Lehtonen, Stars Steal Victory In Chicago
The Blackhawks returned home after their Circus Trip to face a Dallas team that had hosted them on Friday night. Chicago put 50 shots on net, but Dallas netminder Kari Lehtonen played a magnificent game and the Stars escaped with a 4-3 victory.
The Stars scored twice on only five shots in the first period and took a 3-0 lead early in the third period. But three Blackhawks goals in less than nine minutes brought the second period to a close with the score tied.
Antoine Roussel, who is quickly establishing himself as an antagonist of these Blackhawks, scored on a penalty shot early in the third period. That goal would prove to be the game-winner.
In the first period, Roussel had to answer for a few cheap shots in Friday night’s game when Andrew Shaw dropped the gloves with him.
For the Hawks, Patrick Sharp’s power play goal not only got Chicago on the board, but it was the 200th goal for Sharp in the Indian head sweater. He is only the 18th player in Blackhawks’ history to reach that benchmark.
Nick Leddy, who had been benched for over 13 minutes, scored a goal to draw the Hawks within one, and Johnny Oduya scored the tying goal 65 seconds later.
Patrick Kane, who was named the NHL’s #1 Star for November on Tuesday, had assists on the goals by both Leddy and Oduya.
Duncan Keith had the primary assist on Sharp’s goal, extending his personal streak to eight consecutive games with an assist. Andrew Shaw and Sheldon Brookbank were also credited with assists in the game.
Corey Crawford’s season numbers took a hit on Tuesday night as he allowed four goals against only 18 shots; the Blackhawks had 18 shots in the second period alone.
Chicago won 36 of 71 faceoffs in the game in spite of Brandon Pirri winning only three of 14 draws. Pirri skated 10:49 in the game
Brookbank, who started the game as a forward because Michal Handzus was out sick, moved back to the blue line when coach Joel Quenneville mixed up his defensive pairs with his team down three goals. Brookbank was credited with a team-high five hits in only 7:49 on the ice. Michal Rozsival was also credited with five hits, two of which were on Roussel.
Not only were the Hawks credited with 50 shots on net, but another 25 were blocked and 10 missed the mark. Sharp, Leddy and Marian Hossa led the Hawks with seven shots on goal each.
Valeri Nichushkin had a good offensive game for Dallas, scoring the Stars’ first goal of the night and adding an assist in the game as well. Shawn Horcoff led Dallas with five hits and was also credited with an assist, and three Stars were credited with four blocked shots.
Wall called this game way in advance…
OK, the Star’s goalie played a great game, but that wasn’t the whole story…CC did not…and while CC wasn’t shaky or horrible, you also simply cannot allow 4 against on 18 shots while the opposition netminder saves 47 in YOUR building…that was a tough loss…
Q decided to go with 7 Defencemen, for no particular reason and then decided NOT to give Brookbank any icetime until he switched BB to Defence after benching Nick Leddy…BB had a very good game and if he is going to dress as the 2nd line centre, then he needs to play…5 hits and an assist in 7 minutes of playing time, doesn’t really add up…and once again Q has done everything he can to tell Brandon Pirri he doesn’t like him, and Pirri has responded with “scared to make a mistake play…but it doesn’t end there…Q continues to short shift Andrew Shaw and Kris Versteeg with 5 on 5 ice time…and these are 2 players who excel at 5 on 5 play…again, it doesn’t make sense…if Q doesn’t want to skate Pirri, then for goodness sake put someone else in the lineup and let Shaw and Versteeg help this team…Shaw continues to put up big points, with big hits and strong 2 way play…he also just happened to be the only Hawk to stand up to that punk Roussel for all the cheap shots on Kane…but yeah, let’s limit his 5 on 5 ice time again…
Fans can say all they want that we lost this game because of being asleep after returning home, but it wouldn’t be true…the Hawks dominated the Stars in EVERY aspect of the game and still lost…any coincidences in the Hawk’s 5 losses??? Well, when we roll 4 lines with 12 forwards we WIN, when we shorten the bench, tax our stars, and skate defencemen at wing (Kostka practised this week AT WING), we are a .500 hockey team, which we proved yet again tonight…
This is a team that doesn’t have ANY major issues…that leads the league in most categories, and just came off a fabulous 7 game road trip against tough opposition…and yet, we dress 11 forwards and 7 DMen…we bench Nick Leddy (a young player getting better and better) for 13 minutes, bench our 2nd line centre for long stretches…push our star players with high ice time totals, and restrict 5 on 5 ice time to some of our best 2 way players…WHY???
Q has been a very good coach over his career, and perhaps there is method to his madness and our stars won’t be burnt out come playoff time with all this ice time and the Olympics…but it is sure hard to understand and like some of his decisions.
This is starting to be a pattern… Hawks outplay, and out shoot… but really allow way to many odd man rushes and grade A chances- very Un-Hawk like.
Can’t even bitch about 17- cuz he was OK…
52 and 81 could have had 2 or 3 goals each…
Crow could/should have stopped 1 of those???
If Raanta continues w/ GAA and shot %… could we have a battle for #1???
( I know there are $6 Million reasons- NO!!!)
No, I don’t think so Wall…CC has been very good, and wasn’t bad tonight, but the 1st and 3rd goals shouldn’t have gone in on a night when Lehtonen was stoning us once again…let’s just be thankful that the backup goalie issue has been resolved…the issues for me rest with Q…lots of decisions of his to be 2nd guessed tonight…and BB was good out there…that’s why if he is going to be dressed, then has has to be played, not rotating long stretches on the bench with 2 OTHER players…
The 2nd half of the game, was a complete obliteration.
Not really sure which goal CC was supposed to stop besides maybe the first one, but I think he was screened nicely by Keith. Oduya made a great tip in on the second one and Leddy let the puck too easily in front of the net on the third. The thought of a “goalie controversy” is hilarious.
Example number 500 on why fighting is dumb. Shaw fights Rousell for going after Kane a few times in the previous game. 15 minutes later, Rousell elbows Toews in the head proving he doesn’t give a shit. 20 minutes after that, Rousell scores the game winning goal and has the last laugh. Get back at your opponent by winning, not punching.
Really isn’t much to say about this game besides Lehtonen was incredible.
Pirri seems to have lost all confidence. Couldn’t catch any pass cleanly, couldn’t find the puck in the neutral zone, and managed only one shot. Not sure if he’s “squeezing the stick” too hard because he knows he’s about to go back to Rockford or what.
The Hawks attempted almost 90 shots. 99 times out of 100 they win that game. Gotta tip your cap.
Yeah, I have to agree with JS. In the NHL, a goalie can steal a game / series / Stanley Cup and Lehtonen did it tonight. CC on the other hand – first goal I’d like to have back but otherwise you’ve got a PP deflection, a point blank rebound the gets shelved, and then a sick break away shot from Roussel (he’s a fuck and I hope he dies but that was a Frolik-esque didn’t-think-he-had-that-shot penalty shot). How are those last 3 on CC? Let’s also give him credit for never having a chance to get into a “zone” having only faced 18 shots in 60 mins and still coming up with some really nice saves.
Dallas steals one. We move on. Two more against them this season and at this stage I would feel fine about playing them in the first round.
Nice write up Tab. Thanks as usual to your excellent recap capabilities. Despite the loss, it was a very entertaining game to watch last night at the UC. Hawks were sluggish out of the gate as it tends to be for home teams that have just come off a long road trip. It could have been 2-0 Stars early on, but Crow was pretty good and the Stars missed an open net. As it stood though after 1, Hawks were still down 2-0. Could have been worse. As the game progressed it became Lehtonen and Roussel against the Hawks. How the hell did Lehtonen not get first star of the game? Can anyone name the blind morons that make those picks?
I really can’t remember an offensive shelling the Hawks laid on the Stars last night that was not rewarded with a win except for the Mike Smith showing in the playoffs 2 years ago. I mean the pucks were flying off that guy on all body parts left and right. Pucks left as rebounds just out of the reach of Hawks players around the Stars net. Blocked shots by the Stars, Hawks just missing the net. We could have amassed 60 SOG easily. It was riveting stuff to watch. Good on Dallas though. They have played us tough all year, and came away with a win after losing 2 previous games that they easily could have won. Go figure?
I spoke of Roussel here prior to the game in another thread. That butt end to the jaw of Kaner back in Dallas was classic Roussel. Of course NBC in their typical idiocy, shows only the high shot to Kane along the boards from the same game by Roussel as the reason for the Hawks coming back after the little squint. Antoine Roussel is now getting into that notorious group of NHL players that lives by the sword. Watch your head when this guy is on the ice. He comes in high regularly, and he aims to hurt people. The elbow to the back of Toews head last night along the boards was typical Roussel. This guy will be suspended someday soon when he really hurts someone. Meanwhile, I urge you guys to check out hockeyfights.com and do some history background of Roussel. Watch how this guy fights. He is ALWAYS first in as he skates right at opposing pugilists. Most are not wary of this tactic, but he ends up catching almost everyone off guard and not ready. When you wear a shield you can start throwing punches knowing you have protection that allows you to throw relentlessly without fear of getting clocked. This guy is good in that respect. He does take on some big boys in the league and is pretty fearless/stupid… One of these days he will mess with the wrong guy. Could have been Bollig last night, but guess what Roussel just skated away and then bitched at the refs that Bollig was instigating. What a pussy! I watched Tab’s video insert and those guys called the Shaw-Roussel bout a middleweight affair. Anyone here seen Shaw off the ice? He is really a little guy. Middleweight, no way, no how. Only middle to heavyweight in the heart department.
Actually Shaw last night should have one of the stars of the game for the grit and determination he brought to the ice. Shawsy left it all out there. Takes on Roussel, gets jumped in the process, gets his sweater pulled over his head and still goes toe to toe and eventually land some big shots on Roussel who I am sure was more than pleased the linesman came in cuz Shaw was dealing some big shots at that point. Shaw took some huge hits in front of the net and along the boards yesterday and just kept bouncing back. This guy has heart that you just don’t see that often. Pound for pound he brings everything he has to every game. I just just love to watch him play.
So what is going on with the NHL penalty shot fest this season? Hammers deal was really borderline, Hossa should have been called, but wasn’t, and Kane gets hooked on a clear breakaway with no call. So what is the rule? Again, to Roussel’s credit, he has good hockey skills. He beat Crow with a great shot, but then taunts the crowd. No class at a time when all he has to do is smile skate to his bench, and let the scoreboard do the talking.
All in all a great game to watch at the UC. Rough outcome, but tip your cap to Lehtonen. He stole one for his team.
Rough schedule coming up for the Hawks. They will need to play at a very high level the next few weeks to stay on top given Sharks and Blues on our tails and they have games in hand. Again, it is about getting points, and hopefully home ice advantage in the playoffs with a healthy core of players in the Spring when the real season starts.
Minny next.
Let’s Go Hawks!
JD- re: the CC comment
1.) Is more of a “what if”
2.) Just trying to “add” some color to
3.) but laugh if you want – it could/might happen
4.) CC’s worst play – was the penalty shot- (I know he was perfect in his career)- but look at the angle he took- coming out to meet shooter… really poor- 1/3-1/2 of his body was outside right post- leaving completely open left side… I guarantee he wishes he took a better route.
I disagree with Leht… stealing game… Hawks attacked but… but “best” chances either fumbled, shot into the goalie, or missed the net. “the pattern” I don’t like is that the other teams are getting less chances/shots… but their High quality chances are finished. While 52 shoots over the net by 4 feet, Saad stares at the goal for 2 seconds w 2 on 1 and peppers the chest, and Hoss one times a puck with 6 feet of arc (which is really hard to do)… now I can accept/understand those shots not connecting every nite… what is “becoming an issue” is the might Hawks are getting out Odd Man rushed- way to often lately (even in some of these wins)… The Hawks are usually doing that!!!
but Hawks/Q cannot accept the time and space allowed for other teams to be “connecting/scoring” at such high %’s- which seems to be the pattern in losses this year.
Just bitching/venting!!!
Wall, you are correct is saying the Hawks are giving up too many odd man breaks. Other teams are willing to gamble when they see our guys, especially d men pinching forward.
Otherwise, Wally keep in mind that quality scoring chances eventually yield goals. If other teams are burying their chances we will bury our as well. The odds even out at some point. You can’t fault Hawks net presence or lack of pressure last night. we didn’t get the bounces. It goes both ways. Sometimes you get em and other times you get none.
Well to be fair they won 6 in a row before that game… “Its a trap!” and such…
And in terms of ways to not win it wasn’t like it was an awful performance.
Some pretty huge mental errors and bad bounces that led to way too many odd man rushes and prime scoring chances for Dallas. Give Dallas credit to a certain extent for limiting second chances and blocking a lot of shots.
Over the long haul, more shots = more goals = more success. This can’t be argued as it is statistically proven. The Hawks had plenty of good looks and more than enough time and space, but Lehtonen made some incredible saves. That shot by Saad didn’t hit his chest, Lehtonen got his arm in front of it. Part of the reason it probably looked like they didn’t test him that much was because the Hawks had so many chances in 5 minute bursts that they didn’t have enough time to show the replays.
I agree that he was out of position on the penalty shot, but he recovered decently and had pretty good position, it was just a roof backhand shot. It had to go over his leg and outstretched arm to go in, and it did. Raanta has been adequate, but it isn’t like he’s been tested really. He flails a lot when the puck is near him and his positioning is not very good either. Once he figures out his positioning and takes advantage of that athleticism? Look out.
As far as the odd man rushes. On the first goal- Toews line took way too long of a shift, Seabrook was taking his time getting off the ice and it messed up the line change with Hammer.
Penalty shot- Hammer simply blew a tire or he probably keeps that in front of him/can alter the play.
Hossa trip- Great defensive zone play and only one defensmen on the unit.
I’m pretty sure the Hawks got plenty more odd man rushes than did the Stars.
One thing I can bitch about is the power play. The 5 on 3 was a joke. They didn’t move. Why do they not understand that they have to move? The second unit gets it. The first unit seems like they are just ok passing it around the perimiter and not creating any new passing lanes. While the PP is worlds better than last year, they are still trash compared to their skill level.
On another note, I actually loved what Rousell did to the crowd. I’m sure I’m in the minority here, but that was the ultimate F off heel turn moment. Should make for some intense games against the Stars over the years.
JS- agree on the 2nd unit- a lot of the time on PP looking better than 1st…
And point on Saad’s shot- really had plenty of time and (I think room) to place a better shot (and I made a point about a week ago- that Saad needs to work on his shooting- he is really above average in most phases of game… shot- below average-to average).
Also, you are right about Raanta (plays a lot like that Yogi Berra kid- attacks the shooter- to the point that he can get caught out of position… but I like his reactions on 1st shot better than CC- ( I know 2 games mean nothin)- Raanta/Berra expose the weakside when they “attack”- BUT if the D takes care of the weakside/loose pucks- all is good… the other negative is SIZE- Hard to argue against 6’5″ goalies -just eating up more space in net!
CC didn’t suck last nite- BUT Lehtonen- didn’t stand on head either!!!
Phil hit it on the head- Hawks are giving up odd mans/cuz D is so aggressive in pinching… I understand that comes w/ that style of play which I like… what I still don’t like is that Hawks aren’t getting as many Odd mans… and when they do- it is 52 or 20 with the puck- which hasn’t been ending well.
Roussel obviously is up for the fight with Shaw and flies in there with his visor on, and continues to try to land kill shots with Shaw’s sweater over his face. What a class-act this guy is. He’s gaining quite the reputation.
Uhh… John? Shaw was punching Roussel in the back of his head while Roussel was being bear hugged by an official. That’s ok, but not what Roussel did? Alright.
Wall- Saad defintiely has to work on his shooting. It seems like he’s always thinking pass first because he doesn’t trust his shot. With how smooth that guy is you would assume it wouldn’t be a problem.
You see the Lundqvist deal? 7 years at 8.5 per? WOOF. Now that is an overpay.
WOOF-WOOF! To the only man in Hockey that is more handsome than Stalberg!
(just for you JS)
JS: linesman never should have jumped in as Shaw was doing fine even with sweater over his head. It wasn’t as though Roussel stopped throwing punches. Shaw wailing away against that visor wearing shithead, wasn’t like punching a guy once he is down on the ice like Roussel has done in the past to other guys. Please notice that Shaw absolutely clocks Roussel just before the linesman come in. I will also say that with Roussel more or less flipping off the crowd after scoring on the PS he is walking down the wrong alley. I also know JS that you are not a big fan of the fight game which is cool. In this case though how does a team silence cheap shot artists like Roussel that are trying to injure the stars on your team? One of these days Roussel will get jumped, and I will be cheering.
As you can tell by my comments I loathe Roussel.
That’s debatable wall! Although, Henry wears a mask so he’s at an advantage.
Linesmen will ALWAYS jump in when a guy has a jersey pulled over his head. And Shaw punches him 3-4 times after Rousell is tied up. You can’t say Roussel is taking cheap shots and Shaw isn’t. I also said in my initial post that Roussel elbowed Toews in the head AFTER the fight with Shaw… so what did the fight do?
And I loathe Roussel as well, but isn’t that kind of awesome? He’s a villian playing on a division rival. When Rozi got him with that open ice check it was awesome. When Shaw beat him up it was awesome. When he scored the game winning goal it was extra depressing. When he gave the crowd the “who’s your daddy” it was extra maddening. That’s awesome.
JS:
I will agree that Roussel has some stones. On the other hand the linesman both botched that bout. Shaw being grabbed with his jersey over his head was BS because they should have grabbed Roussel first. Roussel did not stop throwing punches when the linesman grabbed Shaw. Why should Shaw stop once his head gets clear? Shaw had rights to keep dealing.
Your argument regarding the Roussel elbow back of 19’s head being after the fight only tell us what a dick this guy really is. As for fights stopping the BS, your point is valid, although I think coming after the perps does send a message. Any other solution apart from scoring PP goals when penalties get called? I am happy to see some rough justice done when appropriate, and I think it was called for after what went down in Dallas Friday with what Roussel did to Kane. Hawks otherwise just play their game which for the most part is pretty classy.
You would think that Hawks would send the Kane/Toews intentional blows to the head tapes to the league… while they aren’t Torres style cheapshots… they are intentional AND the head is the TARGET!!! pretty undeniable!!!
Star’s scrubs can really skate- GorBUTT, Eakin, Roussel- wouldn’t mind seeing any of them play for Hawk’s bottom lines.
Roussel IS a POS- but most would cheer him if he was in Hawks jersey… plays like a dirtier/cheaper Shaw…
I guess I should say, I don’t think Roussel is some class act and Shaw is a dirt bag, but to call Roussel classless for punching someone that couldn’t defend themselves is kind of like pot and kettle… since Shaw did the exact same thing.
And really, if what Roussel did to Kane was so horrible, the league would have looked at it and suspended him. Vigilante justice doesn’t do it for me because it doesn’t change anything. Maybe it gives an emotional lift to the team that they are “sticking up for each other”, but having your second best centerman missing 5 minutes of a game is stupid. What if he broke his hand and was out for a month? Concussion?
I much prefer what Rozi did.
Wow, this Stars Nichushkin kid can flat out play. He’s only 18!!!
Fighting sends zero messages. See the sheer amount of repeat offenders.
Consistent suspension and consistent officiating would adequately address excessive and stupid penalty issues.
The necessity or validity of dropping the gloves in today’s game is just not there. It does not lead to a better product or offer any kind of “momentum” change.
Say what you want about Crawford shoulda coulda woulda – the fact is he gave up 4 goals on 18 shots and I’m pretty sure none of them were deflections where he had no chance to stop it. I don’t care if he is screened or not – if the shot isn’t redirected, then he has to have the proper positioning to block the straight in shot.
I’m a big Crawford defender and have been in his corner more often than not – but last night he was terrible. Had he played up to his abilities the Hawks win that game. While I agree that Lehtonen got a goalie win for Dallas last night, I also think it’s just as valid to say the Crawford’s play resulted in a goalie loss for the Hawks last night.
With the way the Hawks played last night, they should have had 5 or 6 goals, and with the way Dallas played they should have been held to 1 or 2 goals. I’m hanging this loss around the neck of Crawford. Hopefully this was an aberration.
I hope Pirri starts scoring again ( so the Hawks can trade Him/ and He has some value-My Frans Nielsen deal would be sweet!!!)
I actually did see Pirri make some good D zone plays/ was impressive… but Just don’t think Q likes him/ and I know Hawks have better options very soon!!! So I don’t see the long term fit… he is slower/and or his stamina are not near “Hawk” level
AND- the more I see/hear of Danault down in Rockford… I have to take Rufus’s side- that Danault could/should be coming sooner than later- much better skater w/ non stop motor… or we will be skating w some “holes” in the line up…
Once again- NOT a Pirri Hater- just calling it the way I see it… doesn’t seem able to play both sides of the ice on same nite
Or perhaps I am just bored… and want Rufus and Brad to throw some cheap shots like 65/Roussel!!!
It’s super annoying when people cite “4 goals in 18 shots” and say it’s a bad performance from Crawford. That rudimentary analysis doesn’t account for basic probability, among other things.
For example, say your goalie has a .92 save percentage, which is great in the NHL. For simplicity, say every shot has an 8% chance of going in.
Based on random chance alone, there’s a 4% chance the goalie gives up exactly 4 goals on 18 shots in a game. There’s a 5% chance the goalie gives up 4 or more goals in the game. It happens sometimes. So did Crawford have a bad game, or was he a victim of chance?
Crawford did fine. None of those goals were softees. Sometimes bad numbers happen. It’s the nature of probability.
Travis, can I see/verify your Math on “4% chance for exactly 4 goals on 18 shots”?
Impressive stuff.
It’s not that I don’t think Pirri is a good player, as he has good offensive instincts, he just doesn’t fit the Hawks mold. He just can’t skate well enough. It’s the same reason that Hayes was sent packing. He should be packaged in a trade while his numbers look good and he probably will play well in another teams system.
I agree that fighting doesn’t really alter dirty play and i don’t think there should be goons, staged fights or even stepping in because you think a team mate was wronged as that’s the Refs job. I like it only as an outlet if a guy has been sticking and jabbing you all game and you had enough and just fight him face to face. I like JS idea of just waiting and obliterating him with a solid check but it may not happen in that game and it loses a bit of its fire. The Hawks are really skilled and don’t have a player that really dishes out these big time hits.
On board with that one goldenbladz
And Just as I suggested (and AJ.Goldenbladz too)- Pirri is sent down to the farm… and some Quicker role players are brought up!!!
But really would have been nice to see Pirri score 15 goals by trade time… and fleece the Islanders for Nielsen….
Travis- I am serious about that Math… that 4% chance of 4 g’s on 18 shots ,seems really high… My number is way different.
I respect those comments that condemn all hockey fights. I don’t like staged fights with goons either. I do believe there is a time and place for fighting, and last night was the right time, the right place, with the right guys. It wasn’t staged IMO, but many of us expected something to come down the pike with Roussel after last Friday’s game. The play that stood out and precipitated the Shaw/Roussel bout yesterday was I think in the 3rd period of the game last Friday. Kane was going to the Stars net right side. Roussel brings up butt end of his stick right into Kanes jaw just as he was skating by to make the defensive play. To say that was unintentional is a stretch simply because that is how Roussel plays and he had control. No penalty called. Reviewable, but since Kane didn’t bleed or have his jaw broken, no discipline. I am sure the league saw this. We came within an eyelash of losing one of our best players, NHL’s best players because of a cheapshot artist. Sure I loved the Rozy hit last night on Roussel, and that’s all well and fine, but no message sent. Everyone in the league wants a piece of Roussel. I was happy to see Shaw do what I believed was the right thing. Like I said, I see the other side of this argument, but have no problem stating my case.
why is it the smallest guy on the team or one of the smallest guys has to send a message for cheapshotting one of our stars also what else can you expect when the officials often dont see what they dont care about , last night the hawks lost the game on a penalty shot awarded to rouselle but a penalty shot was not awarded to sharp when he was hacked on a break its enough to make you gag it use to be there were 3 on ice officials now there are four and they still screw it up bring back John Scott
Travis- I stand corrected on your math- I figured it out… nice job!
Travis is exactly right….and I will add to it. Since every shot is an exclusive event, every shot, on average, has a 1 in 11 chance to go in. If you bought 10 out of 100 raffle tickets you might think you have a 10% chance of winning. You don’t, you have 10 1% chances of winning.