Blackhawks vs. Sabres 5-1 Win Recap

"Aces High"

By Patrick Norton

While they lost their five game win streak with a loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, the Blackhawks could salvage the weekend with a Sunday evening matchup on the road in upstate New York. The KeyBank Center in the heart of downtown Buffalo was home to tonight’s #HockeyDayInAmerica showdown on NBCSN between two non-conference, non-rival, and unevenly matched teams. I mean, they’re the Sabres. They have Eichel and the brother of some dude on Saad’s line. Anyways, this somehow made a national broadcaster, but it didn’t receive the A-Team broadcasters. We’ll discuss that bit later.

The first period provided a rocky start - what else is new? - for the Blackhawks, but no matter the mistakes the skaters made, #LemontNativeScottDarling was there to rescue his teammates. Ryan Hartman lit the lamp early on and the Blackhawks livened up a bit. Suddenly, puck possession was a Blackhawks tradition that couldn’t be broken. Robin Lehner somehow was keeping his squad in the game, but all momentum found residence on the away team bench. Darling made the saves and all seemed well just seconds from heading into the locker room with a one goal lead after one. But we can’t have nice things, so after the refusal to clear their own end, a turnover occurred and one thing led to another. We all know how this one ends. A crappy goal to end a period to suck the life out of the Hawks. Perfect.

Evander Kane’s goal did not leave a lasting impact. The Hawks went right back to work in the second. Sure, goals seemed harder to come by, but with the blazing pace the Hawks had, it was surely only a matter of time. Ta Da! Marian Hossa and Jonathan Toews tacked on late period tallies and the defense ya know...defended in the final seconds of the period and the Hawks had a commanding grasp on this one.

For good measure, Anisimov deflected in a Patrick Kane shot to increase the lead to three and Kane cut himself a slice of the cake when he undressed Lehner to finish of an offensive gem for the Blackhawks. The road win streak carries on to six. HEADLINE: Kane, Blackhawks cause mayhem in Buffalo. Too soon? Hawks 5, Sabres 1.

The Good

• Just about everything.
• Patrick Kane’s goal made Ben Bishop shit his pants from thousands of miles away. It really doesn’t get much better than that. 
• Don’t forget about the setup, though. Panarin’s patience in feeding the puck to Kane grew as the game went on and boy, did it pay dividends. Panarin drew THREE Sabre defenders and shimmied a pass across the offensive zone to a wide open Kane. How many times do we have to say it? Don’t leave Patrick Kane alone in Buffalo.
• Hossa and Toews are really deteriorating rapidly, eh? *insert middle finger emoji*
• Highly underrated in this game was the Blackhawks PK. They killed off a 5-on-3 in the first period and made it look easy. 
• It sucks that the outcome will likely come from another team, but damn, Scott Darling is going to get PAID! Deservedly so, too. One goal allowed on twenty-seven shots faced. Pretty good for a goalie who hasn’t played too much.
• The defense did their job very well for 59:55 of tonight’s game. Not much to complain about. Even Michal Kempny did pretty well. 
• Instead of watching the final five minutes of the game, I enjoyed a wonderful meal consisting of a strip steak, not one, but TWO baked potatoes, and some asparagus. A delicious meal made on the grill tonight. This weather was fantastic. I cleaned the garage, I ran errands, and grilled. I hope everybody with similar weather was able to enjoy it, too. 

The Bad

• Ryan Hartman grabbed his knee and writhed in pain momentarily on the bench. I didn’t really follow up, so I would imagine he’s okay.
• I wasn’t too fond of the broadcasting crew. At least the doctor wasn’t in the house tonight. 

The Ugly

• The defense simply had a mental lapse in the final ten seconds of period one. The point is mute after the big victory, so I don’t even remember who was on the ice, but not every team is like the Sabres. A lot of other teams wouldn’t have fumbled the momentum handed to them at a period’s end. Be better.

Short and sweet tonight, just like Gate. Enjoy your President’s Day and if you can, take a step outside. No hockey worth watching tomorrow, so you’re going to have to find something to do. That is, unless you sleep all day like a wild nocturnal Fatrick. Alright, alright, alright, that’s all, I swear.

Thanks for being a fun bunch, Hostile readers. 

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Blackhawks vs. Sabres4-3 OT Win Recap

"Better Than Pearl Jam"

by Patrick Stankus
Tweet to #Fatrick

After Monday afternoon's debacle in St. Louis, the Blackhawks found their way out of the sewer drains of the city and returned home to host Buffalo on Thursday. The Hawks have hit a bit of a rough patch of late, as they've struggled to post a 1-3-1 record in their last five games. Despite the gloom of late, the Hawks did get some good news tonight as Marian Hossa returned to the lineup. Also making an appearance with the Hawks tonight was recent Rockford callup Spencer Abbott on the top line. All this has the makings of another bad loss, doesn't it?

Unlike in recent games, the Blackhawks actually decided to get started once the puck dropped. The Hawks simply clowned the Sabres, like they should, throughout the period. All the fun and games last a whole seven minutes, before Brent Seabrook had a beautiful assist on a Marcus Foligno goal to put the Hawks in an early 1-0 hole. After the hiccup, the Hawks got back to their clowning show, and before long, Ryan Hartman tied to the game at one. After throwing twenty shots at #LeddyScraps, they could only muster one goal, and headed into the intermission tied at one.

The second period saw the Hawks come back down to earth and play more like the Hawks we've seen of late. Michal Kempny put the Hawks shorthanded early on, and that was the tone of the period for the Hawks. In total, the Hawks would parade themselves to the penalty box two more times in the period, and it finally bit them in the ass. Just eighteen seconds after Kyle Okposo scored, Artem Anisimov answered back and tied the game at two. After tallying twenty shots in the first period, the Hawks only threw nine at the Sabres net in the second, but still managed to be tied after forty minutes.

The scoring continued in early on in the third period. The consolation prize to Connor McClavicle gave Buffalo an early 3-2 lead, with their second power play goal of the game. For the most part of the period, the Hawks again controlled the pace of the game, and it looked as if frustration was settling in. Fear not, in the waning minutes of the period, Artem Anisimov showed his face again, and tied the game at three. With the game tied, both teams seemed content to grab a point and head to overtime. In the overtime that no one was watching, unless you were at the game, (thanks World Juniors), Patrick Kane wasted little time and scored fifty-six seconds into overtime to give the Hawks the 4-3 win.
The Good

• Artem Anisimov scored two goals tonight, and now is in sole possession of the team lead in goals with 18. I guess the honeymoon with the #AK72Line is still going strong.
• Patrick Kane had a goal and two assists. Again, how about that #AK72Line eh?
• Ryan Hartman opened the scoring for the Hawks with a highlight reel goal. I wouldn't go as far as to call it "looking like Bobby Orr" as Edzo said because Hartman was dove at the end, but it was nice. Oh and did I mention I think that Bobby Orr goal is one of the most overrated moments in sports history?
• Marian Hossa returned to the lineup tonight after his most recent injury. For the most part Hossa didn't look too bad in his return.
• Michal Kempny added an assist tonight to continue his points streak. (There, you happy Gate? I only put this in there for you)
• Dennis Rasmussen continued his solid play of late with another quality game. I'll repeat, if Kruger is traded, I would not mind seeing Rasmussen slide into that role.

The Bad

• The Hawks had twenty shots in the first period. If you think that's bad, they ended the game with forty-three. I'm sorry, but if you put up that many shots against a team like Buffalo, you should blow them out, not win in overtime.
• In his Blackhawks debut Spencer Abbott saw the ice for 8:34. I'm sure he'll be on the Rockford Shuttle soon.
• The special teams struggled for the Hawks tonight. The power play was 0-2 while the penalty kill allowed two goals. Shocking the Hawks managed to win tonight.
• Brian Campbell may say he's still having "fun," but he's now found himself as the odd man out of the lineup.

The Ugly

• Brent Seabrook was awful tonight. He had a brutal turnover that led to the Sabres opening goal, and he also took a bad penalty late in the second period.
• Seriously try and watch a shift that features Andrew Desjardins. Its brutal.
• I'm all for the NHL putting an "NHL Centennial" patch on the jerseys, but the placement of them on the sleeves is not a good look. Be normal. Put them on the front where they belong.
• Evander Kane was a -3 tonight. I'm guessing it was Patrick Kane who won NBCSN's battle of the Kanes tonight?
• Ryan O'Reilly was named the game's third star of the night tonight. I guess that's deserving since he didn't crash his car in the Dunkin' Donuts drive thru when he went for his pre-game coffee.

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Blackhawks vs. Sabres 3-1 Win Recap

"Heat Of The Moment"

 
by Patrick Stankus

With Gate in Anaheim Ducks country this weekend, he entrusted me with the keys to Puckin' Hostile, which meant I drew the short straw to recap a game against the Buffalo Sabres. After seeing how entertaining the first matchup of these two teams was, I was simply doing cartwheels all day in excitement. Screw it, this is a game against a boring Eastern Conference team, lets just get right to the game.

The first period actually wasn't that bad when comparing it to the last matchup of these two. Throughout the period both teams would trade chances, but a lot of them were the famous one and done chances. Both teams would end up in double digits for shots, as they would have 11 each in the first period. Late in the period, Niklas Hjalmarsson would put the Hawks on the scoreboard first with his second of the year with just over minute remaining in the period. With little time on the clock left, the Hawks would end up taking the one goal lead into the first intermission.

Whatever excitement there was in the first period, the second period sucked the life out of me. The Hawks would pepper Chad Johnson with 19 shots, but none of them would find the back of the net. Midway through the period, the Hawks were forced to kill off a Hjalmarsson slashing penalty, which they did, to maintain their one goal lead. Corey Crawford kept me from completely falling asleep as he made a few nice glove saves throughout the period. When the horn mercifully sounded, the Hawks would continue to lead 1-0.

Finally in the third period, The UC awoke from the slumber they had been in for the first 40 minutes of play. The offense finally got going just after the midway mark of the third period. However it was the Sabres who would get on the board first in the third period. Ryan O'Reilly fired a wrist shot that beat Corey Crawford to tie the game at one. The tie would prove to be short lived, as Phillip Danault took advantage of the space given to him and blew a twisted wrister top shelf past Chad Johnson to give the Hawks a 2-1 lead. Jonathan Toews would add an empty netter late to seal the 3-1 win over the Sabres.
The Good

• Artemi Panarin answered one of my questions I have about him. In the second period, he was in a spirited battle in front of the goal crease with Zach Bogosian. Despite the size difference, Panarin didn't back down after the first cross check he received. He simply gave one back to Bogosian, and the battle was on. It reminded me a lot of this.
  
• Panarin again showed in the third period some of that heart and toughness again. This time he came to the aid of Patrick Kane in a post whistle scrum.
• Corey Crawford came up large again for the Hawks. If there are still any doubters out there, I simply don't know what else you are looking for from a goalie.
• Phillip Danault scored his first career NHL goal, which proved to be a thing of beauty and the game winning goal. Danault continues to impress game after game. I know, I've already set aside money for a (insert new NHL team here) Marcus Kruger jersey for next season. I'm aware its a business folks. I'm not really pissed off about it. It happens, you move on. And if anything, Danault gives me and everyone else on the brink of 30 that needs hip surgery some hope.
• The PK was called upon twice tonight, and both times they delivered.
• Erik Gustafsson had a solid night as well. He assisted on Hammer's opening goal, and was effective on the power play too.
• 3 of the 4 lines played really well tonight. Its hard to say the fourth line actually played tonight. I actually feel bad for Moose, as he stuck centering two ECHL caliber players in Garbutt and Bickell.

The Bad

• The shot totals for the Hawks tonight were; 11, 19, and 15 for a total of 45. A lot of those chances were only one and done. You'd like to see them get a little more traffic, and more net front presence when the pucks are getting through like that.
• Speaking of shots, who else thought after a scoreless second period in which the Hawks had 19 shots, that we were headed for one of those famous 45+ shots on goal, but end up losing nights?
• I'm going to let Danault enjoy his night, I won't point out his one negative that I saw tonight. Enjoy your first NHL goal kid.
• Garbutt and Bickell continue to dress for 5 minutes a night. This is really tiresome.

The Ugly

• The first 50 minutes of this game were B-O-R-I-N-G. Bigger nets wouldn't have made this game more exciting. It was a victim of boring Eastern Conference hockey.
• Good luck on Sunday to Evander Kane with his return to Winnipeg. You're gonna need it.

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Blackhawks at Buffalo3-2 Shootout Win Recap

"The Great Pretender"

by Gatekeeper

Well, the Puckin Hostile Road Watch was a huge bust, and so was the game we watched. That is alright, because we all knew that doing a roadwatch on the Saturday before Christmas was an awful idea. Eh, big deal.

The Blackhawks came out in the first period and took a quick 1-0 lead, but then went into winter hibernation. Two straight Sabres goals put the Blackhawks in a hole which they eventually dug themselves out of very late in the game.

The game went to overtime, in a rare no 3-vs-3, because of powerplays each way. When the game finally hit the shootout, the Blackhawks first of the season, it played out exactly how you would have thought. Patrick Kane was the only scorer, and the Blackhawks took the extra point.

The Good

• Dennis Rasmussen might very well be a thing. He put the Blackhawks up in the first period with a power move around Evander "I'm the second best" Kane. Once he was in on Chad Johnson, he was able to lift a shot up and over Johnson's glove for a 1-0 lead. All looked like it was going to go the Hawks way. Not so much.
• You could not have scripted this result any better. Blackhawks and Sabres are tied with under 2 minutes to go and who scores on the 6-on-3 advantage? Patrick Fucking Kane. Because, of course. It took them FAR too long to score, also. According to stats, they are third in the league in powerplay scoring, but they take damn need 2 full minutes to score on a 6-on-3 advantage against a team who's PK is in the 20's. This 3rd in the league shit is going to come crashing down, soon.
• Phillip Danault had an alright debut. He played bout 11 and a half minutes. He was on the ice for the Franson goal, but that had nothing to do with him.

The Bad

• The Ryan O'Reilly goal was a result of a Blackhawks defensive crossup. O'Reilly gave the puck up to Sam Reinhart and both Blackhawks defenders just left O'Reilly alone. Reinhart found O'Reilly on the back door and Crawford had no chance.
• Two Sabres penalties on the same play was an absolute gift.

The Ugly

• This game was painfully boring. PAINFULLY
• As #Fatrick said, "Stunning, Gate and I are watching a game which there was no 3 on 3 OT, and game goes to a shootout. Blame #TeamMiserable"
• Ryan O'Reilly, Tyler Ennis, and Zemgus Girgensons all failed in the shootout. What about that Eichel kid?
• Speaking of Jack "The Greatest American Hero" Eichel. He played 18:55, or so I'm told.
  
• The Cody Franson goal was brutal. Crawford went behind the net to play it, the puck hopped over his stick and he just assumed that Andrew Desjardins was going to bail him out. He half assed it back into the net and Desjardins didn't help any. Franson had a pretty open net to hit, and he did.
• Thanks to everyone who showed up to the Roadwatch. All four of us. If I hear one more complaint of "when are you doing a roadwatch?", I'm pointing to this recap. At least it was people I actually like.

The Lineblender
Teravainen - Toews - Hossa
Panarin - Anisimov - Kane
Bickell - Rasmussen - Shaw
Garbutt - Danault - Desjardins

Keith - van Riemsdyk
Hjalmarsson - Seabrook
Rozsival - Scuderi

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Blackhawks at Buffalo4-3 Win Recap

Captain Clutch

by Patrick Stankus

On Friday night, the Blackhawks concluded their second set of back to back games this week by paying the Sabres a visit. Unfortunately for Sabres fans, #BuffaloNativePatrickKane is still on the mend till the playoffs, so they had to settle to for Jonathan Toews and his late game heroics to steal the show.

The Hawks got off to a fast start, giving Lemont native Scott Darling a 2 goal lead to work with in the first 10 minutes of the game. After seeing the pace to the Hawks game, it figured to be a laugher of a game. But as is always the case, the Blackhawks took their foot off the gas, and it nearly bit them in the ass as the game went on.

Despite having carry over power play time from penalty from the first period, and another power play just over minutes in, the Blackhawks couldn't add to their lead. Instead it was the Sabres who managed to get on the scoreboard and cut the Blackhawks lead in half. The Hawks however would carry their lead into the second intermission at 2-1.

The third period would end up being a tale of two different stories. The Sabres were able to carry their momentum from cutting the Hawks lead in half, to themselves taking a 3-2 lead until late in the period. In the final two minutes, The Captain took the game by the balls, and saved the Hawks from an embarrassing loss to the Sabres and scored twice, 47 seconds apart to give the Blackhawks a 4-3 win on the road.

The Good
- Jonathan Toews. Need proof? Watch the final two minutes of the game. Lead by example folks, lead by example.
- Fortunately for Blackhawks fans, Michal Rozsival had a scheduling conflict delivering pizzas and didn't take to the ice in Buffalo.
- David Rundblad had a solid game while filling in the rotating defenseman role, he ended up with an assist and a +1 for the night. That's adequate people.
- Everyone, with the exception of Andrew Desjardins (who cares), was 50% or better at the faceoff dot tonight. Overall the Hawks won faceoffs 38-31.
- Scott Darling was "good enough" to get the win tonight. I'll take it. He isn't going to stand on his head every game.

The Bad
- With how bad the Sabres are, its kind of embarrassing that it took some late game heroics for the Hawks to get the win tonight. Even though they were on a back to back, this is a team and game the Hawks should win handily.
- The special teams weren't so special for the Hawks tonight. The power play was 0 for 3, while the penalty kill killed off 2 of 3 penalties.
- The struggles for transitioning Antoine Vermette and Kimmo Timonen continued tonight. Timonen was a -1 and also took a penalty that resulted in the Sabres second goal. Vermette had a couple of nice plays, but still couldn't get on the scoreboard.

The Ugly
- Bryan Bickell is about as bad at hockey as my last choice of beer when I was at the liquor store. He's nothing more of an eyesore. Tying this into the Sabres, Bickell is teetering on the brink of being the Hawks version of Ville Leino, but just a tick better.
- The Hawks yielded 38 shots to a piss pore Sabres team.
- Seriously, it took two goals in the final two minutes of the third period for the Hawks to beat the Sabres.
- And a big two middle finger salute to AT&T U-Verse tonight. Not only did my tv keep freezing up, it also kept cutting in and out with a lost signal. Oh and did I get to the part that the HD channel went out completely? I took the Huey Lewis And The News approach and went back in time, and watched on standard def. I don't miss those days of standard def.

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Blackhawks vs Sabres 6-2Home Opener - Win Recap

This Momentary Bliss


The Blackhawks opened their home schedule last night at the United Center, hosting lowly Buffalo Sabres. Everyone pretty much knew what was at hand, with the Blackhawks being one of the top teams in the entire league and the Sabres racing towards the Connor McDavid lottery.

The Blackhawks jumped out to a 2-0 lead within the first three minutes of the game, but then became a bit complacent, letting the Sabres get back into the game. The Hawks pout shot the Sabres by a pretty good margin(17-10), but some sloppy play on the PP let to the game tying goal and they went into the first intermission tied at 2.

The second period was, shockingly, scoreless and both teams kind of settled into their rhythm. There wasn't nearly the action that we saw in the first period. Maybe it was that long change Eddie O is always talking about. This led to the 2-2 tie going into the third frame.

The Blackhawks sliced this game wide open in the third period. They showed why they are one of the top teams in the NHL, and why the Sabres...aren't. The Hawks out shot the Sabres a cartoonish 19-4, and potted 4 goals. When all was said and done the Blackhawks were able to celebrate a big 6-4 home opener win.

The Good

• The Blackhawks jumped out to a quick lead and it looked like they were going to run away before the Sabres could even get their legs warm. The first goal was a long shot from Hjalmarsson that was tipped in by Shaw, and the second was a long point shot from Duncan Keith. Neither was anything special, and Jhonas Enroth looked over matched.
• The third period is what we expected for all three last night, but at least the Hawks eventually got their shit together.
• That Zemgus Girgensons kid is a player. Like a bull in a fucking china shop. I love that guy's style, and would give up three Nick Leddys to have him here.
• About 5 minutes into the third period Buffalo native Patrick Kane gutted the Sabres and opened the flood gates. He took an Andrew Shaw pass off the half boards, and one timed it past Enroth. The shot looked to surprise Enroth, who was clearly upset.
• After the Kane goal, it seemed like the Blackhawks were celebrating ever 4 minutes. The next one was a shorthanded goal by Marian Hossa. We are so spoiled by Hossa. He was able to lead a 2-on-1 with another Hawks player that isn't too shabby, El Capitan. Hossa used Toews as a decoy and did what Hossa does. Found a hole and beat Enroth. No flashiness, no highlights reel goal. Just a 4-2 Hawks lead. If the Kane goal didn't break the Sabres' back, this did.
• Just over three minutes after Hossa's goal, Patrick Sharp unloaded a 55 foot slapshot, on the powerplay, for a 5-2 Blackhawks lead. Enroth looked like he has quit at that point.
• The Blackhawks out shot the Sabres 47-23, and beat them at the dots, 28-20. Ouch, Buffalo.
• I can't hate on Gorilla Salad for everything, and drawing 2 penalties is about as good as it gets.

The Bad

• The first Sabres goal was basically the result of the Sabres just crashing the net and Crawford giving up a huge rebound. Seabrook and Keith just got pushed back into Crawford's face and were simply out numbered.
• If it wasn't against the Sabres, 4 third penalties might be a tad concerning.
• Brandon Saad very quietly had 3 assists. MOAR PLEAZE!

The Ugly

• Maybe this doesn't belong in the ugly category, but screw it. Gorilla Salad's goal. The final goal, in a 6-2 blowout win. If you're going to throw anything other than "The only reason Dan Carcillo was even on the ice is because there is no reason to have a quality player out on the ice that late in a blowout", you're wrong and your opinion is invalid. The Sabres had given up, at that point, and the Blackhawks certainly aren't going to risk a star player getting hurt at that point in a blowout win against, Buffalo. He is still a worthless player, and was only out there as a spot filler. Period.
• The second Sabres goal was complete clown shows. Richards was playing the point on the powerplay, and was forced into a tight position to try and keep the puck into the zone at the Sabres blue line. He forced a bad pas to Keith, who was clear on the other side of the rink, and everyone could see that the pass was going to be picked off before he even let it go. Veteran Drew Stafford one touched the puck to Tyler Ennis, who had jumped right past a panicking Richards, and Ennis was off to the races. Ennis made a nice move and beat Crawford to the stick side for a shorthanded game tying goal. Again, another reason why it should be rare that a forward plays the point on the powerplay, but Quenneville loves it and no one is allowed to question out 2 time Stanley Cup winning coach.
• Andrej Meszaros was a -4 for Buffalo....ooofa.

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First Ever Puckin HostileBlackhawks Road Watch

When I created this blog, almost four years ago, I never thought that I would have more than 5 people that would pay attention to my ramblings. Here I am with almost 700 Facebook followers and almost 1800 Twitter followers. To celebrate, I put together a Blackhawks roadwatch on March 9th, at Mullets Sports Bar in Homer Glen. If you can come out, please join us to cheer on the Blackhawks, and partake in the consumption of alcoholic spirits along with some great food. Here is the info, and RSVP on the Facebook invite if you are a facebook member.

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Blackhawks vs. Sabres - Win Recap

"Die by the Shaw-rd"


"And if you're not down with that, I've got two words for ya!"

The latest mess to get dragged into the UC, in the Buffalo Sabres. Not quite the fail that the Columbus Blue Jackets are, but they are quickly circling the drain of failure. Big free agent signings over the summer have not panned out, and their core has been underachieving. The biggest disappointment might be goaltender Ryan Miller, who was considered "all world" just a short time ago, but has stuck his proverbial head up his ass. He has been so flaky that Jhonas Enroth has started almost as many games as Miller, and started last night. Beneath all the horseshit, captain Jason Pominville has strung together a nice first half, and was just 2 points behind our very own El Capitan. The Hawks had an excellent chance to make a statement before the All-Star break, and Patrick Kane had a great chance to warm up against the team he grew up rooting for.

The Hawks made for an interesting first period, after they opened up with a little momentum then got lazy. The Sabres opened up the scoring and woke up the Hawks, who followed with 2 goals of their own. The Hawks were able to put 14 shots on net, but gave up 10. The second period was another Hawks period, as they outscored the Sabres 2-1 in the frame, also out shooting the Sabres 10-8. The game could have been 5-2 at that point, if the refs hadn't disallowed a Hawks goal late in the period. The Hawks added another couple of goals in the third, but the Sabres were a defeated team coming out on the ice in the third. Slaying bums is what the Hawks SHOULD be doing, so this is what we should expect against a team like this.


The Good

• Shock&Shaw continued the hot play, picking up a fat Deuce rebound and beating Enroth to tie the game up at 1, midway through the first period. The defenders just let Shaw and Smith hang out in front of the net and set up camp. What do you think is going to happen when there are two hungry young kids waiting for a puck to squirt out?
• El Capitan slammed home a Seabrook rebound on the Hawks second powerplay of the game to give the Hawks the lead, later in the first period. A different look of Shock&Shaw, Kaner, Toews, Ricky Bobby, and Seabrook resembled a professional powerplay, and cut the fancy shit out. Amazing what can happen when you have people playing where they are most comfortable.
• The Hawks took advantage of a Ville Leino complete and utter fuck up, to go back up 3-2. Bustout Leino had a chance for a break, but couldn't beat Seabrook. He then tried to pull off a hot dog between the legs drop pass to no one. Deuce read the play excellently and pushed the puck the other way. Once Hossa cleared the middle, Deuce hit him with a pass to put him in on a break-a-way. At that point, it's just not fair for Enroth, and Hoss put a clinic on. 3-2 Hawks.
• Purple Hazer put the Hawks up 4-2 on a great pass from Bruno, in the later half of the second period. Again, the Hawks just capitalized on a Buffalo mistake and put it past Enroth. A bad "long" change, that Eddie O will be jerking it to later, led to the chance.
• InvisiBolly took a great Purple Hazer drop pass and rifled a shot past Enroth to put the Hawks up 5-2 about 4 minutes into the third period. The show was an absolute rocket from about 15 feet out, that Enroth had no chance on. He could only hope the shot hit him somehow, because it was BLISTERED!
• El Capitan scored yet another mercy goal, on a Hawks 5-on-3 powerplay. The powerplay was courtesy of Shock&Shaw, in front of the net, taking a beating from Tyler Myers.
• For those of you not involved in last night's festivities, do a twitter search on #ShawFacts. HOURS of great reading and laughs from the Blackhawks Nation. Also, for those who didn't see this already, this blogger made the Blackhawks Official Blog with one of my #ShawFacts last night.

The Bad

• The Toews/Kane/Stalberg line dominated the first few shifts of the game, but continue to pass up open looks to crowbar a pass into an impossible area. Shoot the fucking puck, Gentlemen! Kane has been the worst at this. When Pierre is pointing out your less than stellar play with and without the puck, you know it's noticeable.
• Thanks to the Hawks laziness, the Sabres opened up the scoring in the middle of the first period. Seabrook was pinching hard and Hossa didn't realize he was the guy who should have covered, which left Deuce all alone to defend what almost ended up a 3-on-1. Sniper, and Captain, Jason Pominville did what snipers do. Crawford could have been a little more aggressive, but he shouldn't have been left to defend that play in the first place, either. Facepalms all the way around for that play.
• It was good to see the second PP unit open the first powerplay of the game. They got a few chances, but then the first unit came out and proceeded to give up a shorthanded breakaway thanks to the ref's feet. C'mon guys, seriously? This is getting silly.
• Jason Pominville scored his second of the game, on a powerplay, after the vagina formerly known as Patrick Kaleta took a couple of questionable shots on Bolly and then Hayes. Hayes tried to fight him, but Kaleta turtled like girl on the playground and drew a powerplay. O'Donnell and Crawford were a little slow getting over to cover Pominville's one timer, which brought the game to a 2-2 tie, at the time.
• All the Hawks centers were over 50% at the dot, except Shock%Shaw, who got eaten up by Derek Roy. He only took 5 draws, so nothing to really worry about.

The Ugly

• At the time it would have put the Sabres away, but the Hawks were absolutely robbed of their 5th goal of the game at the end of the second period. Hossa put a long shot on net and the rebound popped into the air. Shock&Shaw showed his hops and jumped up, grabbing the puck and putting it down to his stick, where is snuck through and Dream Warrior put it in the net. Unfortunately, the refs didn't see it that way, and the game remained 4-2. Once again, though, Shaw was in the middle of the action.
• Minus 3 for Derek Roy and Jordan Leopold. Le Ouch! To think that Roy has loosely been talked about in Blackhawks trade rumors. Good job shitting the bed in front of prospective future employers there, Derrick.

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Where the Buffalo Roam

Not the way you'd like to win them all, but it was a great comeback. Playing from behind is becoming taxing on my blood pressure. Even the flurry at the end of the game had us all on the edge of our seats. The Hawks were completely outplayed in the first period and were lucky to only be down 2-1. Marty Turco had his screw-ups, but they were minimal, as most goalie screw-ups end up in the net. The officiating was fucking abysmal. Usually you have to account for miscalculations by the officials, but the waved off goal by Duncan Keith was a complete joke, but more on that later...

The Good
The Amber Alert on local expressways for David Bolland can finally be lifted, at least until tomorrow. His play wasn't exactly noteworthy for the most part, but his breakaway 4 on 4 goal with a defender all over his back, makes for kudos, and a pardon for the rest of his sleepwalking. Hoss showed YET AGAIN, why he's a man among boys. He's good, he's worth every dollar, and HOW YA LIKE HIM NOW, DETROIT-BURGH? Sharpie needs to be wearing asbestos drawers, because he is hotter than dog shit in a skillet. He just finds the net, and this is exactly why he's still in Chicago and people like Versteeg, Ladd, and Fluff-lien are gone in the great salary purge of 2010. Kaner shrugged off his "illness" to lead the rush for the first goal nad feed Shooter for wide open net. Thank you, rookie of the year, for not playing the shooter or the pass, but just standing there and admiring two of the best players in the league DO WHAT WE DO.

The Bad
Where do you begin? The lines? The decision to sit Jack Skille for John Scott and Jassen Cullimore? The first period Shanghai Fire Drill? Nick Boynton's second game in a row with a doucheworthy penalty in the critical moments of the 3rd period? They need to be thankful that they can find the net at opportune times, and former Hawk Patrick Lalime treated the puck like it was radioactive all game. Make excuses, and conjure up any delusion you want, but Jassen Cullimore for ANY ONE on this roster is a joke. If you don't feel Jordan Hendry is the guy for the night, I get it. But, mucking up the lines with Nick Boynton, John Scott, and Jassen Cullimore is just mind boggling. Yeah, yeah, yeah, everyone was looking for retaliation against Hammer, and luckily Buffalo showed that they are, in fact, a professional team by not retaliating, but are you really going to waste 3 spots with a three headed monster of cement heads with cement boots? Jack Skille has been one of the most physical players on the team, and he's rewarded with a seat in the press box? Cullimore was directly responsible for two major gaffes on the same play, which lead to the Sabres taking the lead. Frankenmore acted like the puck was on fire, while Turco was trying to hand it off, which lead to them turning over the biscuit, and then for good measure let McCormick stand in front of Turco, and do a little Boot Scootin Boogie before putting the puck in the net. SENT HIM BACK TO ROCKHELL, AND END THIS CRUEL JOKE! Nick Boynton showed his knack for the dramatic, with a lazy ass hooking penalty while already down one man and up by only one goal in the last 2 minutes of the game. Slick one, Nick. That's two games in a row and it's wearing thin.

The Ugly
Any of the above could be considered ugly, if the four stooges in stripes didn't completely sodomize the Hawks, dirty prison shower style. The Goal that was disallowed was a complete joke. From beginning to end. Tomas Kopecky went hard to net for a rebound, was crosschecked into Lalime, and had a good 7 seconds to get up and vacate the premises before Keith fired the puck in the net. The stupid ass Buffalo defender, Steve Montador, then played grab ass in the crease with his goalie like a couple of clowns. Duncan Keith fires the puck in the net and it's waved off, without a Blackhawk within 10 feet of the net. REALLY NOW? We're covering for people who interfere with their own netminders? Fucking JOKE! We can laugh about it now, because the Hawks pulled it out, but how many times do teams actually get a second chance? Not often. Luckily, it'll only ever be a footnote in the records of the 2010/11 season.


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Buffalo Wild Wings

What's that poking me in the back of the head?


So, we're three minutes into Monday's game in Buffalo, and the Hawks are down 2-0. The season is still very young, but you have to feel this is a the lowest point in the last year for this team. Do they wrap it up and allow Corey Crawford to be pulled from his season debut, or do they pull the tail out from between their legs and show some heart. Lucky for all of us, they chose the second, and the Hawks are all evened up at 1-1-1.

The Good
This is going to be much easier than the other night. First of all, Chuck Norris is now wearing his Marian Hossa-nator jammies, underoos, and is going to be Hossa for Halloween. He is far and away the best Blackhawk, at this point of the season. The guy is a STUD! He does what he does, when he wants. Corey Crawford overcame a HUGE deficit, and what could be described as bad luck and butterflies, to settle in and get the first Hawks win of the season. If I hear or read ANYONE even suggest Crawford needs to be the starter, I'm hunting them down and forcing them drink a pitcher of chocolate laxatives. Its just a stupid thought, and you need to be punished for even entertaining it. The forth line was mixed and matched half the time with the third, as Skille/Stalberg got the promotion they deserved and Brouwer/Pisani got the DEMOTION they deserved. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to move poor Jake Dowell. The Hawks actually scored a powerplay goal, as Kaner took a nice feed from Duncan Keith and did what NHL snipers do, beat Miller with a well placed shot. The Hawks did not yield a powerplay goal, including a kill on Hammer's 5 minute major. Lastly, Nick Leddy actually played like a grown ass man, instead of a 19 year old kid. He has work to do, but he's progressing. He scored his first NHL goal off a Buffalo skate, but it's a goal nonetheless. Here's to you, kid...



The Bad
Pretty obvious, as the start was just utterly awful. Poor Corey Crawford had a combination of bad luck and poor support. The casual idiot would have blamed Crawford for both of those goals, but after a closer look, Eddie Olczyk pointed out that the first goal went off Keith's glove. Shitty luck at its worst. For 90% of the game, the Hawks dominated. No use harping on the generally bad, because there really wasn't much after the first three minutes.

The Ugly

I'm officially thoroughly baffled with this Dave Bolland at the point on the powerplay fascination, bullshit. This has yielded nothing but mishandled pucks and facepalm after facepalm. Luckily last night, Sharpie was playing the point on the first unit, but sure enough, the second unit gets trotted out, and there is Bolland at the point. I'm pretty sure that when he was told to step out there, he looked at Quenneville and said, "ME? REALLY?". I'm BEGGING "Q" to cut this embarrassment of an experiment out. ANYONE but Bolland, PLEASE!

Lastly, the play that could have been a positive moment for Hawks fans, but ended in a player being carted out, and will probably follow with a suspension. The Hjalmarsson hit on Pominville. I truly applaud his effort, and it's not like Pominville didn't see him coming, but it's a borderline play. You're not going to get the benefit of the doubt on a borderline play, when the opposing player gets carried out strapped to a stretcher. I don't fault Hammer for trying to make something happen. It's unfortunate for both ends. Hammer's luck, thus far, can best be described as SHITTY. I sincerely hope Pominville is alright.

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