Blackhawks Blank Habs, Lose Patrick Sharp
After an ugly stretch of offensive play, the Hawks bounced back with a strong performance in Montreal on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, the win came at a cost; Patrick Sharp needed help leaving the ice early in the third period and did not return.
Jonathan Toews scored the 200th regular season goal of his NHL career to open the scoring and his first period tally held up as the game-winner as the Blackhawks thoroughly dominated the final 40 minutes to run away with a 5-0 victory.
Kris Versteeg scored twice (the first of which was initially credited to Marcus Kruger in the second period) and the Hawks also picked up goals from Patrick Kane and Brad Richards.
Carey Price wasn’t very good but didn’t get much help from the skaters in front of him. Chicago’s first four goals came from the greasy areas that coach Joel Quenneville stressed after the team’s 1-0 home loss on Sunday night. Price allowed all five goals against 32 shots in the loss.
Corey Crawford, a Montreal native, picked up the 11th shutout of his career. Chicago’s netminder stopped all 27 shots he faced and looked great once again. Thankfully, this time Crawford’s effort was rewarded with offense to get him a victory.
Marian Hossa and Toews led the Hawks with four shots each; Toews won 12 of 20 faceoffs and picked up an assist with the goal.
Two other Blackhawks players to have a multi-point night: David Rundblad and Bryan Bickell, who picked up two assists each in the game. Niklas Hjalmarsson, Andrew Shaw, Duncan Keith, Brandon Saad and Sharp were each credited with one assist in the contest. Johnny Oduya led the way with four blocked shots.
Montreal failed on all four of the power plays, while Toews’ goal in the first period came on the advantage. Chicago was 1-4 on the power play in the game.
Chicago’s performance was the most dominant of the young season for the Blackhawks, but the injury to Sharp will overshadow the result. After the game, Quenneville said Sharp would be out “a bit” and indicated the Hawks forward would likely miss weeks, not days, due to the lower body injury suffered in the third period Tuesday.
So…who gets the call up? Without LTIR’ing Sharp, it’s one of Nordstrom,Rasmussen,Regin, or Ross. Without making a move it doesn’t appear they have the cap space for a McNeil,Danault, or Teuvo (who didn’t play tonight).
Wow, the news on Sharp really is disappointing. Hopefully he is out less than Carcillo’s DL time. Wonder who the Hawks call up to replace him. I heard Teuvo was a healthy scratch in Rockford today so that doesn’t loom good for him.
Maybe Rufus gets his wish and Danault gets called up and Shaw moves to wing???!
On a more positive side, Versteeg is back!!! Toews and Kane are both really good and Crow can’t weather the storm while the rest of the team gets their act together.
Go Hawks!! And Sharpie get healthy!!!
My guess is Nordstrom or Regin get the call up to Chicago
Whooo, Blackhawks Hockey. That feels good, eh.
Great! (Finally!?)
I hope that the Sharp injury isn’t as bad as it looked. No matter who they call-up (if they do) they will not replace Sharp.
Also, I hope the Crawford detractors re-evaluate their positions — so far, CC has earned respect…yes, enough to be included in ANY discussion of “Top”/”Best”/etc. goaltenders…right there with Rask, Lundqvist, Quick, Rinne, Price, et al.
GO HAWKS!!
Watching live- thought it was knee… but thanks to Tab’s replay- guessing Right Hip…
any Hockey players out there deal with Hip/flexor/joint injuries??? How lingering are those?
Runbad looked decent…I thought #10 looked sharp!!! too bad for the injury.
It is interesting that TT was scratched…Darling came in and saved the Day after Leighton got shelled…Guessing Regin or Nordy
Nice to see Hawks get to the net- they made a big effort to not shoot for the goal, but to shoot for the Hawk closest to the net… Like to see them do that vs. Blues/Kings/Ducks
Thought I read that TT had the flu or something along those lines. But agreed that they can’t clear enough space for him anyway. Guessing its Regin as he can fill a lot of roles.
That game was much, much better. The Sharp injury is a blow though. Glad to see Crow get the shutout in his own backyard.
That was a good game by the Hawks and Richards played well as did TVR and Rundblad. Versteeg was skating well. I still didn’t see much out of Bickell and Shaw really has to stop trying to be Kane with the behind the back passes (unnecessary turnovers). Is it just me or does Keith look nervous with the puck all the time. He has happy feet or too much coffee (really jittery)
Teuvo was dealing with a sinus infection and that’s why he didn’t play. It was not a healthy scratch.
Jamal Mayers on the postgame thought Regin or Nordstrom for a call up.
Also, Runblad is finally getting a chance and playing pretty well. He did have one turnover on a ring around the boards clearing attempt but otherwise was solid with TVR and had two assists. And that’s why a little patience is warranted with some of these players. These calls for shipping guys out, “dump him for a bag of pucks” comments are short sighted.
It’s November and one good game notwithstanding, this is a marathon. Guys are going to have up and down swings.
Regin and McNeill both scored 2 last night in a huge comeback for the Hogs. Down 4-1 at the start of the 3d, Hogs scored 3 then in OT for the win. Best kind of win a team can have. One negative from the game was Lake Erie was 4 for 4 on the PP….ouch. Darling is now 4-0, 1.15 GAA and .960 Save %. What a find by SB.
If bringing up a center can get Shaw on a wing, then I am all for it.
Not much bad you can say about a 5-0 win so I will just say I love it.
I think Rundblad brings some speed to the 3d pairing that Rosy simply can not manage.
It is a shame that even in a 5-0 win Morin gets 8.5 minutes. What great energy he has. He played well and was defensively responsible to boot.
Sharp is not replaceable and he’s been playing very well. Hawks played a smart game last night, simple and got to the net when they needed. The win proves that teams don’t really need a big goon in front of the net constantly but you need to have a presence, a it’s all about timing, Richards was in front of the net for 3 seconds and scores.Kruger also so it’s simply taking the puck to the net, below the dots,and to cycle traffic in front of the net almost as a team very much like Shaw and Towes rotation for Towes goal. So if we continue that timing, shift and rotation strategy hawks will get easier goals. Crawford I feel is really really good and from day one I felt he will have a breakout year if healthy. Steady and focused and very “Still” in the net. Good work Crow . . . yes he was good last year too and the Cup year but his confidence seems a little larger even when watching at home. I’d like to see Rassssssmusunnnnnnnnn come up for Sharp!
More on the Hogs…
it is interesting that TJ Brennan- was -20’s-30’s guy last year… and now is leading Hogs in +/-
also, Pokka 2 PP goals in 5 games… like to see that!
Seems like Cden- has fallen far down the Hog D charts (just trying to rile Sr. Brad)
another guy who looks to be improving – McNeill ( I thought he looked much better in camp)- and is off to a good start for Hogs… (I have never liked McNeill) – Hope he proves me wrong- and takes 29’s spot soon.
Very interested to see who they bring up. We are really lucky to have a couple of different options down there. Not every team has that luxury.
I thought Nordstrom played strong when he was called up in the past. I would not mind seeing him get the opportunity again.
I’m a Morin fan, a big Morin fan but as i watch him very close they only “dent in his game” is that he skates so hard and fast that at times and it’s rare he has no gas left to
really get back an defend. For as hard as he skates it’s not a big deal but to Coach Q it is and it once in a great while it happens on the 3rd period where Morin is a little gases. Oddly it never effects his speed on the offense, he never ever dogs the dump and chase, or dump and ship or avoids the physical contact. He has a great SHOT and just needs to be on a line where the other support is there so he can “PUSH” on offense a little more. Btu last night i saw 2 times where he was just gased and did not catch up but to me thats okay. Morin rocks!
First and foremost, a wonderful time with AJ and Phil last night at Swig on Milwaukee. These meet ups will happen again and I encourage more people to attend them, it’s a good time.
As far as the game, hah. Sometimes you get incredible scoring chances and get stoned by the goalie, sometimes the puck bounces off a skate, then off an ass, and goes in the net. 5 goals on 32 shots, 16% shooting percentage after averaging 4% on the season.
Crawford is probably pretty irritated about the offense not scoring, it’s taken away from the fact that he’s posted a 93.8 save percentage in his 7 games played- that’s kind of good.
Rundblad can play. You can see his confidence growing the more Q loosens the choker around his neck. Kids playing better when they have less pressure on them? Imagine that.
Versteeg was all over the ice. Amazing how knees work. I don’t know if his second goal made me laugh more or his first one. The first one was an attempted centering pass to Bickell that bounced off of everything and in. The second an attempted centering pass to Bickell that was broken up, pulled Price out of the net, and then a beautiful pass by Bickell and finish from Versteeg. Sometimes the puck bounces right, sometimes it doesn’t.
I think I called for Toews and Kane to be united to get them both scoring. Not that it takes a genius to figure that out (shot at Q!).
As far as the Sharp injury goes. Rough. He’s been absolutely dominant this year at possession and it’s going to be tough to be without him. My GUESS would be that McNeil, Danault, or Regin get the call. Maybe I’m crazy, but I feel like Nordstrom being the Captain down in Rockford makes him less likely to get the call? I also doubt TT gets the call because if he is brought up and starts ripping it up, how do they justify sending him back down once Sharp is healthy?
And another thing! 6 points in the last 8 games for Richards on a team that’s been struggling to dent the net. He’ll still make the errors that drive you crazy, but he’s on pace for 40 points. I’ll take it.
Over the last couple wks some people mentioned, where this stock pile of prospects we suppose to have…
Now we here the, what a luxury we have to choose from… and rightfully so from our top4 farm (thats not including 17 and 39, now top3 ?).
Wall, Brennan was a +3 last night and leads in +/- which means things happen while he is on the ice, great for him. LE scored 4 goals but ALL were on PP so no +/- even giving up 4 goals.
It is hard to evaluate TT as ready to come up anytime soon, at least from the stats. He is the only regular with a negative +/- at -3. If his game is weak on Defense, no way will Q want him up at this point.
Really good to see the pucks finally crossing the goal line for the Hawks. You knew it was coming. The odds simply play out. More of the same likely as we move forward. Basic lineup pretty good IMO, but not as good now with Sharpy out on the injury list. As pointed out by others Sharp had been playing pretty well, but had not been rewarded with points he should have had. As to the injury, it looked like a knee to me. Sharpy’s face wasn’t all contorted up, so hopefully just a tweak. I hope its not a hip flexor muscle. Those are really bad to heal up. Like a groin pull, hip flexor pulls really limit movement, but I’m going with a knee sprain. I am not sure what player comes over from the Hogs. Sharpy being a righty hurts as we don’t have so many. I don’t see anyone on the Hogs apparent short list that shoots right, so I am curious which player will get the call up.
Fantastic to see the Hawks finally get some points in the Bell Centre, and in such a demonstrative fashion to boot. The Hawks kept the gas pedal down which should have left us all feeling pretty good after suffering through the goal drought. Habs seemed to pack it in after it went 3-0. Nice to hear those cascading boos coming down in the third. Early season euphoria seems to have melted away in Montreal.
Speaking of fantastic, it was really fun to hang with AJ and JS at Swig, Chicago last night. I thought being Tues game against the Habs with an early puck drop made sense for a get together. I hope we can do this again as the season progresses and more of you guys can attend. We really had a good time.
If the Hawks will just roll 4 consistent lines I believe they will start getting the chemistry right. Once that happens the wins will start to stack up.
Lets Go Hawks!
+/- is a pretty bad way of determining how good someone is at defense. For instance, people think Ovi is bad/overrated because he is pretty consistently a negative player, but so many different factors are involved in that that he pretty much has no control over.
unless it’s 30-40 below like it was, that’s kinda telling …… but he’s actually a plus for his career. He’s still as erratic as anyone I can recall who gets Hart consideration regularly
if you watch the replay of sharps injury the guy who checked him led with his knee with intent to injure if it was my decesion i would send a tape to the league and what about buffelein hitting kane in the head ,isnt that intent to injure dave
Dave-looked at the tape-it’s a stretch to say it was intentional and the league certainly couldn’t go there.
Out of adversity comes opportunity (Sharp has been flying)-Morin in the top 6! Sorry Rufus.
JS, I do not disagree with the premiss that +/- is not a best or only indicator of how a player is performing. The only reason I brought it up is simply that right now TT is the on negative +/- on the team (regulars). As a team the Hogs are a +65….Brennan a +9, Danualt and Moose +7, McNeill, Dahlbeck and Johns are all +6. Ross, Hartman and Masher are all +5. So it seems that all of our top prospects are doing their jobs. How is it that TT is a minus 3. I find it odd and hope someone here can tell us why.
^^ Mike, there’s really no mystery to Teuvo’s +/- issue … he’s not playing badly but he’s clearly adjusting to the AHL pro style. He’s learning how to keep his feet moving on defense, how to position himself, how to play a 200 ft. game, etc.
It’s no knock on him at all, he is just ultra young and quite inexperienced. If you watch him play his vision and hockey sense really jump out at you and he’s a great skater. But ready to play a complete game at the NHL level? Not yet.
One guy who looks to be settling in quickly is fellow Finn Pokka. It’s a small sample size but I can really see why they’d target this guy. Positionally sound, great instincts and he can move well and play a complete game. He’s still green but you can really see the talent. He can’t move like Leddy (not many can) but Dent is already giving him power play time and at age 20 he’s not out of place in the AHL.
Hofmeister….you attend Hog games often? If you do, keep us posted. I love the AHL. We have the Ducks AHL team here. We had the Hawks AHL team for the 10 years prior to them moving to Rockford (97 to 06). Kieth played an astounding 154 AHL games while Seabrook 3.
^ Mike I spend a fair amount of time in DeKalb and it’s just a short hop up to Rockford so I get to a few and also watch online (live is much better!).
Ice Hogs are playing really well right now. The biggest difference is last year’s rookies are now this year’s 2nd year guys and the defense corp is noticeably better.
The team, like any farm team, will definitely go through struggles but pretty much every game I’ve been to there’s always a Blackhawks front office presence so they’re staying on top of everything.
I had a chance to talk with Barry Smith, head of player development I think he is, one time late last year (I’m not an insider, just chatted him up a bit at a game). One thing that struck me is it appears the Blackhawks are adamant about making 100% sure these guys are ready for the NHL, they simply are not going to rush anyone except in cases of dire need (injuries).
Whether we like it or not, that’s their philosophy and they’re not going to buckle to any cat calls about replacing guys on the Blackhawks every time they have a bad game. Just my sense of the conversation (brief) I had with him.
I have been watching and going to Blackhawk games since I was very young, first game was in 1965 to be exact. In Rockford, Dahlbeck looks the most ready to me. Clendening is a good player too although he hasn’t been ultra noticeable in the games I’ve watched (not playing bad, just doesn’t stand out at the moment). I would also not be so quick to write off TJ Brennan, I heard some season ticket holders up there say they’ve been told the player development people are working hard with him to round out his game to be a more all around player.
McNeil to me has made strides from last year, he really started to find his game the 2nd half of last season. Both Rasmussen and Ross could probably contribute limited minutes too. There is some talent there for sure.
Lastly … Nordstrom is a joy to watch if you like work ethic. He competes and has some skill although it doesn’t pop out at you. He can for sure be a 4th line guy and probably a 3rd line guy. Very good skater and very responsible defensively, doesn’t make mistakes at least at that level.
Hofmeister; Thank you for your info on the Hogs, greatly appreciated. I was looking for any of your ideas on Ryan Hartman, I know he is young, I believe this will be his first full year with hogs, but I was lucky to see him play at the high school level with Dundee, and was thrilled when the hawks drafted him. Seemed to me to be loaded with God given talent, great vision, above average skater, and old school mentality and attitude. Thought that he played bigger than his size, and was quick to back all teammates.It has been a couple of years since I saw him play, just wondering if any thoughts on his progress? Again, thanks for any/all Hog info.
^ Jax, in my opinion Hartman will be a good player, a guy who can move around to different lines and roles. His motor is high end, very competitive. He looks pretty good in Rockford although this is his first year and I’m sure he will hit a wall at some point.
What impresses me the most about him is his smarts. He seems to have really good hockey sense and he looks to be responsible defensively. I’m not into comparables but a somewhat bigger Andrew Shaw wouldn’t be out of line. I do think he may have more offensive upside than Shaw but that remains to be seen.
From what I’ve seen of Hartman, color me impressed thus far. I think your comments about him are spot on.
Hofmeister, I’ll echo what Jax said – appreciate the Hogs eyewitness accounts. Keep them coming please.
Right hand shots on short list, Neiler.
I am big on Hartman as well. Simply put, Hartman is a hockey player. Reminds me a lot of Shaw. Makes the most of his talents, plays bigger than he is, willing to go to the dirty areas, stands up for his teammates and will do anything to win.
Side note, I’m not sure who mentioned on here before stating Eichel was better than McDavid and will go number 1. Eichel has had a good start in 5 games with 4G 5A for 9 pts. McDavid has 14g 28A 42pts in 14 games not to shabby. Both are great players but McDavid will be number 1
G-bladz… they are both great players… BUT- @ World Jrs. – I thought Eichel was way better… He is playing US College- where scoring is way tougher than Canada/Jrs….
the Negative for Eichel to NOT be drafted 1st…is he has more control of staying in school- if he doesn’t want to play for the City that picks him!
I can’t wait to see both of them, next years draft will be great and Buffalo gets 3 1st rounders and 2 2nd rounders.