The Hawks opened the 2011-12 season in Big D and Dallas goalie Kari Lehtonen was the story. Lehtonen stopped 37 of 38 shots en route to a 2-1 victory to open the season. Nick Leddy scored the only goal for the Hawks with Corey Crawford off for an extra attacker but it was too little too late. Rockford call up Brandon Pirri tallied his first career NHL point on the play in his second career game. Rising star Jamie Benn and Alex Goligoski tallied for the Stars. Lehtonen was the story of the night stopping 21 shots off the sticks of Hawks snipers Toews, Sharp, Hossa, and Kane. Chicago out shot Dallas 22-12 in the second period but failed to put one past Lehtonen. The Hawks went 0-4 on the power play which isn’t going to get the job done. The Hawks and Stars will head to Chicago for the Hawks home opener Saturday at the UC. One would have to think if the Hawks get another 38 shots tomorrow the result might be a better one. With injuries to Kane and Sharp, Hossa arriving late to camp, and the regulars not seeing much action in the pre-season, this was the closest to a full line up the Hawks have iced to date. The Hawks should have C Dave Bolland back in the lineup Saturday night. The Hawks will have 5 days off after the home opener to build some chemistry and get in sync before taking on the Winnipeg Jets October 13th at home.
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