Blackhawks vs. Flames2-1 OT Loss - Recap

The Return

For most of the meatball coalition, Wednesday night at the UC was the much anticipated return of Stanley Cup hero Brandon Bollig. Unfortunately for the meatballs, we did not see the overhyped, never going to happen bout between useless hockey players in Bollig, and new facepunching hero Dan Carcillo. Or are does he prefer the formal, Daniel? But we were treated to a sight Blackhawks fans are all too familiar. Bollig's highlight of the game occurred in the 1st period, when just like old times, he took a lazy, dumb penalty in the offensive zone. Luckily for Bollig he's with a team where there are no expectations, so the careless play warranted him more playing time, much to the delight of the puck bunnies in the 100 level.

Now onto more important things, like the actual game.

From the drop of the puck, it was clear that the Blackhawks were an NHL team and the Flames were an AHL team. The Blackhawks dominated the Flames in the offensive zone, outshooting the Flames 18-2 in the 1st period. However trouble seemed to be on the horizon as, despite the drastic difference in shots, and puck possession, we were scoreless after one. Furthermore, the real trouble started to brew as the Blackhawks went 0-3 on the Power Play in the 1st.

With the Blackhawks still dominating the play in the 2nd, it was the Flames who would strike first on the scoreboard. Dennis Wideman fired a slapshot, that was redirected off of Trevor Van Riemsdyk,  past Crawford. The Blackhawks found themselves with several scoring opportunities, and 2 more Power Plays, but were unable to solve Jonas Hiller.

In the 3rd period, the Blackhawks were finally able to beat Hiller. On their 7th, yes, 7th Power Play of the night Andrew Shaw redirected a slapper from Patrick Sharp, to tie the game at 1. Despite a few more chances, the Blackhawks couldn't beat Hiller, and the game headed to overtime.

Before we get to the overtime frame, I must say the dry scrape is a sight to see. You must see it for yourself.

The overtime period featured open end to end action, with both teams registering 3 shots. Unfortunately for the Blackhawks they found themselves on the short end of the stick as Mikael Backlund beat Corey Crawford with 24 seconds left, and the Flames went onto the 2-1 victory.

In the end, this is a game that the Blackhawks should have won. There's no excuse. Instead of grinding out a win, they tried their best to wow the home crowd with several fancy plays, that wound up biting them in the ass. Its a good thing this was only the 3rd game of the season, but then again you can look back and say this was a great opportunity at 2 points, and they pissed it away. Plain and simple.


The Good

- Giving credit where credit is due. Jonas Hiller was fantastic in net for the Flames. Regardless the Blackhawks didn't make it overly difficult, Hiller still faced 50 shots, and stopped 49.

-  Andrew Shaw once again made his presence felt in front of the net. Now if Bickell could only learn.

- Who didn't enjoy that penalty Bollig took?

The Bad

- Bickell's missed chance at an open net. Yes, there was a defender in the neighborhood, but no excuses, use your side to your advantage.

- Trevor Van Riemsdyk was alright. However if you're going to block a shot, block the shot. Don't stand there and allow the puck to redirect off your stick.

The Ugly

- Dan Carcillo. Period. Dan Carcillo. He somehow managed to miss two glorious scoring opportunities that any real hockey player would have scored. Hell the cardboard bubble hockey player would have scored both.

- The Power Play. 1 for 7 speaks for itself.

- Brad Richards playing the point on the Power Play. Once again a bobbled puck lead to a breakaway for the opposition. Richards is one rusty link on the chain closer to becoming the new boat anchor

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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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Blackhawks at Dallas3-2 Shootout Win Recap

Filtered Truth


The Blackhawks came out rather flat last night, Dallas, but were able to take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission on only three shots. They game up eight shots and had to have their goaltender stand on his head early to keep the game scoreless.

The Blackhawks came out in the second period much like they did in the first. They were out shot 6-0 before they even sniffed the net. The Stars ended up taking advantage of some very sloppy Blackhawks play and stupid penalties to go up 2-1 while out shooting the Blackhawks 16-8.

The third period was a little better for the Blackhawks as they finally woke up and actually out shot the Stars 14-9, and out scored them 1-0. To everyone's surprise, this game was going to be decided in extra time.

For the first time in the 14-15 season, the Blackhawks dominated a period of play and that period of play was overtime. They spent a majority of the 5 minutes in the Stars zone and could have easily won the game. That would have to wait until the shootout.

The Good

• The best part of the first period was Brandon Saad on the penalty kill. It's nice to see the SaadFather with an expanded role.
• The Blackhawks surprisingly scored the first goal of the game and the first Blackhawks goal of the season was by Duncan Keith. Kari Lehtonen basically gave the Blackhawks a free chance, and they cashed in. The Blackhawks were trying to muster up some sort of steam when Brent Seabrook seemed to have partially fanned on a touch pass to Keith on the half boards. When the puck finally reached Deuce, he just one timed it towards the net at Lehtonen. Lehtonen, for some reason, remained down on the ice the entire time, and Keith just blew the puck past him, on their 3rd shot of the game.
• The Blackhawks first powerplay of the season had some nice pressure, with Sharp providing most of the action. Small victories, at that point. Later in the game the powerplay came up huge for the Hawks.
• Corey Crawford is the only reason the Blackhawks weren't down 4-0 in the first half of the game. He had two breakaway saves and held the Blackhawks close. He had 4 partial and full breakaway saves. Stellar game.
• Bickell laid a big hit on Kevin Connauton. The ref noticed Connauton laboring pretty noticeably and he was sent into the locker room.
• In the Blackhawks second powerplay Andrew Shaw didn't get to control the puck much but his fight and balls of brass were laid in the collective chins of the Stars PK unit.
• With just under 9 minutes remaining in the third period, Jamie Benn's brother took his second penalty. Patrick Sharp almost immediately blew a long slap shot by Lehtonen to tie the game up. No one knew how the Blackhawks were even in position to be in a tie game at this point.

The Bad

• The Stars speed gave the Blackhawks fits, especially early on. They were out shot 8-1 early and Crawford had to bail their Hawks sorry asses out 3 or 4 times early on.
• I took the Blackhawks til the halfway point of the first period to show any signs of life at all, when the second line of Saad and Kane were able to work Shaw into open ice, but he ran out of ice. This was following Jamie Benn ragdolling both Oduya and Saad in a matter of seconds.
• Trevor Daley broke the Hawks shutout half way through the second period and 10 seconds into a 4 minute Hjalmarsson double minor. The puck was rattling around the slot and Trevor Daley was able to swat an unstable puck over Crawford
• Duncan Keith is listed as having NINE shot attempts blocked. EEK!
• Ben Smith and Andrew Shaw were eaten up at the dots.

The Ugly

• Many of us Bloggers have been beating the Jeremy Morin drum all summer, and what does he do? Takes a stupid cross checking penalty in his 4th shift of the season. The rest of his night wasn't any better. Excuse me while I chew on this shoe.
• Cody Eakin was left wide fucking open, ten feet from the net, in the slot, and he sniped the hell out of Crawford to give the Stars their first lead of the night. The real kicker was that the initial rush was a 3 on 4 rush. Kane and Shaw both did "fly-bys" on the play, and that pretty much did their goalie in.
• I mentioned this online but David Rundblad and Trevor van Reimsdyk were a roaring tire fire the entire night. Rundblad looks TERRIFIED to shoot the puck. He had a few chances to unload in OT and forced bad passes instead. Van Reimsdyk, by the way, played double the sifts Rundblad did.

The Shootout

• Spezza couldn't go 5-hole
• Toews ran out of real estate
• Seguin missed the net
• Kane beat Kari with a backhand top shelfer
• Hemsky mishandled the puck

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2014 - 2015 NHL Predictions

Since we're only hours away from the start of the NHL season, and now that I'm back from a 3rd world country and have access to a computer, I figured its better late than never to give you my predictions for the 2014-15 season.

We'll start in the West, since that's where the best hockey is played.


Western Conference

Central Division

1. Dallas Stars
2. Chicago Blackhawks
3. St. Louis Blues
4. Colorado Avalanche (Wild Card)
5. Minnesota Wild (Wild Card)
6. Nashville Predators
7. Winnipeg Jets

Pacific Division

1. Anaheim Ducks
2. Los Angeles Kings
3. San Jose Sharks
4. Vancouver Canucks
5. Edmonton Oilers
6. Phoenix, no wait, Arizona Coyotes (because the name change will solve the attendance problems)
7. Calgary Flames

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

1. Tampa Bay Lightning
2. Boston Bruins
3. Montreal Canadiens
4. Detroit Red Wings
5. Toronto Maple Leafs
6. Ottawa Senators
7. Florida Panthers
8. Buffalo Sabres

Metropolitan Division

1. Pittsburgh Penguins
2. New York Islanders
3. Washington Capitals
4. New York Rangers (Wild Card)
5. Columbus Blue Jackets (Wild Card)
6. Philadelphia Flyers
7. New Jersey Devils
8. Carolina Hurricanes


Western Conference Final

Dallas Stars vs. Los Angeles Kings


Eastern Conference Final

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New York Islanders


Stanley Cup Final

Los Angeles Kings vs. Tampa Bay Lightning


Stanley Cup Champions - Los Angeles Kings


Presidents' Trophy - Anaheim Ducks
Hart Trophy - Sidney Crosby
Rocket Richard Trophy - Steven Stamkos
Vezina Trophy - Henrik Lundqvist
Norris Trophy - Drew Doughty
Jack Adams Award - Jack Capuano

There you have it, my predictions for the upcoming season. And no I was not drinking when I came up with these predictions. Make sure you save them so you can tell me what an idiot I am when the season ends.

@Patrick_Stankus

Puckin Hostile Shoutcast Episode 12

Gatekeeper and Pat finally have some Blackhawks hockey to discuss with the preseason camp, the nightmare of calamities that was the Blackhawks preseason, the trade of Nick Leddy and we couldn't forget the meatball-tastic signing of Gorilla Salad.


For all your custom jersey needs visit Black and Tan Sports at:
http://www.facebook.com/BlackAndTanSports

Check out Mike Figueroa at:
http://www.figsigarts.com
http://www.facebook.com/FigSIGArts
Portions of his profits go to the Ronald McDonald House Chicago.

You can find the episode on iTunes by following this link: iTunes

Puckin Hostile Shoutcast - Episode 12 MP3 Download

You can listen below on the Talkshoe player:

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Where Do We Go Now?

Now that I have broken down the latest Blackhawks roster moves, what happens next?

I have been critical of Stan Bowman from time to time, but generally he has been alright. In the long run, at least a simple majority of the moves have been successful, but this ship is heading into an unknown abyss. Most of the Tallon blood in the Hawks system has been purged, and this can safely be called a Stan Bowman team.

I'm not so sure after this season ends, whether it be with a third Stanley Cup or not, that the Blackhawks won't be headed down that dork road names "Rebuild Parkway", and that does not bode well for some of these prospects that have been left to rot in the lower levels.


All you need to do is start at the top for the forwards. Teuvo "Simba" Teravainen. The chosen one. Debate all you want, but this kid doesn't have much more to prove anywhere but the NHL. He has more natural talent than someone like Versteeg or, dare I say, Car-Sh-Ass-Rie. Combined. How nice would it be for Teravainen to have a full year under his belt, playoffs and all, in the NHL before he is going to be forced to do so? You could go down the line with such players like Danault, McNeill, Rasmussen, and the ones not far behind them, like Hartman, Ross and Broadhurst. When people like Sharp, Kruger, and Oduya have to go next summer, where is your experience? Do we know if any of these players can even handle the jump? Nope.


Then you have the Defense. This complete mess didn't get better; it got worse. Leddy was stuck and not moving up. It really sucks that he had to go, but I understand. Hell, I'm no prophet but I called this in March, at the dealine. What does that leave, though? Michal Rozsival, David Rundblad, Kyle Cumisky and Trevor van Riemsdyk to play the third pair. OR; split up Hjalmarsson and Oduya, and strap one of those grenades to THEIR legs. But it gets better. Considering someone else needs to be sent down, what about the logjam of defensemen in Rockford? They are deep, sure, but how do you get through TVR, Dahlbeck, Clendening, Johns, and Brennan how does someone like Pokka, Svedberg, or Fournier get any decent time? How does Johns or Brennan for that matter? These guys are going to rot in Rockford while slugs like Rozsival and Cumiskey suck it up in the NHL. It makes no sense, and when Stan has to REALLY step up, his pants might be around his ankles. Enjoy this year while you can, because the bed Stan is making looks more like an old futon.

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The Great Space Coaster

After the completely asinine, head scratching camp invite of Daniel Carcillo, Friday, the real fun began for all of us crazy basement dwelling bloggers in Chicago.


It quickly spread like wildfire that the PTO that Carcillo had signed was actually going to blossom into an actually NHL deal to return to the Blackhawks. This, in fact, came to fruition when the Blackhawks announced the one year, league minimum ($550K), deal for Gorilla Salad. This means that instead of Brandon Mashinter being the Blackhawks resident fist magnet, Dan Carcillo will be assuming that position as well as notorious league miscreant. Just peachy.

If that wasn't enough to get your blood pressure abnormally high, the real fireworks went off Saturday morning. The fact that Leddy was scratched Friday in New York led everyone to assume that there was a deal in place, and that there was. Saturday morning it was announced that Nick Leddy and Kent Simpson had been traded to the New York Islanders for T.J. Brennan, Ville Pokka and the rights to restricted free agent goaltender Anders Nilsson. That induced a"Pokka Party":



The word on Brennan is that he is a Rundblad type. High potential, after being drafted by Buffalo, but never reached full potential. He was last year's AHL Eddie Shore best Defenseman winner with the Totonto Marlies, putting up some pretty gaudy numbers. That's all fine and well until you look who won that award in 06-07, Sheldon Brookbank. Case closed, your honor. He was immediately put on waivers to be sent to Rockford the minute he was acquired, but I'll get into that a little more later.

TJ Brennan Scouting Report

Ville Pokka-Face is one of the Isles, sort of, top prospects. Pokka is a smallish, bizzare looking Finnish defenseman that was named "The best players in the world you've never heard of", last April. He may turn out to be a real find at some point. There was a piece written about him back in 2012 before he was drafted, with high praise. I guess we'll see how this one pans out.


Recent Ville Pokka Scouting Report

The third player the Hawks acquired was a real wild card in rather large RFA goalie Anders Nilsson, who is currently playing in the KHL. I doubt we ever see this guy in Hawks colors, but I have been wrong plenty. He's 6'5" and 220 lbs, which is ideal in today's NHL. I can only assume that the thought of playing in NY was just too much to bear. If the Blackhawks can talk him into coming back for North America he might be a future backup in two years, when Raanta leaves for a chance at a starting jobs somewhere else.

Anders Nilsson Scouting Report
For more on this trade and the Blackhawks impending season opener, Check out the this weeks Puckin Hostile Shoutcast, recording soon.

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PreSeason : Blackhawks at New York Rangers3-2 Shootout Loss

"Dead Eyes"


The Blackhawks closed out their preseason with a 3-2 shootout loss Friday night. After today's shenanigans, I'm getting right to the highlights:

The Good

• I like what I see with Turbo Teravainen on the first powerplay unit with Shaw, Kane, Sharp and Seabrook. The kid has some great instinct and is very confident and comfortable.
• Without their two top centers (Toews,Richards), the Hawks still looked pretty good. Shaw was the #1 pivot and Teravainen played second pivot. Kruger played on the third line and Regin centered the checking line.
• Trevor van Riemsdyk looks like a nice catch. He moves pretty well and makes some nice safe plays. He made his mistakes too, but there is some promise.
• With 5 minutes remaining in the second period, Pat Kane used Andrew Shaw as a screen and blew a shot past King Henrik, to tie up the game on the powerplay. That is exactly what one of the premier snipers in the league SHOULD do, given that kind of space and time.
• Two minutes after the Kane PP goal, Kane set up Andrew Shaw for a gorgeous backdoor goal. That line of Kane-Shaw-Saad was clowning the Rangers for a solid minute and a half and Kane almost had his second of the night, and just kept pressing. If Richards doesn't work every night, then sliding Shaw in will be a nice option. Shaw is not an every day second line center, but he can certainly hold his own from time to time.
• I hate to say this, but Kevin Hayes looks like me might be a nice player. Shame the Blackhawks couldn't hang on to him.

The Bad

• It didn't take Gorilla Salad long to drop the gloves. the game wasn't even 5 minutes old and he was scrapping with Tanner Glass. After taking hi lumps he ended up going to the locker room. How ironic.
• Martin St. Louis scored to give the Rangers a lead, with 5 minutes gone in the second period. Not really much Crawford could do, as St. Louis tipped it over Crawford from about 5 feet away. Van Riemsdyk was taught a lesson in NHL defense from the wily little shit veteran.
• Ryan Malone ended up taking advantage of the Blackhawks 4th line to tie the game at 2, with just over 4 minutes left in the third period. Gorilla Salad was right in the thick of the action, showing his glaring uselessness.

The Ugly

• Call me critical, but I still have no use for Kris Versteeg. He floats. He's not aggressive. He makes stupid plays, like taking an icing when was three feet from the red line. How he gets away with this crap, with Quenneville as his coach is beyond my comprehension.
• The Hawks were generally pretty terrible at the faceoff dots. Derrick Brassard pretty much dominated the Hawks by himself, winning 8 of 9 faceoffs.

The Shootout

• Kane hit the crossbar.
• Zuccarello juked Crawford out of his jock.
• Sharp stopped by Lundqvist
• Duclair stopped by Crawford.
• Teravainen beat the King on a nice backhand.
• St. Louis hit Crawford in the glove.
• Morin couldn't beat Henrik
• Nash missed the net.
• Ben Smith was beaten by Lundqvist's pad
• Hayes mishandled the puck
• Shaw couldn't elevate over the right pad
• JT Miller was stopped by Crawford's pad
• Versteeg barely got a shot off
• McDonough missed the net.
• Saad poked checked by Lundqvist
• Stempniak stopped by Crawford.
• Bickell stopped on a wrist shot.
• Malone beat Crawford low for the win.

Behold the Highlights:

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Death Becomes UsGorilla Salad Returns

In a move that no one could have predicted, the Blackhawks announced that they had added Dan "Gorilla Salad" Carcillo to their training camp roster.


That was the reaction of most all Chicago fans. As the story unfolded more, Blackhawks Coach Joel Quenneville said that he was interested in signing Gorilla Salad to and NHL deal. I really don't even know where to begin with my utter disgust in this move and thee are several reasons why.

First of all, the Blackhawks just spent all of training camp trotting our gorilla, face punchers as a trial. The one they had their eye on got hurt. In a matter of 2 days, their plan, if you call it that, went to hell. Brandon Mashinter was injured against the Canadiens and may be more hurt than the Blackhawks are letting on to. If this was a week long injury, and you absolutely need a face puncher, then PC Labrie and Cody Bass are certainly no worse than John Scott was for 3 minutes a game. Instead they ran out and brought in a guy that was on the discard pile of the Kings, Rangers and Penguins.


Second, the Blackhawks are down to the wire with cap issues. They are roughly $2.2 million over and they must be compliant by this coming Wednesday. Mashinter would make $562,500, and the Meatball Bash brothers of Labrie and Bass would make $550,000. Unless Carcillo is going to accept one of those two deals, the Blackhawks will have to try and shed even more salary

By Wednesday.

Third, Daniel Carcillo is a reckless, and bad hockey player. There are very glaring reasons that the Kings, Rangers and Penguins didn't want him. He is bad. His time is over.

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PreSeason : Blackhawks vs Canadiens3-1 Loss

The Blackhawks faced the Canadiens, last night, in a pretty boring game that ended up a 3-1 loss. This is the preseason so I'm just going to point out a few observations.

-Michal Rozsival had a terrible turnover after attempting an asinine pointless spin-o-rama deep in the Hawks zone and was luckily bailed out by Antti Raanta.

-Later, Rozsival and his partner Kyle Cumiskey, were walked through for the first goal of the game. Cumiskey has to be thinking, "how am I going to make team dragging this putrid bag of bones around". Brutal!

-AND not to be outdone, just a mere minute and a half later, Rozsíval was out on the ice and right in the thick of the Habs second goal. That guy is DONE.

-El Capitan set up Bryan Bickell for what turned out to be a really nice rush. Bickell's legs look fresh, which is really good news for the Blackhawks.

-Manchild set up an Andrew Shaw break-a-way with a nice strip of Greg Pateryn,at the Hawks blue line in a 4-on-4 situation. He chipped the puck up and Shaw took it in alone on Price. One of the lone Hawks bright spots.

-Carey Price made a pretty damn nice glove save on a wide open Duncan Keith, high in the Habs slot.. Price was spot on.

-Speaking of Keith, his pass to none other than the open bench door led to the Habs open net goal that iced the game.

-Raanta was alright on the night. He made 16 of 18 saves, and could have had better numbers if Rozsival was taken out back and shot between the second and third periods.

-When you out shoot a team 32-18, you NEED to win that game. Whatever, preseason.

-Shaw and Bickell were two of the best Blackhawks. Shaw had six shots, three hits and a goal. Bickell had three shots and three hits. It didn't show on the scoresheet but he had to really nice chances and could have easily had two goals.

-Jeremy Morin is Brandon Pirri. The only one to play less, last night, was Anus P Manshitter. Morin will be playing somewhere else, probably Florida, in the near future. It is another one of these, "get better through osmosis, not reps" Dr. Lineblender projects. If you don't have glaring natural talent, the Blackhawks won't help develop you at the NHL level. Just sit on the bench and play meaningless minutes until Bowman can finally unload you to Dale Tallon.

Pirri

Hayes

Olsen

next up, Jeremy Morin.

-Toews and Kruger were dominant at the dots, but Richards and Shaw got worked over heavily. In the end the Blackhawks still came out ahead, but there can't be that much variation.

Highlights, if you want to call them such:

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