Blackhawks Fall In LA
The Kings hadn’t lost on home ice in the postseason, and continued their dominance in LA with a 3-1 victory over the Blackhawks on Tuesday night.
After two solid victories in Chicago, the Blackhawks came out flat against the Kings in Game Three. Justin Williams gave LA the lead early, and the Hawks were never able to draw even.
LA coach Darryl Sutter made some significant line changes at the start of the game and they paid off. Jarret Stoll was moved up to the Kings’ top line, while Anze Kopitar was moved to the third line.
Kopitar has struggled to produce offensively in the postseason, but had a strong night in Game Three with two hits, one takeaway and won 12 of 19 faceoffs. Stoll led the King with five hits and was credited with two blocked shots in the game while winning eight of 15 draws.
Bryan Bickell scored in the final minute of the second period to bring the Hawks to within 2-1, which was fortunate for the visitors. Chicago managed only ten shots in the first 40 minutes, three of which came in the second period.
One contributing factor to the lack of shots for the Hawks was the six penalty minutes they had to kill in the middle frame, two from a Johnny Oduya interference call and a Duncan Keith double-minor for a stick that hit Jeff Carter in the chin. Carter required some repairs after the hit, and Sutter said after the game that he believed Keith deserved more than four minutes for the infraction.
Keith’s whack was the only thing that slowed Carter down in the game. Skating at center in the absence of Mike Richards, Carter was phenomenal in the game. He created a number of good scoring opportunities for teammates and gave a number of Hawks, especially Patrick Sharp, problems just trying to exit the defensive zone. In the game, Carter had two assists, two takeaways and won eight of 13 faceoffs.
Slava Voynov’s broken-stick shot slipped past Corey Crawford early in the second period and the Kings’ defenseman was credited with the game-winner. After scoring six goals in 48 regular season games, Voynov set an LA record with his fifth postseason goal for a defenseman; four of them have been game-winners.
Crawford played well again, stopping 25 of 27 shots. He was once again the Hawks’ best penalty killer as well, helping the Hawks stay close through the first two periods.
Andrew Shaw, who won eight of ten faceoffs and was credited with two hits, played well again for the Blackhawks. Michael Frolik and Brent Seabrook led the Hawks with four hits each, and Frolik led all Chicago forwards with 4:13 of short-handed ice time.
The list of underwhelming Blackhawks was long in the game, but one player that has become a ghost in the third round of these playoffs has been Dave Bolland. In Game Three, Bolland skated only 11 shifts and 7:42, both the lowest totals on the Chicago roster. He won only one of five faceoffs, and did little else to contribute in the game. Even with the Hawks being required to kill ten short-handed minutes, Bolland skated only 1:04 on penalty kill.
Also, the box score says Patrick Kane skated over 20 minutes in the game, but you wouldn’t have known it from watching. He was credited with only two shots in 24 shifts.
Jonathan Toews’ scoring drought also continued as well, but he was credited with two blocked shots and one hit in the game. He provided pressure in front of Quick on Bickell’s goal as well, but needs to find the back of the net.
Coach Joel Quenneville was pretty clear with his comments after the game. “We got out-worked today.”
Now the Blackhawks will need to respond when the two teams return to the ice in Game Four.
…correct me if I’m wrong – did anyone see Carter slash Keith on his (bare) hand just a few seconds before the double minor call against Keith? “Sutter said after the game that he believed Keith deserved more than four minutes for the infraction.” — I can state with completely certainty on this that Sutter is FULL of shit.
Thank you for the game summary, Tab – as usual, I think you captured the spirit of the thing.
First Sharp goes to the dressing room
2nd Hammer lays on the ice like he was dead
And.I thought Keith was getting ejected.Other then that I would of been sleeping like Kane has been for about 2 weeks now.Hawks were either jet lagged or maybe should of practiced I dunno.The penalties didn’t help and neither our passing game or Not shooting.I believe every game we played this postseason we have had 30 shots or more.20 wont do it.I think Quick is injured though.He looked very out of place even up 2-0.We need to bring our A game Thursday.
— in addendum: Tab, finger on the pulse/spot-on…”The list of underwhelming Blackhawks was long in the game, but one player that has become a ghost in the third round of these playoffs has been Dave Bolland” & “the box score says Patrick Kane skated over 20 minutes in the game, but you wouldn’t have known it from watching”. This is a problem. Kane will have to wake-up. Does Smith (or ?) take Bolland’s spot, if for no better reason than to shake things up a little? Tab?
Yes I saw the slash,maybe Sutter did not.Though while funny,that was idiotic on Keiths part.I wouldnt put it past Shana ass to suspend him.Ecspecially after that Sedin incident last season.Kinda of “repeat offender” type situation.
ratboy36 – if Keith gets suspended the nhl loses all credibility (“…wrestling shit out there”). Sutter’s claim is just an attempt at gamesmanshit — like Vancouver’s dick and lick claiming the calls were going against them while they were bending-breaking the rules on every other shift…I think that was idiotic (but, it probably worked).
IMO the NHL has already lost credibility.The Wings series for example was so one sided for game 3 and 4.Not to mention the lockout even though after the season played out and Chicago are where they are it took the edge off for me anyway.I wouldnt doubt the suspension though.The NHL would love for this to go 7 games and despite our slep walking performance tonight,I still say it should be over in 5.We left 4 goals on the ice tonight.We just didn’t execute properly.
A few observations and rants…….
2 D. KEITH – Stupid penalty on Carter! Dunc works hard but his limited mental capacity gets him in trouble. He need to keep it simple.
4 N. HJALMARSSON – Great game …. Again
7 B. SEABROOK – Solid effort
8 N. LEDDY – Too soft, to cute. Brookbank might be a better option.
10 P. SHARP – Was Ok
16 M. KRUGER – Showed more than some of the Stars. Great on PK as usual.
19 J. TOEWS – Worked hard as always.
20 B. SAAD – was Ok.
25 V. STALBERG – Pretty poor effort. Time for a change?
26 M. HANDZUS – Not bad for a pylon. Made some nice plays and didn’ hurt defensively.
27 J. ODUYA – Decent game.
29 B. BICKELL – Getting our moneys worth and then some.
32 M. ROZSIVAL – Stop dicking around in your own zone. Rosy and Leddy together scare me!
36 D. BOLLAND – He must be injured.
65 A. SHAW – Solid effort, but needs to pay attention to defensive resposibilities in his end. On the first goal he looked lost.
67 M. FROLIK- Over the past 3 playoffs, has been the most consistent Hawk.
81 M. HOSSA – ok, but I would like to see a little more.
88 P. KANE – Afraid to get hit, and playing like S#$t! Sit him next game!
Here is my summary of the game-
My wife yelled at the T.V. and called Patrick Kane a “pussy”!!!
Looking forward
This looks like it is going 7…
Boston will be the last team standing…
Leddy’s price tag is going down…
If we can’t sign 29/25- can the Hawks go after Horton (still probably need to dump 36)… Pretty Please Scotty Bowman!!!
Actually it is an insult to most woman to refer to Kane as a pussy.
Regretfully I have been a booster of his in the past but now see him for what he is – a useless coward who should be go back to Europe where he can play with boys. He is not a man and is not willing to make the sacrifices that men make to win a Cup. The image in my mind of him laughing on the bench at how easy it was to score and set up goals against the boys in the Minnesota series will last for a long time.
Unfortunately we now see that he is a coward when he has to face real men. The pain and sacrifices necessary to win play-off hockey are things he tries too hard to avoid. He may have scored the winner in 2010 but since then he has essentially been a dud in the playoffs.
As fans we should all be embarrassed that the Blackhawks have made him one of the faces of the current team. Blackhawk hockey has always been tough and gritty. Kane is way too soft. Q would send a great message to the rest of the team by scratching him for the next couple of games. My bet is the real soldiers on this team would easily fill the void.
So everyone thought that this was going to be a four game sweep??? Look, the Kings did exactly what they were supposed to do, they won the first game at home by making some adjustments and tightening up their neutral zone positioning. The Hawks looked to be “disinterested” at times, which happens to any team that reads its own press clippings. Remember the Detroit series?? It took awhile for the Hawks to wake up, but they finally did.
On Thursday, I expect a better effort and some adjustments that allow us to get out of our zone a little more quickly and with alot less giveaways. The Kings are the defending stanley cup champions, they are not going to just throw in the towel and let the Hawks skate all over them.
We need some of our boys to put forth a better effort, though. Kaner, Bolland, Hossa, Saad and a couple others need to wake up and get moving.
Tom J….Agreed, nice summary Tab. Hawks looked like LA did in game 1, fatigued. Big wins sometimes lead to emotional letdowns. LA has adjusted just like the Red Wings did. Now it will be Q,s turn to adjust.
I do not know what is going on with Bolland. It may be time for a change in scenery for him. Trade his $3.375MM for prospects. Hawks will need that money to retain Bickell…..and the Hawks need Bickell’s big body. I am just not sure Hayes is ready to fill Bickell’s role yet.
On to game 4. I believe the Hawks will play much better. One of these days the stars will come out. I hope it is Thursday.
LA came out desperate and got the job done. Give them credit. They are a good team that can dominate am opponent when on their style of game. Crawford was once again excellent. I for the life of me don’t understand where Kane is in this series, other than harmlessly floating around while his teammates are taking on the physicality brunt brought on by the Kings. Obviously this style of opponent doesn’t match up well with Kane’a strengths on the ice. But that said I am frankly disgusted with his play. And in case anybody has been paying attention, Stalberg has been essentially useless. Which makes me wonder of Bollig or Carcillo might not be a better option against a team like LA. Hawks will be ok in this series. Hit the jacuzzi and massage table today, take those vitamins and get some much needed rest before tomorrow night.
Hawks skated better and better as the game went on, but whatever led to the performance in the first period and a half needs to be changed. An announcer reported no ice time Monday or Tuesday morning, so perhaps getting on the ice before warmups would be a good idea. Think?
Kings forecheck was much more aggressive causing numerous D turnovers. Once Hawks got stuck in their own zone the O attack evsporated. 10 shots in two periods is laughable. LA contolled play by winning every battle possible, especially in avoiding hawk forecheck. Hawks decision making was poor resulting in missed passes and no opportunistic chances. They chased all night.
CC great again, as were Bickell, Frolik, Kruger, Shaw and Hammer, as they have been the entire playoffs. Which raises a question. Are they the real core players? Because our so called core guys have been neutalized and these guys are the reason for success.
Sharpie gets a pass for big scoring, but it’s time to call out Toews and Hossa for generating minimal scoring chances, and Kane, well, his dipsey doodle stick handling into the boards coupled with turnovers and no back checking rendered him less than nonexistent. Kane’s effort flat out sucks and he deserves to be horsewhipped for it.
First off, LOL @ the idea that the Hawks should sit Kane.
Secondly, there’s no way you sit Stalberg for Bollig or Carcillo. I know this is a first-time conversation on the “what the hell do they bring to the ice?” topic, but let’s just stop going there. In the postseason, those are your 18th and 19th forwards, respectively.
Now if the Hawks wanted to sit Bolland down and give a kid like Smith and/or Morin a shot, I wouldn’t be against that. Of course, I was one of many that said Quenneville should sit Handzus in the middle of the Detroit series and he went on a five-game point streak immediately following those comments, so…
Chris that is possibly the worst summary ever. You think Oduya had a decent game and Leddy was awful? At least Leddy was willing to take a hit to try to make a play. Sadly, Rosival was rarely in a position to accept a pass to release the pressure.
Hawks sucked in the neutral zone and that’s all this came down to. The Kings were finally able to get good cross ice dumps and keep the puck away from Crawford (think about that, they had to game plan around Crawford). This meant the forecheckers were able to get on to the Hawks while they were playing the puck. Need to be more aggressive in the neutral zone and force earlier dumps.
We all knew they weren’t going to sweep, right?
Crawford was outstanding. Where did this rebound control suddenly come from?
Hawks passed on way too many chances to shoot the puck. No idea why Stalberg tried to pass to Saad on the 2 on 1 down low. It actually may have worked if Saad had his stick in a good position to accept a pass.
I thought Kane was pretty good in the first two games. He had a lot of chances and was moving well. He was absolutely awful last night. The day that guy wins/gets involved in a board battle, I might pass out.
I’m also waiting for the day that Kane and Toews remember how to score.
As far as what Keith did to Carter… he deserves a suspension. It doesn’t matter what the hell Carter tried to do to his hand, you aren’t allowed to retaliate like that. This si the second time in 15 months that Keith has gotten upset at someone and retaliated in an extremely dangerous way. This is not ok. Maybe a playoff suspension will teach him it’s not ok to try to end careers because someone hit you.
Also, Seabrook was drunk again… pretty much the entire night. If 32 and 8 are going to be as scary as they were last night, Seabrook needs to play better.
Meh, LA made the proper adjustments and the guys on the ice were not able to adjust appropriately. Sutter is kind of a good coach too.
Thursday should be a better game.
What I don’t understand is how a team can play as well as Chicago did at home and then come out so lame. I can see 1 or 2 players not being up to the task for various reasons, but the whole team? Shouldn’t they have come out with the same game strategy as they did at home? The coaches must have seen this as game 3 was unfolding right? It seems like there is a switch that needs to be flipped. GO HAWKS!!
Hawks came out flat and paid the price. No excuse for such a poor start, but that’s how this team seems to be wired. It was a turnaround from recent games while finishing out Detroit and the first 2 at the UC. Those games revealed the Hawks clearing their own end with crisp passing and good speed entering the neutral zone. Last night they were very careless with the puck and it cost us 2 goals.
The Kings played well enough to win. Kings covered up the neutral zone really well in the first 2 periods.They also had good puck possession for the first 2 periods too, but the Hawks woke up mid way through the 3rd when it was still anyone’s game and brought some good pressure around the Kings net. I thought Quick was off his game again last night. Even with that save on Bickell late, the puck just kind of hit his blocker. Otherwise, Quick looked slow and out of position. We were a bounce or two away from tying/going ahead in the 3rd. As bad an effort put forth by the Hawks last night as a team, they were tantalizingly close at the end.
I agree with the above comments concerning the play of Kane. This guy has been a ghost out there the past 2-3 games, and while he demands attention when he has the puck, he has not had much possession recently. Shots all high or wide. He must be a better player if we are to advance. Same for Hossa, Toews, and Bolland. I don’t fault the effort of the Cpt, but we need offensive contributions via the scoreboard. Indeed the stars need to start shining. At least Sharp showed some grit last night.
The Keith whack to Carter’s face was really stupid. Yes, he was chopped first in the back and then moments later on a bare hand by Carter, which was a big time cheap shot, but it is no excuse for retaliating and whacking a guy in the face like that. Duncan simply lost control, and he knew it right away. I think the league may give him a one day sit down, especially after the Sedin incident last year. Carter should have received a 2 minute slashing penalty, and I am not sure how the ref closest to the play could have ignored Carter’s stick work. So I expect Duncs to miss a game. Not good for the team looking towards tomorrow. Other guys are going to have to pick it up.
I expect a full effort by the Hawks tomorrow. It is a game that if they can win it will allow them to take over the series, and hopefully finish things out this weekend at home. Top to bottom I see the Hawks as a stronger team. It might take 7 games to get it done, but I still think we prevail and get to the finals, which is all any of us could ask for. Bruins-Pens should be a good one tonight. Boston has looked very tough recently. You would have to think a B’s- Hawks final would be a dream come true for the NHL, and hockey fans everywhere. Let’s keep the faith, and Let’s Go Hawks!
I think Kane is the player who should be under most scrutiny. He has played a cowardly useless style of hockey in games 1, 2, 3. In his defense, I understand that he’s not the type of player who can withstand the physicality or the menacing approach the Kings bring to the ice. But still…his performance has been inexcusable. It is times like this where I seriously challenge the belief that Kane is an elite player in the NHL. While there is no debate on the enormity of his offensive wizardliness, the fact is playoff hockey is different. And Kane has played like a prima donna pussy. There isn’t really any way to be more charitable than that. If I’m his teammates I’m disappointed in #88. Especially when they are withstanding the battle on the ice and have the aches and pains and injuries to validate that.
Toews? I think people are too critical. Toews is doing battle in the face-off circle and was playing a decent two-way game last night.
Hossa? He’s the most criticality important player on the ice in this series next to Crawford and Keith. LA did a nice job of keeping him tied up, but overall I have little fault with Hossa’s play…unlike my criticism of him during the Detroit series.
Sharp? A bit of silliness on his part, but what impressed me was his commitment to excellence and to doing the dirty work last night. That’s not his job title, but he visibibly worked to motivate the team. And he was busting his ass up and down the ice too.
Bolland? Useless. Starting to wonder if something more devious is at work here like booze. Regardless, he is most assuredely going to become an ex-Hawk in the offseason.
Shaw? Invaluable. Started the Detroit series playing like he was Danny Carcillo, but now is playing like Dirk Graham reincarnate. Hugely important player in this series.
Bickell? Huge, in more ways the one. I quiet leader on this team too. I’m going to cry when he leaves via free agency this summer. A class act who has taken his game to the next level.
Defensive assessment?
Keith…playing like a star, but he was taken out of his game last night. That said, the second most valuable player on this team right now next to Crawford.
Seabrook…played tired last night. The extreme grind of playoff hockey every 48 hours is brutal. Seabrook needs to somehow get refreshed to the degree he can before Thursday night.
Hjalmarsson…outstanding. He’s a warrior. Incredibly impressed with his entire season.
Oduya…struggled last night, but overall he continues to exceed expectations when you get right down to it.
Rosival…turnover bug plagued him last night and he struggled. Looks very tired ala Seabrook. But hey, he’s a 6th defenseman who has played out of his mind and has been generally highly reliable. He’ll rebound.
Leddy…essentially useless. But unlike Kane, its not from lack of effort. Leddy is a lousy fit for the style of play that LA plays. The Detroit series and this series are hopefully HUGE learning curves for where his game needs significant work. To be honest, his ice time needs to be curtailed in game 4.
JS- agree Oduya was equally awful…
That Saad chance- is why we don’t have to worry too much about him getting too much money- next contract…
The Hawks seemed to be worried about getting hit all nite long… and I don’t think that worry was justified (easy for me to say)… all of the Hawk;s passing seemed 1/2 a step behind the receiver… credit the Attack/lanes of the Kings (at least partially).
TWO of the biggest blown chances were passes from below the goal line to WIDE OPEN D-men, between the circles (One from 88, and other 81 (i think)) the passes missed shooters-BADLY- and were needlessly hurried!!!
I don’t think Keith gets a suspension, although he probably should. Carter slashing him and getting nothing is going to help Keith in this instance.
Carter picked Sharp’s pocket. I know he is on the other team, but it was pretty. Do you think he said this is why the Flyers traded you and not me early in our careers while taking the puck.
Kane needs to play better, but he can’t be sat. He needs to be more committed to defense (like he was for most of the regular season) and probably needs to shoot more instead of trying to stick handle everything. Maybe switch Kane and Hossa, but then the 1st line has to offensive puck possession because I don’t know how great they would be on defense.
I think Bolland should sit too and Smith should get a shot.
You can’t sit Stalberg again, but he didn’t help his case with his rocket pass to Saad on the 2 on 1. I would love for Saad to get a goal, I think that would help him tremendously.
What has happened to Rosival? He played so well during the regular season and just seems out of sync right now. Does he really need to sit a game? I can’t believe it, but maybe Brookbank needs to get in there. I just don’t think Sheldon would make Leddy feel any more comfortable.
Crawford was great and to JS’ point, the Kings had to gameplan to beating him. That hasn’t happened for a Chicago Goalie in awhile.
I don’t know about you guys, but I couldn’t stand the broadcast team last night. I ended up doing a pretty good job of syncing WGN radio broadcast with the video feed. I simply paused my dvr and let the radio catch up. Took about 5 tries, but it worked. I think the lag was about 15 seconds radio behind the TV.
@Chris- Why in the world would you sit down Patrick Kane? He is having a bad series so far, it happens. Were you one of the guys that was calling for him to be traded to Buffalo for Ryan Miller? I bet you were not saying all this stuff during the regular season when he was tearing up the score sheet. He will turn his game around and then I would like to see your reaction to him then.
It’s a good thing no one on here is coaching or general manager cause then half the team would be benched and we would have the AHL team out there. Every one just needs to calm down, it was one game. They will bounce back.
NHL is reviewing the slash on Jeff Carter,from.my point of view its looks bad for Keith.
If the NHL suspends Keith for that slash but let Matt Cooke walk for his boarding in Game One, Shanahan should wear a big red nose & makeup in the video explaining why.
Was it a bad hack? Sure. But based on the precedent set already in these conference final series, it’s not worthy of a suspension.
All Shanahan needs is the video now. :) Losing Keith would be huge,let’s see how it goes.My opinion as I said before the NHL would love to make this 7 games and that would solidify that for us by losing #2.If we he doesn’t it should over in 5 or 6
I think Keith should get fined not suspended, but if they went with the suspension its hard to argue about that. Hawks were flat and they still could have pulled it out. In the Detroit series there were a couple of games where the Hawks were more than a goal down late in the third so thats an improvement over the last series. It feels like the Hawks could just turn it up a notch and win Game 4, but I doubt its that easily done. Regardless I feel confident the Hawks will advance with Crawford playing well and Kopitar not playing well.
Similar to game 3 performance in Minny. Reddsteel made the adjustments for game 4 in Minny. Time will tell.
Even with Kieth getting slashed, his stick across Carter’s face is completely unacceptable. Shanaban will look at the repeat offender theory. He has no spine. And he was a major cheap shot in his day.
The second kings goal was a mild fluke as the stick broke. If he gets all of it, it probably goes into Crows chest which happened a lot. Look at Crows reaction after the goal.
That being said, the Hawks were outplayed all over the ice. (Easy to state the obvious).
And they did not deserve to win. LA did what they needed to do in this game.
88 is a ghost.
This series is going 7. Reddsteel rising…original 6 cup final.
Unfortunately, if I’m Shanahan then I hand Keith a suspension. It’s very hard to argue with what happened on the ice. Losing Keith for a game (or God forbid 2) would be a body blow and put this series into possible 7 game territory. But I’m not going to worry about it until Shanahan makes an announcement.
Kane doesn’t need to be benched. That’s idiot talk. But he has been absolutely dreadful and a non-factor in this series. I’m disgusted with his play. And my guess is that most of his teammates are this morning too. He needs to man up and scrape some paint out there like 11 other forwards and 6 defensemen are doing.
Would probably help Kane if he had a better center. As much as we praise the play of Handzus… ever wonder why he’s always so open?
And what Matt Cooke did happens in just about every game. He rode someone to the boards from behind.
Keith SLASHED SOMEONE IN THE FACE!
And as I say that, Keith is having a hearing later today. This is the right decision.
A hearing almost always equals suspension. So that means the Hawks are going to have to suck it up for game 4 with no Keith. That means Leddy is going to have to emerge from the shadows and contribute meaningfully.
Can’t cry about it. Need to adjust and suck it up.
No you don’t sit Kane… He is still a huge talent- and a Pussy/ghost… To JS’s point,
Part of reason Zus is open is Kane being pressured.
Skate 29/19/88
and
10/26/81
then 88 might have a little wiggle room- otherwise he doesn’t have the Balls/strength to skate thru teams like Kings, Bruins…
Kane is good in wide open game- not grinding type of game… I’d take a Marchand type player all day in grinding game… and Save $$$ too
of course he would be better w/ better/faster center…
Duncan Keith’s hearing is scheduled for 12:30 pm CT on Wednesday.
“what Matt Cooke did happens in just about every hockey game. He rode someone into the boards from behind.”
Of course, that’s why he received a 5 minute major for checking from behind AND a 10 minute game misconduct penalty. Every game includes hits from behind that merit 15 PIM…
Maybe the Hawks came out flat.
But seriously. LA changed where they were dumping pucks and forcing the Hawks defenders to try and reverse the puck around the boards where they had help. They double team Kane and Toews at every opportunity and limited the Hawks D men to 4 total shots the entire game between the 6 of them. They also adjusted their roster and line up.
Sutter is a very good coach and he made some very good adjustments that were executed by his players.
I can’t help but think, like in the Detroit series, Q will make a few adjustments of his own to counter.
I’m sure his name had nothing to do with the 5 and a game. And that’s another thing, he was kicked out of the game and that matters to Shanny when it comes to his discipline.
Not sure how you can try to justify Keith’s best impression of Marty McSorely. Pretty obvious the guy doesn’t know how to keep his cool when someone does something he doesn’t like. He’s a repeat offender that has targeted the head twice now.
Wall- I think those will be the lines next game. And stop agreeing with me, it’s weird!
Agree Tab- if Carter is injured/misses time then you suspend…
This case- 2 just meant to “stick slap” 77 for being a dick… and the stick glanced upward off of arm/shoulder striking the face- making 2 the bigger dick! Cheap -yes, but no injury and I don’t think the face was the intended target…
Just as cheap and almost as dangerous was the Blade to Hossa’s stomach/ribcage from that Pig-nosed Dustin Brown… no penalty of course- like the Shaw wack- Cheap!!!
Strangely enough, I’m more confident now that the Hawks will win this series than I was before watching the game last night (not considering possible Keith suspension).
The Kings played much better and, as already pointed out, made adjustments on how they dumped the puck in the other corner to eliminate Crawford moving the puck, but the game was still there to be had. The encouraging thing is that rather than go into a protective shell, the Hawks actually had the better of the play as the game went along.
My fear going into this series was that the Kings would forecheck our d-men like they did in the first half of the game last night and the Hawks would never be able to hit their stride. Seeing how the Hawks withstood the pressure and got better against it makes me think the Hawks will ultimately prevail.
Boys, let’s not start pannicking over a bad game. Let’s put it behind us and move forward. It seems that as a whole, we couldn’t stop turning over the puck and giving the Kings golden opportunities. We’ll get better as the series goes on.
As far as Keith goes……..it should have been a 5 minute major penalty. Tab, the reason that MAtt Cooke should be suspended is based on his reputation as a known trouble maker. Keith should be suspended. That move, although accidental, was cheap and reckless. My guess is that Keith will not be suspended because he doesn’t have the same reutation as Matt Cooke.
I still think the Hawks will win in 6 games.
Ok, so one bad game last night and it seems some folks are ready to hang themselves. I agree hawks didn’t look very good last night and need more offensive production but I think the key last night that lost them the game was their ability to cleanly exit the defensive zone.
I thought it looked reminiscent of some of the losses last series where everytime the puck got deep the opposing forecheck either won the race to the puck or forced a quick turnover. That led not only to scoring chances for the kings but stifled out offense because if the best you can do is lob the puck out to clear your zone and hope it doesn’t go far enough for icing how can you expect to put together a rush.
As to Kane’s play, yes he has looked bad but benching him would be stupid and isn’t going to happen. He’s never going to be a physical presence, not because he can’t (I believe Shaw is about 15lbs smaller than him) but because that isn’t the type of player he is. What he needs to do is play angry. Look at Sharp. He did not have a good year, he’s been plagued with injuries and is certainly not a tough guy to begin with but every time he touches the puck this postseason he looks dangerous, like he wants nothing more than to fire it through someone in a different colored sweater’s teeth.
That’s how all our stars need to look. Toews is grinding as best he can and Bicks continues to be huge but last night no one else looked mad. Not stupid mind you (the Keith penalty) just mad. Because when this team gets pissed, well, look at the last three games of the last series.
Looking forward to a much better game next time out. Go Hawks
Keith’s slash to Carter’s face was a stupid and knee-jerk retaliation to a painful slash to an ungloved hand which everbody knows hurts like a bitch. I think there is little doubt Carter knew that as he did it and deserved a slashing penalty himself. But Dunc took retaliation to a potentially dangerous level.
Hopefully Shannahan thinks the double minor was sufficient, but I don’t think it would be too much to have Dunc sit for one game.
I’m worried we’re going to lose Keith for a game and Hammer isn’t going to be able to walk on that knee. Down our best 2 d-men would be tough.
Despite their huge effort and our poor one, we were one great save away from heading to OT. Looking forward to game 4. Sure would be nice to take it.
Good news is Hammer and Sharp were at today’s skate. Keith will definitely get suspended in my view…question becomes 1 game or 2. Rationale on 2 games would be his unfortunate classification as a repeat offender.
Rufus, hammer played after not being able to skate to the bench. His leg just went dead from the force of the shot. Sharpie…….the same thing, just a “twinge” in his shoulder. It’s playoff hockey, you’d have to shoot these guys in order to get them off the ice. You all know that hockey players are as tough as a $2 steak.
Again, let’s see what tomorrow brings. I’d like to see more from Kane, Stahlberg, Hossa and a couple other players, but we need a better effort, overall.
Okay, lots of good comments, some bizarre ones, but that’s what makes a democracy such a great thing…as Voltaire said, “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.” So keep the thoughts coming boys…
As for the game, I think Ebony Raptor had the best comments, and its what stuck with me after the game…the Kings came out at home and gave their best shot…the Hawks showed up completely disinterested in engaging in anything meaningful for over half the contest…AND WE BARELY LOST!!! The kings 2nd goal was luck…if the stick doesn’t break it likely doesn’t go in…and the Hawks in the last 10 minutes of the 3rd, barely missed on a handful of glorious scoring opportunities. Even the King’s empty net goal was caused by a horrible missed icing call.
The Blackhawks embarrassed themselves (apologies to Shaw, Bickell, Hammer, Keith, Seabs, Sharp, Saad, Frolik and Kruger) for half of a conference final playoff game on international TV…that’s punishment enough. On top of that, Q will name names in private and challenge the offenders (Kane in particular) to play better, AND THEY WILL.
There is no way after that effort that Toews and Kane will continue to just slide by (and yes I include Toews with Kane), there both too good of hockey players and people to stand idly by. Yes, Toews tried hard last night, but only in spurts…his lack of focus/concentration was the worst I’ve seen it since he became a Hawk. He is still smarting mentally from the detroit series and he needs to get over it…NOW!
Kane is a floater…as a hockey purist, I hate it, but its Patrick Kane and he’s done a ton for this hockey team, including scoring the SC GWG in 2010. Playoff hockey is not really his “bag” (there’s even a book thats entitled “Patrick Kane: Playoff Hockey is Not my Bag, Baby!”), so he kind of floats around there, and tries to make great plays when he can…and I think for the most part he really tries. Kane simply cannot go into corners and take hits to make plays, and still be ready for the next game. But last night his effort evaporated, his care and passion evaporated, and that has to change. And here’s the great thing about Toews and Kane…IT WILL…it always has, it always does, and it always will. Think about it…we got outplayed in every aspect of the game, the refs did their usual “look the other way” when there’s an infraction against the Hawks (see chicken shit slash by Jeff Carter on Keith’s exposed hand), Quick made a number of outstanding saves, and we still could have easily won that hockey game.
Coach Q is simply far too seasoned and far too good as a HC, especially after what just happened against the wings, to allow this effort to repeat itself…and this is exactly why the Hawks just went through what they went through in the wings series…to get them ready for moments like these against the Kings and likely Bruins. We will be ready come Thursday, and then move on…because I am convinced that this hockey team is heads and tails deeper and better than any other team in the NHL and is destined to win another SC this season…whether the Hawks win this series in 5, 6, or 7…doesn’t really matter…trust that they will.
As for what to do on Thursday…sure, set Bolland down and give Ben Smith a shot to spark this team, or juggle the lines a little…in the end it won’t really matter…as long as Seabs, Handzus and Crawford continue their level of effort and play, this team can’t be beat in a 7 game series. The Core, or Stars, could have ensured we won that game last night, but they didn’t…guess what, it won’t happen again…they are simply too good and too caring of players to let that stinker pass unnoticed…as they showed against detroit.
So we wait for Thursday, and if we win there, it will be off to the SC finals once again.
As for Keith/suspension??? Ridiculous…did he deserve a 4 minute penalty, yep, but what about Jeff Carter??? That sequence DOESN’T EVEN OCCUR without his direct actions….he caused that to himself…Keith fell into the trap and paid his price. Maybe next time Carter shouldn’t target an exposed wrist with his stick?
Anybody seen Carter fall as a soccer play? I prefer hockey over soccer because I hate diving and simulating. Any normal player will grab his chin, show it to the referee, but Carter put some hollywood in it.
I’ve got an idea shaacul. Let’s get on an ice rink, and as you are skating in front of me, I will whack you in the face with a hockey stick and we will see how you react. We might have to do it a few times because randomness, ya know?
I remind you what one hockey player once said – “It´s just the teeth”. Do you remember that? I don´t say that it doesn´t hurt, I say that it that kind of case you can difference between real toughness and players like Carter (or Kane, or…)
Right. Carter isn’t tough. I must have been imagining him getting slashed in the face and missing 2 shifts while getting 20 stitches put in his chin.
Go away.
I find it hilarious that EVERYONE on the NHL Network is now in love with the LA Kings. We have NO chance tonight according to the talking heads. Kelly Chase is a talking donkey. Of course, the Hawks have to play well tonight to win. Same with LA. Whomever wants it more will win. It’s a 7 game series last I heard, so the series is not won or lost tonight. A Hawks win though, would be massive. I only hoped for one win in these games in LA.
Also try and sync WGN with the video. If you have a DVR just pause the live action until the radio catches up. It could take a few tries, but it’s better than listening to Panger.
Lets’ Go Hawks!!
Let’s Go Hawks!