goals, but they out shot the Wings 15-9. Not a bad period in a hostile environment.

The second period was a completely different story. The Wings took control around halfway through the period and never really lost it. They matched the Hawks first period out shooting them 14-8 and out scoring the Hawks 2-0.

The third period was even in score, and slightly favored the Hawks in shots, but the Hawks never fully recovered from the terrible second period, and lost 3-1. The now faced the unfortunate possibility of going down 3-1 before getting back to the UC.

The Good

• The line of Toews, Stalberg, and Saad was utterly dominant in the first 5 minutes of the second period. It was like a 5 minutes powerplay.
• Not even half way through the second and El Capitan had 6 shots on net. It all came to a screeching halt there, though.
Crazy 8s got the Hawks back within one goal, with fifteen minutes remaining in the third period. He was able to out race the Detroit defense for a breakaway, and beat Howard 5-hole.
• Go figure that a couple of the best Hawks chances were when the third line that was together all season got back together. Stalberg breakaway and the following rebounds.
• The Hawks penalty kill continued to stay hot, and is probably the only reason the Hawks didn't lose 5-1.

The Bad

• Andrew Shaw started his horseshit late in the first period. He drew all kinds of attention dragging a Wings player to the box with him, but Bickell stuck his yap into the mix and ended up with two minutes of his own, leaving the Hawks shorthanded. Shaw was out of his fucking mind all night. He ended up getting thrown out with a late misconduct shortly after making one of the few positive plays he made, which was a big check on Colaiacovo.
• The Wings opened up a 1-0 lead about halfway through the first period after Nyquist out raced Leddy and then twisted Seabrook around like a top. He out waited Crawford and then put it over the fallen goalie.
• Almost immediately following the Nyquist goal, thirty seconds to be exact, the fourth lines faced off and the puck ended up in the back of the Hawks net again thanks to Drew Miller. Timeout Hawks, and a much needed one.
• Shooter got a breakaway with about 5 minutes into the third and was stopped by Howard.
• Another Wings game, another night of getting their dicks kicked in at the dots. Shaw and Handzus were the only two Hawks over 50%.

The Ugly

• It didn't take long for Jakub Kindl to take a bit of a cheap shot on Stalberg and send him to the locker room. Kindl saw Stalberg coming for a big hit and undercut him, sending him into the boards head first. Real Cute.
• The Hawks were probably robbed of a goal when Shaw was called for being in the crease and interfering with Howard. I can't say that it looked like he interfered at all, on any replay I saw.
• Datsyuk stuck a daggar in the Hawks heart with a 2-on-2 goal just seven minutes into the third period that Crawford should have saved, with the time and view he had of it.
• I'm not sure if I am being over critical of a 4th line player, but Kruger has looked like absolute shit on the ice. Bad turnovers, terrible passes, and just overall bad decisions. I'd be happy only seeing him on the PK, at this point.

Here are the video highlights:

Read More

Playoffs: Blackhawks vs RedWings - Game 2 Loss Recap

"Tempo of the Damned"

What better on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Chicago, than Blackhawks playoff hockey? The answer is NOTHING. The Hawks faced the Wings in game two Saturday, after a convincing game one win. This one looked to be a little closer than game one, so lets get right to it!

The first period started a little slow for the Blackhawks, with the Wings coming out to make a statement. The Hawks were actually out shot 12-8 but scored the only goal of the period. You would expect the Hawks to use their speed to wear the Wings down in the final 40 minutes. ONE WOULD THINK!

That wasn't the case in the second period, as the Wings owned the play all period. They scored two goals on eight shots, and held the Blackhawks to only 5 shots. All that aside, the Hawks were only down one goal, and had plenty of time to wake up.

That certainly didn't happen, as the Hawks just mailed this one in. The Wings scored two goals in the third period on ten shots, and thoroughly embarrassed the Hawks. On to game three.

The Good

• With just about six minutes remaining in the first period, Shooter snuck in behind Hawks whipping boy, Brendan Smith. He lifted Smith's stick just as he was going to intercept a breakout pass and they were off to the races. Smith fell, and left Sharp, Kane and Handzus to feast on his goalie. Sharp tried to hit Kane with a pass that was blocked, but landed on the stick of Handzus. Zus then fed a wide open Kane for the easy open netter. 1-0 Hawks
• With time running out in the first period, Zetterberg had a prime chance, from the Hawks corner, to set up a back door goal for Kronwall. Hjalmarsson was able to one up Kronwall by lifting his stick, snuffing out the chance. That is a play that the casual fan doesn't notice but wins games. Plays like that are just as important as the goals.
• Not that this will show up in the stats, but Crawford made several nice saves to keep them in the game. This loss is not on him.

The Bad

• Rozy Val set up Saad for a nice cross ice back door chance about 7 minutes into the game, and Saad waited far too long to get the shot off. Howard beat him to the post. Playoff hockey, kid. One timers, for fucks sakes!
• Jakub Kindl and Damien Brunner tied the game up, about two and a half minutes into the second period. The shot was a light dump towards the net and seemed to have eyes and deflect off Brunner. That's one the that Hawks and Crawford would like back.
• The Hawks broke down in their own end and Sharp allowed Brendan Smith to sneak in behind him late in the second period to allow the Wings to take a 2-1 lead. Zetterberg set the play up, but the Blackhawks laziness was a huge contributor.
• The Hawks went down 4-1 as Bolland won a faceoff, but then let Zetterberg skate right past him. Seabrook took a half assed pinch attempt and Zetterberg skated right around him, to lead a 3 on 2 chance. The puck was dropped back to Filppula who shrugged off a Bolland half assed attempt to knock him off the puck, and got Crawford to open up the 5 hole. 4-1 Wings.
• For the second game in a row the Blackhawks were horse collared at the faceoff dots. The only one over the 50% mark was InvisiBolly. El Capitan was at 40% which makes for a terrible day.

The Ugly

• During the Hawks first powerplay Leddy fell down between the Wings blue line and red line. Cory Emmerton ended up with a break-a-way, but Seabrook was able to catch up to him, and Crawford was able to make the save.
• Hjalmarsson looked to be on whatever was making Sharp sleepy, letting Franzen get in behind him and beat Crawford for a 3-1 Wings lead. You cannot let a player as slow as Franzen get in behind you and eat your goalie up. That's pathetic.
• Stalberg missed his second game in a row, as a healthy scratch. This has to be some of the dumbest shit ever. Gorilla Salad can run around like a mental patient doing dumb shit, and Stalberg is sitting in the press box.
• Rozy Val and Oduya were plus 1, but the rest of the defensive corp were a combined minus EIGHT!
• The Hawks out hit the Wings 36-26. So, all the fucking meatballs can quit with the "they have to get more hits", horseshit. It obviously makes no difference.
• Even though they killed all the powerplays against, Bolland alone had 3 penalties. Seriously, what the fuck is he trying to accomplish?

Here are the video highlights:

Read More

Playoffs: Blackhawks vs RedWings - Game 1 Win Recap

"The Toxic Waltz"

The western conference semifinals opened up, Wednesday night in the United Center, with the Blackhawks facing their most hated rival, the Detoilet Red Wings. This might be the storybook ending that the Hawks/Wings rivalry deserves. Next season they will be off to feast on the Eastern Conference, leaving the Hawks to muck it up with the likes of the St. Louis Blues. Repulsive, I know. Anyhow, the Wings were coming off an emotional game 7 and series win against the Anaheim Ducks. For that, I must thank the Wings. That was now in the past, so back to hating the Wings. Dave Bolland was replacing Stalberg in the lineup, as well as Carcillo making an appearance. This was going to, no doubt, be a rough series, but championships don't come easy. Live from the United Center in Chicago, this IS the Blackhawks and Red Wings.

The Hawks came out and had a Jeckyl/Hyde type opening period, in game one. They were buzzing around the rink, early on, and even took a 1-0 lead. As they have been known to do, though, they fell asleep and allowed Detroit to tie the game back up. Some stupid penalties gave the Wings some prime opportunities in the closing half of the period, who actually out shot the Hawks 7-6.

The Blackhawks made up for a 50/50 first period by coming out in the second and out shooting the Wings 17-5. Of course, none of those 17 shots resulted in any goals, but the pressure was seriously on. The Wings had to consider themselves lucky that the game was still tied, but that wouldn't last long.

It was only a matter of time, with all the shots that the Hawks were getting, before they opened up the game. The third period was that time. They scored 3 goals, while out shooting the Wings and unbelievable 19-9. That was enough for the Hawks to take game one, 4-1.

The Good

• In some of the first few shifts, Justin Abdelkader tried to throw a big hit at Michal Roszival and ended up eating the shaft of Rozy Val's stick. Probably dirty on Rozy's part, but sometimes you have to send a message.
• Something I didn't think I'd say, the Hawks opened up the scoring on the powerplay with a steal by El Capitan and Sharpie on Brendan Smith just inside the Wings blue line. Toews then got the puck over to Hoss, and who just rifled a one timer past Howard into the net.
• Dave Bolland was invisible in the first period, but he certainly showed up in the final two. He was obviously getting under the skin of the Wings, and had a third period break-a-way. I guess he really does like the third line.
• The Hawks jumped on yet another Wings lapse in coverage to tie up the game, almost halfway through the third. Oduya slid into a hole the size of the entire burnt out city of Detroit, in the Wings zone. Sharp found him with a pass, and Oduya surgically beat Howard on the glove side.
• I have to point out how nice it is to see Todd Bertuzzi in a virtually useless role. That guy can chow on a festering scrotum.
• Dream Warrior Kruger put the Hawks up by two, with 8:30 remaining in the game. The play was set up but Gorilla Salad's forecheck, and resulting possession. Mr. Gorilla Salad threw the puck through the crease and it squirted out to Kruger, who pitched it over a prone Howard. There was blood in the water.
• He didn't show up on the scoresheet, but Saad had several really good chances, and could have easily had 2 goals. That Quenneville wakeup call really did something for him.
• The usually solid Lucky Number Sleven saved a huge chance, late in the third period. A Crawford rebound was whacked over him and hit the crossbar. The puck was actually heading towards the net but Seabrook whacked it out of mid air and out of harms way.
• A late terrible Oduya turnover that ended up smack dab in front of the net, was saved by Crawford beautifully and then eventually turned around the other way, resulting in Shooter empty net goal. When it rains, it pours, Detoilet.
• Toews, Handzus, and Bolland were all over 50% at the dots, but Kruger and Frolik were a collective 0-13. Which clearly needs to be better in game 2.
• Sharp Dressed Man had three points and led the Hawks with 7 shots. Shoulder looks good, doesn't it?
• Just imagine the fits that Viktor Stalberg's speed would have given the Wings.

The Bad

• That first fluke aside, the Blackhawks powerplay is still complete and utter dog dung. It boggles my mind how they could manage to completely screw up such great man advantages with the talent they have.

The Ugly

• The Hawks allowed Damian Brunner to bring the puck in from the center line in with little to no resistance, just about 2 minutes after the Hossa goal. The defense got completely crossed up and there wasn't a defender on Brunner's half of the rink. Seabrook closed the space, but Brunner still got a solid shot off. Crawford made saves on the shot and one rebound, but the second rebound was poked past him, tying up the game.
• Andrew Shaw ended up with not one, but TWO penalties in the first period. Neither of which were even close to tolerable. With second penalty, Shaw barely grazed an already fallen Kindl with his elbow. There is no need to even put yourself in that position, though.

Here are the video highlights:

Read More

Playoffs: Blackhawks vs WildGame 5 Series Finale Win Recap

"Five Magics"

The Blackhawks returned to Chicago, Thursday night for their first chance at moving on to the second round, since the spring of 2010. We all remember how that went. Anyhow, the Blackhawks seem to be the recipients of some fortunate opponent injuries, more specifically, the Wild goalies. In game 4, their original backup, Josh Harding, was hurt and their 3rd string goalie, Darcy Keumper, was forced into action. The Wild never really stood a chance after that. The Blackhawks played just well enough leave St. Paul splitting the two games there 1-1. That's good enough for me. First try at elimination tonight. Live from the United Center in Chicago, it's the Blackhawks and the Wild.

The Wild came out with an honest and great effort, tying the Blackhawks in shots 10-10. Even with their effort and a stupid Hawks penalty, the Wild weren't able to put anything into the net. The Hawks, on the other hand, scored the only goal in the first period. On the way to round two or a Wild comeback?

The wheels fell off the cart, and it burst into flames, for the Wild in the second period. They were able to score a goal to break the shutout, but the Blackhawks scored THREE goals to break any momentum. That is just a hole that an 8th seed can't recover from. The Hawks out shot Minny pretty handily, 13-8.

The third period was really academic, because the Hawks were well out in front and in control. They actually didn't take their foot off the gas, though, and were still able to add a 5th goal on 10 shots while holding the Wild to a measly 4 shots. The Wild were like a beaten dog all period long, and I can't say they were ever a threat in the series. On to round 2.

The Good

• El Capitan decided to make an appearance for game 5, chasing down a Seabrook dump in, and dropping it off to Hossa at the left dot in the Wild zone. Hossa immediately snapped the puck past Harding on the short side. Bang bang play with about 5 minutes left in the first period, and the crowd was sensing a celebration.
• Dream Warrior Marcus Kruger raced into the Wild zone and beat the defense to a dump in behind the net, just over three minutes into the second period. He immediately wrapped the puck around the far post and beat a very late late to the post Josh Harding. You have to think that Harding's tardiness had to do with his injury from the previous game because he was not moving well at all.
• Hossa scored his second of the game just over three minutes after the Kruger goal. Hoss just took the puck from behind the net and strongly drove across the crease with a defender all over him. His first shot was saved by Harding, but the rebound was pushed around Harding's left leg. He is Marian Hossa, and you simply are not! Again, Harding looked to be limited by his mysterious injury from the previous game. That ended Josh Harding's night and season. The boy named Darcy then entered the game, for the Hawks to feast on.
• Thirty five seconds after Mitchell broke the shutout, Shaw picked up a puck that was shot to the short side of the net by Bickell. The puck shot back out past the far post where Shaw was camping out. I'm not really sure why Kuemper slid to follow a puck that was going 2 feet wide of the net, but thank you. This made him very slow getting over to the far post, and Shaw had an open net. Might have been the biggest goal of the game, with the Wild just starting to gain some momentum.
• Mr Handsome fought El Capitan in front of the Wild net for a third period 5-on-3 Duncan Keith rebound, in front of Darcy Kuemper. Once he finally got a hold of the puck, Sharp chipped it into the net over Kuemper. If the game wasn't iced already, and it was, this goal was the final nail in the coffin.
• The Blackhawks were 17 for 17 on the penalty kill in the series. That is huge!
• For the second time in the series, Bryan Bickell freight trained a Wild player. This time the unfortunate victim was Tom Gilbert. Where has this Bryan Bickell been, and why are we just now meeting him?
• Following the STUPID faceoff violation penalty, Crawford made an enormous save on Koivu sliding across the net and kicking out what looked like a sure goal.
• Carcillo played his second game of the series and was slotted where he belongs, the 4th line. That I can live with, even though Ben Smith would bring more to the table.

The Bad

• The Wild's Torrey Mitchell broke the shutout about halfway through the second period immediately following another successful Blackhawks penalty kill. Handzus and the rest of the crew fell asleep after patting themselves on the back following the PK, and let Mitchell sneak into the soft spot in the slot. Crawford really didn't have much of a chance to react. Meh, whatever. All that Wild fun and excitement would last exactly 35 seconds.
• Kruger and Handzus were bitch slapped at the dots once again, helping drag the team totals under the 50% mark. This Handzus thing might have run it's course, which would be a perfect time for Bolland to get his ass on the ice and do something other than suck the life out of his linemates.

The Ugly

• I need someone to ask Quenneville just how in the hell the Hawks have gotten TWO faceoff voilation penalties this year. I have NEVER seen that called before this season. Ridiculous rule, completely subjective, and pointless. The Wild spent all of game 4 cheating the faceoffs, and weren't even as much as warned, but Stalberg moving a half second early earns them a penalty?
• Mouth breathing cementheat Mike Rupp earned himself a 2 and 10 after the game was well out of hand. There is that sandpaper, again. Did a helluva lot of good didn't it, eh?

Here are the video highlights:

Read More

Playoffs: Blackhawks at MinnesotaGame 4 Shutout Win Recap

"Better Than You"

The Blackhawks returned to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul Minnesota, Tuesday night to face the Wild following their overtime loss Sunday. This result was not a surprise, as I had picked the Blackhawks to win the series in 5 games, which would require them to lose one. The Hawks would have Duncan Keith returning from a hectic day off. He flew to Chicago to be there for the birth of his son Monday, and turned right back around to come back to Minnesota for game 4. The Blackhawks had the Gorilla Salad joining the lineup and the Wild were dressing their prized trade deadline acquisition Jason Pominville. I'll give the Wild the edge on that trade off. Live from the Cel in Minnyhaha, it's the Blackhawks and Wild.

Minnesota seemed to have a majority of the early play but only out shot the Hawks 7-6 in the period, and the Hawks scored the only goal of the period. The Hawks seemed to gain momentum as the period went on and carried it into the second.

Even though they had to kill some penalties, the second period was still pretty much won by the Hawks. They out shot the home team 11-6 and scored a quick goal to go up 2-0. Time to swoop in for the kill.

The Hawks added a third period goal, and even though the Wild out shot them, there was never a threat. The Hawks left the Xcel Center for the last time this season with a 3-0 win. On to the UC for the clincher!

The Good

• The duo of Kruger and Frolik have turned into the Batman and Robin of penalty killing. Watching them put pressure on, while down a player, is so entertaining.
• Patrick Sharp, with the help of Michal Handzus, opened the scoring about halfway through the first period. Hossa stole the puck along the boards and gave it to a streaking Handzus. Zus snapped a shot off Sharp and past Harding's glove. 1-0 Hawks.
• Patrick Sharp made it 2-0, a minute into the second period, after Mr. American Hero Zach Parise turned the puck over in the neutral zone with a stupid, lazy backhand pass. The puck ended up on the stick of Shooter, who just carried it over the blue line and snapped the shot past Kuemper. The first playoff shot Darcy Kuemper ever faces goes 5 hole and in. Welcome to the show, Kid.
• Just after the midway point of the third period, Bryan Bickell iced the game for the Blackhawks. He controlled a puck in the Wild corner long enough to skate it out over the goal line. He turned and fired it from a terrible angle, but it was deflected and went off Keumper's purse, somehow making it into the net.
• The Blackhawks blocked an amazing 26 shots, with the duo of Oduya and Roszival tallying a clownish 9 total.
• As good as El Capitan was at the dots (76%), Shaw was that bad (22%). Overall the Hawks led with 56%.
• The penalty kill was 6 for 6. No need to explain how colossally important that is.
• After getting no sleep, Duncan Keith showed back up in Minnesota, and played 23:57.

The Bad

• Josh Harding was hurt late in the first period on a pretty innocent play, when Toews was knocked down on top of Harding. He finished the first period but it was a struggle. Darcy Kuemper came out for the second period, and really never stood a chance.
• The Hawks opened up the third period taking two pretty pointless penalties, which resulted in four straight minutes of penalty kill time. That's the bad news. The good news is that the Wild couldn't manage much on either chance.

The Ugly

• Gorilla Salad welcomed himself back into the lineup by getting a very sketchy penalty just a minute or so after the Hawks goal. As Sleazy P. Martini once said, "Elbows and knuckles, all you know how".
• How does Gorilla Salad get rewarded for taking a dumb ass penalty? He gets put out on the ice with Kane and Toews in the second period. I throw my hands in the air on this one. The one HEALTHY player that sucks the life out everyone around him gets put on the ice with two of the best players in the league. He played 8 shifts for a total of 3:55, and a stupid penalty. What is the fucking point?
• Parise, Suter, and Pominville each had 3 missed shots. There is clutch for some lettermen and their prized deadline acquisition.
• The power play is still the Air Jordans of clown shoes.
• After the Hawks took a 3-1 lead in the series, the Canucks followed that up by getting swept. Oh sweet irony.

Here are the video highlights:

Read More

Playoffs: Blackhawks at MinnesotaGame 3 OT Loss Recap

"Caught in a Mosh"

The Blackhawks carried a 2-0 series lead back to Minnesota, Sunday afternoon, with an opportunity to take a commanding lead in their first round series. After a shaky first game, the Hawks won convincingly Friday night. The Blackhawks didn't have any lineup changes, nor did they need to. They were playing their game, and taking it to the Wild. Something tells me that the Wild were going to ramp up the effort for this one. Live from usually chilly Minnyhaha, it's the Blackhawks and the Wild.

The first period was a fast a furious one. The Wild came out with something to prove, and out shot the Blackhawks 15-9. Both teams scored to make a game of it. The Blackhawks would need to step up their intensity because the Wild weren't going down without a fight.

The second period was actually worse than the first for the Blackhawks. They were out shot 14 to 8 in the period, partly due to some stupid penalties. There were no goals in the middle frame, but there easily could have been. The Blackhawks were going to have to dig down and find some heart to win this one.

The Blackhawks came out in the third period and surrendered the lead with some lethargic play. That woke them up enugh to out shoot the Wild for the first time in the game, and eventually tie the game. This baby was going to extra time, and it didn't take long for the Wild to pull this one out 3-2 at home. Next game, Tuesday.

The Good

• Crazy 8s set up Oduya for the first goal of the game, with about seven minutes remaining in the first period. Kane pulled his usual curl in the zone, and the Wild defense all turned into hungry zombies, just blindly drifting towards him. Oduya snuck in from the point and Kane hit him on the tape. Johnny waited about 4 days, and picked Harding apart.
• The Blackhawks caught the Wild in a bad change with just over 2 minutes to go in the third period and tied up the game. Sharp noticed the change and rushed the puck into the zone. He dumped the puck off to Kane who waited for Deuce to catch the play, and fed him with a beautiful pass. Deuce just sized Harding up and blazed a shot through him. Keith was wide open because Cal Clusterfuck tried to take a cheap shot at El Capitan as they were both going for changes. That timing delayed Clusterfuck's replacement long enough to leave Keith wide open. There is what your ass hattery gets you.
• Outside of a questionable overtime goal, Crawford bailed out the Blackhawks several times. The loss should not overshadow his effort.
• Kane was on fire all game, but how much can you do all by yourself?

The Bad

• With a minute to go in the first period, the Hawks failed to control a Cal Clutterbuck rebound and Pierre-Marc Bouchard scooped it up. He backhanded the puck off the crossbar and in. THe Hawks defense was a little too passive cleaning up the mess in front of the net, and it cost them.
• The Wild clearly had an agenda in the first, and that was to agitate the Blackhawks. They were hitting and jawing all period. This was a surprise, considering head cementhead, Zenon Konopka, as scratched.
• The Hawks got caught running around deep in their own zone just a couple of minutes into over time and the Wild's Zucker picked a spot over Crawford's shoulder to win the game. Oduya was floundering around, Stalberg got caught not giving a fuck, and Crawford was down and out early. Sloppy for sure, but the Wild still have a long way to go in this series.
• The Hawks got their dicks kicked in at the faceoff dots. El Capitan was the only center to win more than he lost, and Handzus was a team low 31%. That has to get better.
• Brandon Saad had a minus 2 hung on him. He wasn't directly responsible for the goals, but so be it.

The Ugly

• In an effort to control a game that was getting out of control, the refs called some chintzy calls in the second, especially one on El Capitan.
• A Roszival double turnover with about 4 minutes gone in the third turned into the go ahead goal for the Wild. Roszival got beat and Toews over pursued the play. The puck squirted out to the one guy you DON'T want to be one on one with your goalie, Zach Parise. Parise put a shot over Crawford's glove, similar to the one on the first period Bouchard goal, and we had ourselves a game.

Here are the video highlights:

Read More

Playoffs: Blackhawks vs WildGame 2 Win Recap

"Blood Red"

Just want to first pass on my condolences to the friends and family of a guy I had the pleasure of hanging out with on a number of occasions, Jeff Hanneman of Slayer. Great guy, and it was very sad to learn of his passing.

Luckily for us Bloggers, the Blackhawks were able to pull out a tight 2-1 win against the Wild, Tuesday. The crap that the meatballs would have been spewing would have been homicide inducing, with a 3 day break in between games. The Wild used Josh Harding in net again Friday night, because of the injury to Backstrom. The Blackhawks, on the other hand, would be dressing the game lineup from Game 1. A two game lead in the series would be huge head start for them. Live from the United Center in Chicago, it's the Blackhawks and the Wild!

The Hawks first period was the opposite of the game 1 first period, as they came out and dominated the Wild. Not only did the Hawks out shot their opponents 17-7 after 20 minutes, but they were up 1-0 on the score board. The key was to keep this up.

The second period wasn't as good as the first but the Hawks were able to extend their lead, before the Wild scored their goal. Minny actually out shot the Hawks 15-14, which had to concern the Hawks coach. One more solid period, and the Hawks would be heading to Minny for game 3 up 2-0.

The Blackhawks put the game away in the third with 3 goals on 17 shots. The Wild were able to somewhat keep it close but that wasn't nearly enough. The Blackhawks pretty easily walked away and headed to Minnesota up 2-0. Next game Sunday.

The Good

• Nice to see Dullig actually do something positive, as he rag dolled Tom Gilbert early in the first period.
• After the negated goal, the Hawks took a 1-0 lead a few minutes later with the 4th line on the ice. Shaw drove into the zone and fired a long slapshot that was blocked. Harding had committed to the original shot and the block made it's way through Tom Gilbert's legs to Frolik's stick. Open net, and 1-0 Blackhawks lead.
• Fifteen seconds after an El Capitan high sticking penalty the Hawks had a 3-on-3 rush and Frolik was the fortunate recipient of another lucky bounce off a Wild defender. He was able to slide it between Harding's legs for a 2-0 Blackhawks lead, shorthanded no less.
• The Hawks showed a part of their game they hadn't shown in years, when they started throwing some heavy body checks, especially in the second period.
• Shooter threw his hat in hat ring with less than 5 minutes into the third frame. After a failed chance by Zus, Kane got the puck to Sharp, who was just to Harding's left. Sharp pulled the puck in front of the net and over Harding's shoulder for a 3-1 Hawks lead.
• Shooter struck again on an amazing Crazy 8s spinning pass. Sharp was left wide open with the entire net in front of him. Kane's pass was pretty much a blind spin-o-rama pass
• Bickell was able to out race the Wild's Brodin, to flip the puck into a open net with the goalie pulled to ice the game.
• Forty eight shots on net is huge. you're not going to lose many games with totals like that.
• Hjalmarsson was a very quiet plus 3 on the night.
• Michael Roszival led the Hawks with 17:51 toi again and had a +2.
• The Hawks beat the Wild in face offs, 54% to 46%. Toews led and the three other centers were right at 50%. Sharp chipped in winning all 4 face offs he took.

The Bad

• The Hawks looked to have take a lead 5 minutes into the game, but it was clear that Kane tried to kick the puck to his stick and actually kicked the puck into the net. Not much complaint there.
• Matt Cullen found Devin Setoguchi in behind the napping Hawks defense of Seabrook and Keith to put him in 1-on-1 with Crawford. Setoguchi did what an NHL sniper should, which is beat Crawford with a perfect snipe over his glove that went off the crossbar and in. The Hawks defense was looking far too cocky, which led to them getting sloppy. After the goal, the Wild had an almost identical chance that seemed to have sent Quenneville's crew to the doghouse.
• Marco Scandella brought the Wild back in within 2 goals, just two minutes after the second Sharp goal. The Hawks had a lot of trouble getting the puck out of the zone and Crawford was able to save several shots, but one of the rebound made it out to the point, and Scandella beat Crawford.

The Ugly

• Minus 8 total for Koivu, Parise and Suter. That's clutch for the letter wearers, there.

Here are the video highlights:

Read More