Blackhawks Dominate Pens, Win Stadium Series Finale
The Blackhawks welcomed the Penguins to Soldier Field on Saturday night. And, after 60 minutes of hockey, Sidney Crosby still hasn’t won a game against Jonathan Toews.
Toews scored two goals and added an assist as the Blackhawks dominated the Penguins. Chicago’s captain won 15 of 27 faceoffs and was credited with the game-winning goal in a complete victory.
The only negative for the Hawks was an upper-body injury suffered by Marian Hossa, who was hit by Craig Adams while the Hawks were on the power play in the first period. Hossa skated only six shifts and did not return for the second or third periods.
Snow blanketed the fans and required extra attention from the ice crew during the game. Corey Crawford 31 saves, only allowing a goal to… Brent Seabrook… in the third period. Seabrook tipped a James Neal pass into his own net, ending Crawford’s shutout bid. Neal was credited with the goal.
Crosby skated 22:01 in the game and was credited with three shots on net and two hits while winning 16 of 34 faceoffs. He was minus-two in the loss.
The Blackhawks also received goals from Patrick Sharp, Kris Versteeg and Bryan Bickell. Brandon Bollig was credited with a team-high six hits, and Marcus Kruger won 10 of 13 faceoffs as the Hawks received contributions from all four lines.
UPDATE: after the game, coach Joel Quenneville told the media that Hossa “might miss a little time” and that they “will know a little more in a few days.”
Great evening…interesting to look at TOI for Pens top 6 compared to Hawks same; really speaks to depth and Q’s belief in our 2nd 6. Pens had 5-6 minutes more than our top guys. Taser was a beast; totally outshone 87. D was rock solid; Saad had tremendous night; Kane 2 pipes so he’s coming; Sharpie strong; Crow top of his game; Kruger 77% FO’s…this kid is really coming. What a great team effort. Just hope Mr. Hossa is alright. What a blast watching this one. Let’s go Hawks!
Toews outplays Crosby in their first ever matchup against each other!
Crawford was outstanding…first star! This was a great game to watch. Toews was really flying and that goal was a league best. Maybe he gets first star. Make it a dead heat. The team really seemed to enjoy the snowy conditions. Great job by the snow removing crew. Great job by the fans sticking it out in that wind and snow and serious wind chill. It reminded me of how I used to play hockey late into the evening with the snow flying and so cold and my mom yelling out to get us to come in. This is hockey at its root level and its origins and is a valid decision to play this way once a year. Just love it when we stick it to the Penquino’s …check out my predicitons of a four goal differential and 5-0 win in NHL Stadium series by the numbers on this site…genius or what!!!
You cannot count “Seabrooks” goal as anything the Penquino’s did ..he plain shot it right into his own net…so both predicitions are good!!
That was too… f’ing… cold.
Never again.
Hossa injury could be a blessing in disguise? Gives him some time off to come back roaring for the playoffs? Or maybe forces Stan to make another move?
Crawford was awesome. Kane can’t buy a goal right now. Toews with the whoop whoop. Seabrook being Seabrook.
Also, I know TJ Oshie did the cool thing in the shoot out… but Brandon Saad is better than him and a half a dozen other players on Team USA. Stupid that he wasn’t there.
Very entertaining game. That was fun.
that was really fun to watch.
everyone skated. penguins lazy on backcheck = two odd-man-rush goals. that doesn’t fly in chicago.
really nice to see bickell get a goal. hope it gets him going. he took some hits and seemed alright. let’s hope that gets him more confident in his ability to absorb contact. he needs to start banging some bodies more frequently.
first time i’ve noticed shaw on the ice for the past 5 games or so.
complete dominance. 5-1 was a flattering scoreline for the penguins. could’ve been 8-2 easily.
oh, and WHAT A MOVE from tazer! sacre bleu!
Saad is a beast……Maybe SBs best pick ever, considering
I am really glad to see 19’s focus at the same high level he had in Sochi. Hawks played a great game and The Penguins’ looked uncharacteristically ill prepared to play this game. Kane is going to be a beast the rest of the way. He (although he should not be) is embarrassed about his Sochi performance. Hates feeling this way and his play rises as a result. Good to see Steeg get a goal. I think he and Kane will continue to improve their chemistry if Steeg stays on the 2cd line. Good to see Bicks score as well, but still need to see much more energy out of him.
Saad is a beast
Will be interesting who takes Hossa’s place on the 1st line. I am hoping it is Smith. I think he would do well and learn a lot playing along side Toews for a few games. Leave Steeg with Kane
Saad is a beast
Handzus looked slow but his positioning was pretty good last night. Of course it was Versteeg that had to charge the net to receive Kane’s awesome pass. Kane is a playmaker and it is up to him and whoever is on the other wing. The 2C Controversy is not over. Does SB have a surprise up his sleeve??
BTW, Saad is a beast
It’s Hossa’s back for sure. Hope a couple weeks off can get him back to where he needs to be.
Great game. Colder that a well digger’s ass and, yes, I’m officially sick of the stadium series.
Dominate is an understatement. Pittsburgh might as well have stayed home and mailed in the two points. Wow what a game. I watched it with a buddy who is a Pens fan and he was pretty silent throughout. Everyone played great with Toews, Saad and Crawford looking great. The only tiny criticism was Seabrooks brain fart and Oduya wasn’t that great. It’s a great day to be a Hawks fan.
Oh and Kruger was outstanding in all zones. He justs better every game and Q trusts he in many key situations. He was also so dominate on FO’s as well
Thankfully, I watched the game on TV. Kane is playing great and was one of the best players on the ice in Sochi for the US. Yes he didn’t get the results he would’ve wanted but Bielsma didn’t do him any favors in switching up centers on him and having him play with Parise. We all saw (and heard it), but two posts on the same shift! He just can’t buy a goal, but then he goes and gets Steeger that goal. Not too many players in the world can have the Dman skate by them to have the Dman then in front of them and still stick handle to get the puck in front of the Dman’s stick…goodness gracious…beautiful. Kane is playing at a very high level right now.
Rufus/JS…agree 81, it is most likely his Back…watched hit a few times in slow-mo… skating one way, hit the other way, and left shoulder got “stuck/twisted” in boards…
But the blessing COULD be that Morin (who would be better on Top 6/offensive line-IMO) gets a call up to actually play with offensive/gifted players…Morin is red-hot right now… OR do we see the Potential “WATER-BUG” line of PMB/23/88… that line would be entertaining (and possibly bad in D zone… But entertaining/all these guys can skate laterally better than a lot of guys skate straight).
SAAD!!!
KRUGER!!!
Pens blog sites posting they are attempting to work a deal for Ryan Kesler…he would look awfully good in the ‘Indian Head’; last time 2c would be a topic as well.
Hoping Hoss will be OK soon.
Pens apparently offered Sutter, an ok prospect, a first and third. Don’t think that’s nearly enough to get it done.
I know I give Q a lot of shit, but he is such a better coach than the Bylsma. The Penguins are embarrassing in their own zone and their back check is non-existent. This is probably why they consistently poop the bed in the playoffs. Also, Orpik and Scuderi are hilariously bad.
Wall- if Morin played with 10/19 he would get so many points. Guy isn’t afraid to crash the net and knows how to find open space. However, I fully expect Handzus to play every game and Morin to continue destroying the AHL.
Yea, this is another one of those blessing in disguise. When Hoss is back its a boost and he be moar charged. It makes us do different lines and that is when we find some combinations that were looking for 2/3 lines. These things always seem to/find a way of working themselves out for themselves. If 96 is going to play, it is now.
10-19-20
23-96-88
29-12/26-65
52-16-28
Impressive showing by the guys despite nasty ice condition while snowing. Had to be rough on players visibility too. Was it my eyes or was that ice surface smaller than normal. Crow was very good, Toews better, and Kaner is ready to breakout soon. Those consecutive post shots were incredible. Saad as mentioned above was one of the better players on the ice/snow. I also concur with comments about Kruger. The guy just keeps getting better. He is becoming a good bet at the dot as this season progresses. Bicks and Bollig had good games too. Shaw got back to his old self. Never good when Hoss gets hurt. I thought he hurt his shoulder, but maybe it was his back. We need a healthy Hossa if we are to make a strong showing in the post season. This was a very strong performance by the Hawks. Hope they bring that effort against
Pens didn’t have much push back at all. If you were a Pitt. fan you had to be very disappointed with that level of compete.
Avs in town Tuesday should be a good one. If the Hawks bring the effort they put forth last night we win again.
Lets Go Hawks!
The outdoor games are fun to watch…from a distance..over 60,000 fans in those conditions says a TON about the job the Hawks have done in rebuilding this franchise.
4 lines were rolling, and we all know what that means…lots of people mentioned Saad and Kruger as playing great, along with the “stars”, but a big shout out to Ben Smith who played big minutes and did everything well…he’s a real quality player for the Hawks…
I’m with JS in that the Hoss injury might be a good thing…as Wall said, surely this will mean that Morin gets called up…he’s over a point a game, and by far the best player in the AHL right now…and like Wall, I hope he gets those top 6 minutes…I would love to see him on the first line with Tazer and Sharpie…or move Saad up with the big boys and have Morin skate with Shaw…they have nice chemistry…
Bowman’s comments about TT before the game really leave the door open for Teuvo as I speculated a while back…Handzus was serviceable last night with time off, but good god is he slow…there were a few times I thought the wind gust was going to push him backwards…its just not right, nor fair for Kane to have to play with this guy…
Dufus, it seems like all the players you took jabs at all had great games…do it more often.
Toews was pumped to face Crosby and it showed…7 shots on net…as Wall has said all along, that Toews needs to shoot more, when he does, good things happen…
Mike, I think that Saad is SBs best pick thus far…as look at what Saad has accomplished…not what potential he has shown (which is a ton), but what he’s actually done…the kid IS a man child…he was my first choice to skate with Toews this year…
Kruger just gets better and better…what a job by Bowman securing him for another 2 years at the price…great game by CC…he played large in net, in awful conditions.
As I have suggested time and again, there is nothing wrong with this team…its just a LONG season, and they have all been through so much over the past 4 years…they know when to turn it on…and when they do, they are unbeatable…
Great game…
BTW…the Bickell goal was great, because it showed what Brian does best…crash the net, and then compete…he didn’t get knocked off the puck and put his own rebound in the net…let’s hope this one gets him going…
While the Hawks effort and skill was several levels above the Pens I wouldn’t read too much into last night except the Hawks are much better “mudders”. The ice condition during the heavy snow was really a joke. The game Tuesday night is very important – hopefully the effort from last night will carry over.
Sr. Brad, I saw SB interviewed on NHLN on Friday and I was surprised how open he was in discussing TT and the possibility of him joining the team.
Regarding Morin it will be interesting to see if he is still with the Hawks on Wednesday. I would expect him to be part of a package if there is a trade. I know SB keeps downplaying any further moves but I still believe the Hawks will take a strong run if the Canucks decide to move Kesler. I did read that the Hawks are one of a few teams that he has approved.
Yea, the common nhl rumors sites verifying that CHI on the short list for teams Kesler will ntc to.
Bowman has said every year, we wont move anybody unless we have someone else who can play that position.
The only way that Kesler can come here is if we move salary, which means trading an existing forward to the Canuckleheads…and who would they want for Kesler??? For sure they would be interested in both Pirri and Morin, so how do you package that deal???
Plus, TT is very, very likely the future 2nd line centre for the Hawks, so then Kesler is signed for 1 year at a huge cost? Again, I’m not saying I would be against it, as Kesler would be a great addition (grit) to the skill of the Hawks, but this is a big move and very UNLIKE Bowman…
We will see…BTW, we are good enough to win it all again AS IS…
TSN’s Bob McKenzie tweeted on Saturday night that the Canucks wanted 1) an established, 20-25 yr old NHL player (preferably a C), 2) a top prospect, and 3) a #1 pick.
If we’re all in agreement that Bickell doesn’t fit into that equation, are you willing to deal Saad with one of Teravainen, Pirri or Morin w/ a #1 pick for Kesler? Because Saad’s the only fwd on the Hawks roster that fits the profile of what they want.
Also keep in mind that Bowman didn’t give up a #1 for Grabovski two years ago…
Saad & T no way, they need to be here for a longtime.
Saad is the stopper-no way. That said I would love to see Kesler as the 2C. But it can’t be 20.
Giving up on TT would be hard but if it meant having a chance to win another this year? If not Saad then who would be the current NHL player and salary? I don’t see a fit other than Kruger and now your not much better, if at all. (and that’s not enough salary)
So unless the Nucks drink the kool-aid and take Bickell, Pirri and a #1, and #2 it can’t happen.
Don’t see Saad being moved and as pointed out by others this wouldn’t work from a cap standpoint. If the Canucks demand a forward I don’t see it playing out for the Hawks. The only way I could see it is with Leddy (young up and coming top-4 D-man) plus any prospect other than TT and a first round pick (and maybe the extra 3rd round pick we just got for moving Pirri). This still doesn’t seem like it would be enough.
The only way would be 29 or 8, with a 1st and however many 3rds. This would work caphit wise/retain…
The Saad Father & Youngblood… not a chance.