Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Out of Gas Hawks Fall to Coyotes 4-1 @ United Center



The Chicago Blackhawks were back on home ice Tuesday night for the first time since the 3-3-0 Circus trip.  The Hawks took on the Coyotes in the second meeting of the year between the two teams.  The Hawks came out flying after a roaring rendition of the Star Spangled Banner and fed off the energy early on creating numerous chances.  The Coyotes weathered the storm early and the game settled in a bit.  There was a ton of end to end action and few whistles in the first.  At 15:53 Phoenix got a weak goal that somehow dribbled between Corey Crawford’s glove and pad and off his back side and in for a 1-0 Coyotes lead.  Daymond Langkow scored the backhand goal that should have been stopped.  Phoenix outshot Chicago 8-7 in the rapidly moving first period of play.  Chicago was strong in the first twenty minutes but need to clean up sloppy play in the neutral zone and get pucks deep. 

The Hawks came out flat in a more defensive second period of play.  It took the Hawks nearly 10 minutes to record their first shot on goal for the period.  At 9:54 it was Shane Doan making it 2-0 Coyotes with a shot that beat Crawford high glove side on a shot that appeared to fool the Hawks net minder.  The Coyotes got the first power play of the game in a must kill situation for the Hawks down 2-0 when Sean O’Donnell shot the puck into the crowd and went off for delay of game.  The Hawks killed the penalty and kept it a two goal game.  The Hawks were outshot 10-8 in the middle period. 

Early in the third it was Radim Vrbata scoring from the goal line on a shot that deflected off Ducnan Keith and over the pad of Crawford to give the Coyotes a 3-0 lead at 1:12 of the third.  At 5:02 it was Ray Whitney making it 4-0 Phoenix on another soft goal.  Crawford was pulled after the fourth goal in what was by far his worst effort of the season. Mike Smith stopped Dan Carcillo late in the third on the Hawks best chance of the game off a sweet feed from Patrick Kane but the Hawks appeared out of gas following the road trip for most of the third period.  The Hawks got a late power play when Marian Hossa was cross checked by Rostislav Klesla.  Patrick Sharp got the Hawks on the board on the power play to avoid the shut out with less than a minute to play.  It was too little too late and the out of gas Hawks fell to the Coyotes 4-1.    

Chicago fell to 7-2-2 on home ice and 14-8-3 overall.  It marked just the 2nd time all season the Hawks failed to record a point on home ice.    
     

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Hawks Defeat Kings 2-1, Finish Circus Trip .500



The Chicago Blackhawks skated at Staples Center against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night to cap off the six game Circus Trip.  The Hawks came out swarming and it was Andrew Brunette giving the Hawks a 1-0 lead on a goal on a delayed penalty call at 3:08 of the first.  Early in the second period it was the Kings going to the power play with Michael Frolik off for slashing.  The Hawks killed the power play and kept a 1-0 lead.  Shortly after Kane and Stalberg had a glorious chance on a 2-0 break with Kane feeding Stalberg but he missed the net.  It was Jarret Stoll tying the game with a shot that fooled Corey Crawford high glove side at 12:02.  The Hawks got a power play when Kevin Westgarth went off for slashing Corey Crawford.  They failed to convert but it was Jonathan Toews getting a rebound off the boards and giving the Hawks the lead shortly after the power play time expired at 16:38.  Dave Bolland took a late holding penalty that had 1:48 of carryover time in the third period.  The Hawks killed off the carryover penalty time from the second period.  Both teams had their chances in the third and the Hawks survived a late rush by the Kings with their goaltender pulled to finish off the road trip with a solid 2-1 victory.  The Hawks and Kings finished tied with 27 shots apiece for the game.  Both teams went 0-2 on the man advantage. 

The Hawks finished 3-3-0 on the six game Circus Trip.  They improved their road record to 7-6-1 on the year and are now 14-7-3 overall good for a Western Conference leading 31 points, and just 1 point behind Pittsburgh for the National Hockey League lead.

Chicago flew home after the game and will have the next two days off before hosting the Phoenix Coyotes (12-7-3) at United Center on Tuesday night.  The Hawks are 1-0-0 against the Coyotes on the season following a 5-2 victory in Phoenix October 18th.  The Hawks and Coyotes split a pair of games at United Center last season.  The Hawks, who have now won two in a row, will look to keep the momentum going at home where they have a 7-1-2 record.  Phoenix comes in with a solid 6-3-1 road record.   


Friday, November 25, 2011

Hawks @ Kings, Circus Trip Finale Preview



The Chicago Blackhawks (13-7-3) will be across town at Staples Center to take on the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night following a 6-5 Friday afternoon win over the cross town Anaheim Ducks.  The Hawks will be looking to finish .500 on the Circus Trip following a disappointing 1-3-0 start.  Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp are coming off monster games against the Ducks with Toews setting a career high for points in a game with 5 (2G, 3A), and Patrick Sharp notching his 2nd career hat trick.  The Kings come in 6-5-1 on home ice and the Hawks 6-6-1 on the road.  The Hawks won all four games against the Kings last season including 4-3, and 2-1 victories at Staples Center.  Anze Kopitar leads the Kings with 24 points and is tied with off season acquisition Mike Richards for the team lead in goals with 10.  Jonathan Toews fresh off his 2 goal, 5 point night leads the Hawks in points with 24 and goals with 12.  Saturday’s game will mark the sixth and final game of the Circus Trip and the Hawks will return home for a two game home stand following the game.  The Hawks 29 points have them tied for the Western Conference lead with Minnesota and are tied for 2nd in the NHL. 

Hawks Roar Back With 4 Goal 3rd, Beat Ducks 6-5



The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Anaheim Ducks on Black Friday at the Pond.  The Hawks coming off three straight road losses looked to right the ship early and shake off any post turkey day hangovers.  Just 1:14 in a defensive zone breakdown off a huge hit on Niklas Hjalmarsson led to a Bobby Ryan goal and a 1-0 Ducks lead.  Just 59 seconds after and more bad defense by the Hawks and the Ducks had a 2-0 lead after Andrew Cogliano was allowed to get his own rebound and beat Corey Crawford.  Jonathan Toews went off for holding shortly after and the Hawks were faced with a must kill penalty killing opportunity early on.  The Chicago penalty killers were up to the task and kept it a 2 goal Ducks advantage.  Off the penalty kill it was Patrick Sharp cutting the Duck’s lead after hitting the post once and then having the puck come back to him and he buried the second effort off the left post and in at 6:09 of the first.  A good shift by the HKS line of Hossa, Kane, and Stalberg nearly tied the game but it was Jonas Hiller shutting the door on a Marian Hossa one timer to keep the game at 2-1.  But it was the Hawks going to the power play on a boarding call by Luca Sbisa on Marcus Kruger and a golden opportunity for the Hawks to tie the game.  The Ducks killed the penalty and the Hawks were 0-1 on the man advantage following up an 0-4 performance against the Sharks on Wednesday night.  The Hawks drew another call on the next shift for a chance at redemption on the power play.  With Toni Lydman off for hooking the Hawks looked for the equalizer but the Ducks shut the door despite a great chance by Patrick Kane off a Montador feed in the slot that Hiller said no on.  The Ducks got another late first period power play chance of their own with Marcus Kruger off for hooking at 13:37.  Hawks killer Teemu Selanne made the Hawks pay on a monster slap shot off the left post and behind Corey Crawford on a shot Crawford didn’t appear to see at 14:36.  It was yet another power play goal allowed by the Hawks slumping penalty killing unit.  Francois Beauchemin for the Ducks went off for tripping at 15:59.  Dave Bolland finally made the Ducks pay on the power play for his 7th goal of the season and cut the lead to 3-2 Ducks late in the first period.  The Ducks outshot the Hawks 12-9 in the first period of play.  In a period that featured little defense the Hawks had 12 scoring chances to the Ducks 11. 

Early in the second period Teemu Selanne took a hooking call after he got Patrick Kane on the hands at 1:41.  The Hawks did nothing with the power play and the game remained 3-2.  The Ducks regained a two goal advantage on another defensive zone breakdown and Bobby Ryan’s 2nd of the game.  The Hawks would go back to the power play shortly after in an important chance to get back in the game.  The Hawks failed to convert and the game remained 4-2 Ducks.  The Ducks went back to the power play with Dan Carcillo off for interference at 13:41.  The Hawks killed the penalty to stay in the game.  The Hawks outshot the Ducks 17-5 in the middle period but were outscored 1-0.

The Hawks came out alive in the 3rd period and got a goal in the first minute and a half on a Duncan Keith shot that deflected of Jonathan Toews and in.  On the next shift Patrick Sharp said hello and tied the game 4-4 and the hockey game was on.  Patrick Sharp blew another by Hiller two minutes later for a 5-4 Hawks advantage and a hat trick for Sharp.  The Hawks continued to dominate the third period in a game they could have quit in after forty minutes of play.  Chicago went back to the power play when Corey Perry went off for interference.  Saku Koivu took a dumb interference penalty as the first penalty was expiring to keep the Hawks on the man advantage for another 1:58.  Jonathan Toews made the Ducks pay as he banged in a rebound without a helmet and gave the Hawks a two goal lead half way through the third period of play on the power play.  The Hawks survived a flurry by the Ducks late in the third.  Corey Perry added a goal with 7.2 seconds remaining with the goalie pulled.  The Hawks won 6-5 after four third period goals.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Hawks @ Ducks Circus Trip Game 5 Preview



The Chicago Blackhawks (12-7-3) will limp into Anaheim on Friday afternoon to battle the Ducks (6-11-4).  The Hawks are just 1-3-0 on the Circus Trip and have lost 3 in a row.  The Hawks played well on Wednesday night in San Jose but couldn’t beat former goalie Antti Niemi who stooped all 34 shots he faced in a 1-0 Sharks win.  The Hawks played a great defensive game and were good on the penalty kill but allowed a fluke power play goal against off a face off win that deflected off two Hawks players and in for the only goal in the game.  The Hawks will be looking for more of the same on the defensive end after allowing 14 goals in two games prior to the game in San Jose.  The power play struggled again against the Sharks and was 0-4 on the night.  The Hawks really need to get going on the power play if they are going to compete against the league’s elite teams.  This will be the second of four meetings on the year with the Ducks.  The Hawks beat Anaheim 3-2 in a shootout in October at United Center.  Patrick Kane netted the shootout winner.  The Hawks went 1-1-0 in Anaheim last season including a 4-1 win during the Circus Trip.  Teemu Selanne leads the Ducks with 19 points and Corey Perry comes in with the lead in goals with 8.  The Ducks come in losers of 3 in a row.    


Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Hawks Fall to Sharks in Tank 1-0, Fall to 1-3-0 on Circus Trip



The Chicago Blackhawks faced off with the Sharks in San Jose on Wednesday night fresh off a 2 day Vegas mind eraser following two embarrassing losses.  The game was back and forth until the 7:25 mark when Dan Carcillo was tripped and the Hawks went to the power play.  The penalty came just after a Sharks turnover led to a glorious scoring chance by Marian Hossa but he shot it over the net while in alone.  Antti Niemi robbed Jonathan Toews on the power play and the Hawks failed to get on the board first on the man advantage.  Bryan Bickell was stopped by Niemi on another Hawks breakaway with under 8 minutes to play in the period.  The Hawks went back to the power play when Dan Boyle went off for boarding at 13:12.  The Hawks had multiple scoring opportunities but former Hawks net minder Antti Niemi shut the door.  The Hawks looked sloppy for the first couple of minutes in the period but got stronger as the period progressed and carried the play in the second half of the period.  The Hawks outshot the Sharks 10-5 in the opening period of play.

The Sharks went to the power play early in the second period as Viktor Stalberg went off for interference on Joe Thornton.  The Hawks were aggressive on the kill and had more chances than the Sharks.  The game remained scoreless.  Dan Boyle shot the puck into the crowd at 10:10 and the Hawks went back to the power play on the delay of game minor.  Good penalty killing by the Sharks and then the Hawks missed an open net and the Sharks killed off the penalty.  The Hawks put a shooting gallery on Niemi but couldn’t dent the net.  Late in the period it was the Sharks going to the man advantage with Dave Bolland off for hooking at 17:04.  The Sharks scored right off the faceoff when Jason Demers blasted a point shot that bounced at beat Corey Crawford.  In a game the Hawks had dominated the Sharks held a 1-0 lead.  At 18:52 Patrick Kane getting interfered with in front of the net got his stick up and clipped Joe Pavelski and went off for hooking sending the Sharks right back to the power play.  The Hawks survived the remainder of the period to head to the room down 1-0 after two periods of play.  Chicago outshot San Jose 13-6 in the period.  Antti Niemi was the difference in the game through the first forty minutes of play stopping 23 Chicago shots.

The Hawks killed the 52 seconds of carry over time from the late Kane penalty.  The Sharks took it to the Hawks early in the third after being outplayed for the first two periods.  Just when the Hawks looked to be gaining some momentum with under 8 minutes to play the Sharks went to the power play on a Steve Montador cross checking minor.  Joe Pavelski went off for goaltender interference to nullify the Sharks power play.  After 55 seconds of 4 on 4 hockey the Hawks went back to the power play.  The Hawks had their chances but failed to convert.  The Hawks outshot San Jose 11-10 for the third period and fell 1-0 on the road.

Chicago falls to 1-3-0 on the Circus Trip.  The Hawks played a lot better defensively and dominated the Sharks but Antti Niemi was the story of the game stopping 34 of 34 for a shutout against his former team.  The Hawks were 0-4 on the power play and in a game like this you have to score on the man advantage.  The Hawks were dominate on the 3 of 4 penalty kills but a faceoff win and shot by Demers that bounced off two Hawks and in was the difference in the hockey game.

Chicago will take Thanksgiving off before playing in Anaheim on Friday afternoon.  The Hawks will look to salvage the final two games of the Circus Trip in the Los Angeles area as they face the Kings on Saturday night.
The Blackhawks fall to 12-7-3 on the season and their road record dips to 5-6-1.  The Hawks will take on an Anaheim team on Friday that is just 6-11-4 overall and 4-6-0 on home ice.  Hopefully the Hawks are in the mood for Duck on Friday and right the ship in the final two games of this trip.       

Monday, November 21, 2011

Hawks @ Sharks, Circus Trip Game 4 Preview


The Chicago Blackhawks (12-6-3) will play the perennial Western Conference contending San Jose Sharks (12-5-1) on Wednesday night after a two day rehabilitation trip to Sin City.  After the way the Hawks played in the last two games, one would hope the Hawks drank themselves into oblivion and forgot how to play the way they did during those dreadful performances.  The Hawks were flat out pathetic Friday and Saturday night getting outscored 14-4 by the Flames and Oilers.  The Hawks road record now stands at a pedestrian 5-5-1 and one would think to be President’s Trophy, Central Division, and Stanley Cup contenders that a record above .500 on the road would be in order.  The Sharks come in winners of three straight.  However, only 5 of their 12 wins have come on home ice.  The Hawks will look to regain the form they showed in the Shark Tank in the 2010 Western Conference Finals in which they went 2-0 in San Jose and swept the Sharks en route to the Stanley Cup Finals and the 2010 Stanley Cup Championship.  Joe Thornton leads the way for the Sharks with 20 points and Joe Pavelski has a team high 11 goals.  Former Hawks net minder Antti Niemi comes in with an 8-2-1 record with a 2.52 GAA and .915 save percentage.  The Hawks were just 1-2-1 against the Sharks last season and were 0-1-1 in the Tank.  Defense, goaltending, and staying out of the penalty box will be key as the Hawks weren’t good at any of that the last two games.  The Sharks come in as the league’s 4th best power play unit.  The Hawks have fallen to the 2nd worst penalty killing unit.  It will be a battle of Western Conference heavy weights and two teams with serious Cup aspirations.  Which Hawks team will show up the one that smoked Vancouver or the one       
massacred by the Oilers 9-2? 

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Hawks Embarrassed in Edmonton

The Chicago Blackhawks skated with the Edmonton Oilers in Edmonton Saturday night.  Chicago got off to a start reminiscent of the disaster in Calgary Friday night.  A turnover in the neutral zone followed by Steve Montador whiffing on a hit  led to Ales Hemsky walking in alone and beating Ray Emery for a 1-0 Oilers lead.  Ryan Smyth went off for hooking at 2:07 and the Hawks made Edmonton pay on the power play.  Patrick Sharp cashed in with helpers from birthday boy Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith to tie the game at 1-1.  At 5:47 it was Ryan Jones beating Ray Emery for a 2-1 Oilers advantage.  It was a sharp angle shot by Jones that trickled through Emery and those are the type of saves that have to be made.  After another Hawks turnover led to a Ryan Smyth goal at 7:31 and a 3-1 Oilers advantage, Ray Emery got the early hook from Joel Quenneville.  With Duncan Keith off for boarding in a play that will draw the attention of league disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan, Taylor Hall, who Keith victimized, made the Hawks pay on the power play for a 4-1 Oilers advantage.  And the nightmare continued as Jordan Eberle added a 5th Edmonton goal at 15:40.  The Hawks got a much needed power play chance with under 4 to play in the pathetic first period.  The power play was as horrendous as the first period defense and did not convert.  Edmonton out shot Chicago in the disastrous first period 16-12. 

Ray Emery was back in goal for the Hawks to start the second as Corey Crawford didn’t play any better.  The second period started with a Shawn Horcoff penalty for holding Jonathan Toews.  In the must convert power play situation trailing by 4 goals the Hawks failed to score but did manage 2 shots which was better than the zero on the late first period power play.  Patrick Kane got a birthday spanking from the ref at 3:20 when whistled for a double minor for high sticking.  To make matters worse Dave Bolland took a holding penalty to give Edmonton a 2 man advantage for a full 2 minutes.  Tom Glibert made it 6-1 on the two man advantage.  The Hawks miraculously killed off the remaining penalty time.  Bryan Bickell took a dumb delay of game penalty halfway through the period when he threw the puck up in the air and into the high dollar seats.  Edmonton got their 3rd power play goal of the game and Taylor Hall his 2nd of the game after slapping in a rebound off the boards for a 7-1 Oilers lead.  Former Hawk Ben Eager went off for hooking shortly after and Dave Bolland was able to score for the Hawks to cut the lead to a meager 5 goals.  The Hawks added a 3rd goal but Carcillo was called for goaltender interference and the goal was waived off.  Patrick Kane got an unsportsmanlike call for telling the ref he sucked after the ref missed a blatant high stick moments earlier.  And of course Edmonton converted for their 4th power play goal of the game and an 8-2 lead.  It was Shawn Horcoff with his second of the game.  The Hawks went back to the power play as if it mattered when Hossa was high sticked.  The Hawks were outshot 10-8 for the period but outscored 3-1.

The Hawks started the third period with 1:22 of carry over power play time.  Edmonton easily killed that off.  The Oilers got a power play of their own when Jamal Mayers went off for tripping.  The Hawks finally killed a penalty and kept it an 8-2 game.  Taylor Hall added the hat trick half way through the third when he ripped one through Steve Montador’s legs and over the shoulder of Emery for a 9-2 Oilers lead.  Ryan Nugent-Hopkins added his 5th assist of the game on the scoring play.  The goal elicited a chant of we want 10 from the Oilers faithful.  The fans wouldn’t get their wish as the game ended with a 9-2 Oilers win. 

The Hawks fell to 1-2-0 on the Circus Trip.  The Hawks flew to Las Vegas to forget about the last two games after the game.  They don’t play again until Wednesday night in San Jose where they best play better or they will get smoked again.      

Hawks @ Oilers, Circus Trip Game 3 Preview



The Chicago Blackhawks (12-5-3) will look to rebound from a stinker of a game defensively in Calgary on Friday night when they take on the young and dangerous Edmonton Oilers (9-7-2) in Edmonton on Saturday night.  The Hawks come in 5-4-1 on the road while Edmonton is 6-2-1 on home ice.  The Hawks smashed the Oilers 6-3 at United Center last Sunday night.  Jonathan Toews and Steve Montador both had 2 goals in the game.  Ryan Smyth, Jordan Eberle, and Shawn Horcoff all tallied for the Oilers.  It will be the second of four meetings with the Oilers this season and will be game 3 of the 6 game circus trip.  The Hawks won both games against the Oilers in Edmonton last season.  Ryan Smyth leads the Oilers with 18 points and 10 goals on the season.  Former Hawks net minder Nikolai Khabibulin has been solid in goal with a .937 save percentage and a 1.74 GAA. 

Hawks Fall in Calgary 5-2


The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Calgary Flames at the Saddledome on Friday night.  The Hawks came out flying early.  At 4:30 of the first Jonathan Toews jumped on a loose puck and banged it home but it was ruled that the referee had blown the play dead and the goal was disallowed.  A minute later it was Hawk killer Lee Stepniak undressing Duncan Keith and blowing it by Corey Crawford for a 1-0 Flames lead.  On the very next shift Jonathan Toews took it hard to the net and Viktor Stalberg finished for his 5th goal of the season and a tie hockey game 1-1.  Sami Lepisto went off for high sticking for the Hawks but the penalty time went away when Jonathan Toews was had his stick held on a shorthanded chance by Alex Tanguay.  The Flames killed the remaining 20 seconds of Hawks power play time after 4 on 4 hockey.  With under 5 minutes to play Corey Crawford made a huge save on Alex Tanguay as the Flames leading scorer came in on a clean breakaway.  Calgary outshot Chicago 11-10 in the first period. 

Just 40 seconds into the second Rene Bourque gave the Flames a 2-1 lead after a Duncan Keith pass failed to connect with a pass to Marian Hossa and the Flames made the Hawks paid in transition.  More sloppy play off the next face off and a turnover by Nick Leddy and Paul Byron beat a defenseless Corey Crawford for a 3-1 lead.  Two goals in 17 seconds had Joel Quenneville steaming on the bench and he used the Hawks time out for some quality yelling time at his defense.  Viktor Stalberg and Olli Jokinen went off for roughing for some quality 4 on 4 hockey early in the second period.  Duncan Keith took a high stick to the face from Jarome Iginla to give the Hawks a power play.  The Hawks took advantage of the 4-3 power play time as Duncan Keith fed Marian Hossa for a huge one timer to cut the lead to 3-2 Flames.  It was Hossa’s 9th strike of the season.  Curtis Glencross made it 4-2 Falmes off a great feed from Jay Bouwmeester at 11:04 of the second period.  Marcus Kruger went off for hooking at 13:50 and created a vital penalty killing situation for the Hawks.  Some good penalty killing by the Hawks kept it a two goal game.  Chicago outshot Calgary 11-8 for the second period but trailed 4-2 after two periods of play.

In the third period of play it was Curtis Glencross scoring his second goal of the game off a terrible pass and turnover from Marian Hossa to give the offensively challenged Flames a 5-2 lead early in the third period.  It was the first time all year the Flames have recorded 5 goals in a game and it came against a Hawks team that was sloppy sloppy sloppy in the defensive zone all night long.  Chicago outshot Calgary 11-7 in the third period but could not dent the net. 

The Hawks fell to 1-1-0 on the six game circus trip in a defensive effort that was not up to par.  The Hawks will try again in Edmonton on Saturday night against a team that will be looking for revenge from a loss the Hawks handed them last Sunday night in Chicago. 

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Blackhawks @ Flames, Circus Trip Game 2 Preview

                                            Photo by Brad Beatty 11/11/11 United Center, Chicago.

The Chicago Blackhawks (12-4-3) (27 points) will take their National Hockey League leading record into Friday night’s game in Calgary when they face off with the Calgary Flames (7-9-1).  The Blackhawks easily beat the Flames one week ago Friday at United Center 4-1 in a game that very easily could have been 8-1.  Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Viktor Stalberg, and Patrick Kane tallied for the Hawks, while the Flames got a goal from Olli Jokinen.  The Hawks will look to improve on their 5-3-1 road record in game 2 of the six game road trip dubbed the “Circus Trip.”  Chicago comes in winners of two in a row on the road and four in a row overall.  The Flames come in just 3-5-1 on home ice.  The Hawks lost both meetings with the Flames in Calgary last season.  Jonathan Toews comes in leading the Hawks with 10 goals while Marian Hossa and Patrick Kane share the team lead for points with 21 apiece.  For the Flames, Alex Tanguay leads the way with 12 points while three different players share the team lead in goals with 5 including Jarome Iginla. 

In a quick injury update, Brent Seabrook was declared out for Friday night’s game with a lower body injury suffered against the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday night.  He is day to day.  Michael Frolik who crashed hard into the end boards against Vancouver and left the game is listed as questionable.  Ben Smith was recalled from Rockford of the American Hockey League and thrown in from the Brian Campbell trade Rostislav Olesz was sent down to Rockford after clearing waivers.  Look for Bryan Bickell to be the potential odd man out at forward if Frolik is healthy after being once again demoted to the fourth line on Wednesday night in Vancouver. 

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Blackhawks Return Favor, Smash Canucks 5-1



The Chicago Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks faced off in British Columbia on Wednesday night.  In a scoreless first both defenses were sloppy with the puck in their own end and were bailed out by great goaltending by Corey Crawford and Cory Schneider.  Duncan Keith was fantastic for the Hawks as he broke up at least two quality Canuck scoring chances.  The action was back and forth and the Hawks outshot the Canucks 8-7 in the first period of play. 

38 seconds into the 2nd period the Canucks got a tap in goal on a 2 on 1 break from Jannik Hansen.  With Ryan Kessler in the box it was Andrew Brunette tying the game on the power play for the Hawks at 5:12 as Marcus Kruger and Steve Montador came on a 3 on 2 rush with Brunette.  The Hawks went back to the power play at 10:27 when Alex Burrows went off for slashing.  Patrick Kane converted immediately when his shot went off a skate and redirected past Schneider to give the Hawks a 2-1 advantage halfway through the second period.  Vancouver outshot Chicago 10-6 in the period.

The Hawks got a golden opportunity as Chris Higgins went off for high sticking less than two minutes into the third period and went back to the power play.  The Hawks failed to convert despite hitting the cross bar.  Hard work by Marian Hossa to Andrew Brunette to a streaking Jonathan Toews gave the Hawks a 3-1 lead with 7 minutes to play.  Shortly after Dan Carcillo slammed home a Patrick Sharp rebound to give the Hawks a 4-1 advantage with under 6 to play.  Steve Montador ripped a rocket off the right post and in to give the Hawks a 5-1 lead late in the third in a Hawks blow out. 

The Hawks are now 1-0-0 on the Circus Trip and improve to 1-1-0 on the year against the Canucks.  The Hawks improve to 12-4-3 on the year for a league leading 27 points.  The Hawks will skate into Calgary on Friday night.   

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Circus Trip Preview

The Chicago Blackhawks are in Vancouver and set to begin a 6 game in 13 days road trip with the circus invading United Center.  The annual trip known simply as the “Circus Trip” will see the Hawks play 3 games each in Western Canada and California.  Success during the circus trip has often translated into successful seasons for the Blackhawks.  The Hawks begin the trip riding a 3 game winning streak in which they have outscored their opponents 16-7.  Chicago at 11-4-3 for 25 points is currently leading the National Hockey League and Western Conference standings.  The Hawks will play Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, San Jose, Anaheim, and Los Angeles on the trip.  The Hawks take a 4-3-1 road record into the Circus Trip and will look to continue building on their early season success.  I will break down each matchup and the Hawks record against each opponent.  Brent Seabrook made the trip and is day to day with a leg injury.  Dave Bolland is expected to return against the Canucks with a “lower body” injury.

11/16 @ Vancouver (0-1-0)

Chicago will be out for revenge when they skate against their bitter rivals of the last three Stanley Cup playoffs on Wednesday night.  Vancouver finally got the best of the Hawks in Game 7 of the first round playoffs last season after the Hawks had ousted the Canucks the previous two seasons.  Vancouver embarrassed the Hawks in Chicago just a week and a half ago winning 6-2 in perhaps the Hawks worst effort of the season.  Vancouver exposed the Hawks penalty killing unit going 5 or 6 with the man advantage.  The Hawks showed a lack of discipline in the first meeting so look for staying out of the box to be a priority for Chicago in round 2 of 4 meetings this season.  Favorite Hawks whipping boy Roberto Luongo is out for the game with what is being called and “upper body injury.”  Corey Schneider will get the start.  Expect Corey Crawford for Chicago.    

11/18 @ Calgary (1-0-0)

The Hawks defeated the Flames on Friday night 4-1 in Chicago.  The Hawks had a solid night and got two goals from the defense corps with Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook both scoring with Seabrook’s goal coming on the power play.  The Hawks outshot Calgary 31-25 for the game.  The Flames won both meetings in Calgary last season.  This will be the 2nd of four games against Calgary this year.

11/19 @ Edmonton (1-0-0)

The Hawks dominated the Oilers on Sunday night at United Center outshooting the upstart Oilers 35-23 in the 6-3 win.  Jonathan Toews had a dominating performance tallying twice for the Hawks.  Steve Montador also added a pair of goals as the Hawks were in sync on the offensive end of the ice.  Edmonton had been hot and are a dangerous team with youngsters Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the last two number one draft picks, leading the charge.  The Hawks won both games in Edmonton last year by a combined score of 9-1.

11/23 @ San Jose (0-0-0)

This will be the first meeting of the year between the Hawks and the perennial Western Conference favorite San Jose Sharks.  The Sharks are off to another strong start but have had more success on the road than at home and as of today are just 4-3-1 on home ice.  Joe Pavelski leads the way for the Sharks with 9 goals and a team high 17 points.  The Hawks were just 1-2-1 against San Jose last season who they swept out of the Western Conference Finals a year prior.  The Sharks won both meetings in San Jose last season.

11/25 @ Anaheim (1-0-0)

The Hawks will face the Ducks for the second time this season after defeating them 3-2 in a shootout on October 25th in Chicago.  Patrick Kane broke the Hawk’s shootout curse and had the winner.  The ageless one Teemu Selanne leads the Ducks with 15 points.  Corey Perry leads the team with 6 goals.  The teams split a pair of games in Anaheim last season and this will be the 2nd of 4 2011-12 meetings.

11/26 @ Los Angeles (0-0-0)

The Hawks will conclude the Circus Trip with a visit to Staples Center to take on the  Kings.  The Kings upgraded their roster bringing in Mike Richards from the Flyers.  The Kings are currently just 5-4-1 at home.  Anze Kopitar leads the Kings with 21 points and also has the team lead in goals with 8.  The Hawks were 4-0-0 against the Kings last season.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Hawks Smash Upstart Oilers 6-3

The Chicago Blackhawks coming off back to back wins in Columbus on Thursday night and at home against the Calgary Flames on Friday night faced off against the red hot Edmonton Oilers on Sunday night in their last home game before the Circus trip.  Jonathan Toews opened the scoring at 4:55 of the first period after he stepped out from behind the net and wripped a wrister by former Hawks net minder Nikolai Khabibulin.  Just 34 seconds later it was Patrick Kane setting the table for a rushing Steve Montador who made a nice move backhand forehand to beat Khabibulin for a 2-0 Hawks lead early.  At 11:41 Ryan Smyth jammed home a puck that bounced off Corey Crawford to cut the lead to 2-1 Chicago.  The Hawks got a power play at 14:21 when Jordan Eberle went off for holding.  The Hawks had some good chances and finally cashed in when a Nick Leddy point blast was redirected by Steve Montador for his 2nd goal of the period to put the Hawks back in front by two.  The fast moving first period ended with the Hawks leading 3-1 after a solid first twenty minutes of play.  Chicago outshot Edmonton 10-8 in the first.

Just 12 seconds into the second period Captain Serious scored his second of the game as he banged in a Marian Hossa rebound for a 4-1 Hawks advantage.  Rostislav Olesz took a poor penalty for hooking on Ben Eager at 2:28.  The Hawks killed a minute and a half of Oilers power play time before the power play was cut short when Jordan Eberle went off for high sticking Brent Seabrook.  Edmonton killed the penalty and Jordan Eberle got a clean breakaway out of the sin bin and beat Crawford to cut the lead to 4-2.  Brent Seabrook was injured on the power play when he went hard into the end boards and went straight to the Hawks dressing room.  Another solid shift by the Toews, Hossa, Stalberg line ended with a Duncan Keith goal and a 5-2 Hawks advantage.  It was Keith’s second goal of the year.  Patrick Kane went off for high sticking at 9:23 and the Oilers went back to the power play.  The Hawks penalty killing unit was up to the task and got their second kill of the period.  The Hawks got a power play of their own when Ryan Smyth went to the sin bin for tripping at 15:01.  The Hawks peppered the net but Khabibulin shut the door for an Oilers kill.  The Oilers got a power play after a Ryan Smyth goal was disallowed when Viktor Stalberg was whistled for playing with a broken stick at 18:01 of the period.  Edmonton cashed in with a power play goal in the final minute of play as Shawn Horcoff redirected a point shot to cut the Hawks lead to 5-3.  The Hawks outshot the Oilers 11-8 for the middle period and took a 5-3 advantage into the final twenty minutes of play.

Things settled down a bit in the third but it was the Hawks who went to the power play at 12:17 of the period Theo Peckham went off for holding.  The Edmonton penalty killers got the job done despite a great chance by Kane that he shot wide of the net after getting himself into a great scoring area with a couple nifty moves.  Dan Carcillo added an empty netter for his 2nd of the year to ice the game with under 2 minutes to play and give the Hawks a 6-3 home win.  Chicago outshot Edmonton 14-7 for the period and 35-23 for the game.        

The Hawks improved to 11-4-3 on the year, and 7-1-2 at home.  The Hawks now have a National Hockey League leading 25 points on the season.  The Hawks depart on the annual Circus trip and will play the next 6 games on the road.  The Hawks will be in Vancouver on Wednesday night looking to avenge a brutal 6-2 home ice loss to the rival Canucks a week ago. 

Dave Bolland missed his third straight game after blocking a shot with the back of his leg against the Blues.  Bolland is expected to make the trip to British Columbia and could be in the lineup Wednesday night.  Brent Seabrook went hard into the end boards and left with a “lower body” injury and did not return.  I am hoping he doesn’t miss an extended period of time but he didn’t look good when he left the ice.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Hawks Blanked by Blues, Power Play 0-4

The Chicago Blackhawks skated with the Blues in St. Louis on Tuesday night.  Duncan Keith returned to the lineup and Sami Lepisto, Sean O’Donnell, and Bryan Bickell were healthy scratches.  Chicago wore their home red sweaters with the Blues going with their road white’s at home.  The Hawks had good puck possession early on but it was the Blues getting on the board first with a tip in goal from Vladimir Sobotka at 8:15 of the period.  Dan Carcillo took exception to a no call spear and dropped the mittens with Ryan Reaves.  Both got 5 for fighting but I would have to give Carcillo 5 for receiving in that scrap.  Both teams were credited with 8 shots in the period and were even in hits given with 7 apiece.  St. Louis went to the room with a 1-0 advantage. 

The Hawks took an early penalty in the second period when Dan Carcillo went off for kneeing.  In a continuation of the penalty killing nightmare of Sunday night Chris Stewart of the Blues re directed a T.J. Oshie shot for his third goal of the year and a 2-0 Blues lead.  It was the 6th goal allowed by the Hawks penalty killing unit on the last 7 chances.  Halfway through the period the Hawks got a chance to redeem themselves on the power play and cut the lead in half.  The Hawks nonexistent power play failed to convert.  The Hawks went back to the power play at 14:22 when T.J. Oshie went off for hooking.  With time expiring on the power play Patrick Kane was hauled down to give the Hawks two more minutes on the man advantage.  With a puck loose in the crease Dave Bolland was able to poke one home but the referee waived off that goal because he was in the process of blowing his whistle before the puck went in.  Another power play and another opponent kill and the Hawks were 0-3 for the game.  The Hawks and Blues each had 9 shots apiece for the period.  The Blues led 2-0 after two periods of play.

Hard work by Jonathan Toews early in the third led to another Blues penalty for interference.  The power play looked a little livelier on that go round but the Hawks didn’t convert.  Marcus Kruger of the Hawks took a penalty halfway through the third in what was a must kill for the Blackhawks.  Chicago got the much needed penalty kill but it failed to spark the visitors.  T.J. Oshie provided the night capper with a rather weak goal by Crawford for a 3-0 Blues advantage late in the third.  The Hawks outshot St. Louis badly in the third but failed to dent the back of the net. 

The story of the night once again was special teams.  St. Louis was 1-2 on the man advantage while the Hawks were 0-4.  The power outage is really starting to hurt the Hawks chances to win games and needs to improve in a hurry. 

The Hawks (8-4-3) will play the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second time this season on Thursday night in Columbus.  The Hawks won the first meeting in Chicago 5-2.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Hawks @ Blues Preview

The Chicago Blackhawks (8-3-3) will begin a two game road trip in St. Louis on Tuesday night against the Central Division rival St. Louis Blues (6-7-0).  The Blues off to a slow start fired head coach Davis Payne and replaced him with Stanley Cup winner Ken Hitchcock.  Hitchcock’s teams are known for being tough to play against and for a defensive style of play.  Chicago is coming off an embarrassing loss at home on Sunday night to the arch rival Vancouver Canucks in which the Hawks allowed 5 power play goals against and failed to score on five power play chances themselves.  The Hawks played a terrible game at both ends of the ice and Coach Joel Quenneville mixed up all four lines and all three defense pairings in Monday’s practice.  Let’s hope the new combinations give the Hawks a spark as they are now winless in two straight games.  Duncan Keith returned to practice and may be in the lineup tomorrow night in St. Louis.  This is the first of six meetings against the Blues.  The Hawks went 4-2-0 against St. Louis last season but one just 1 of 3 on the road.  Alexander Steen leads the Blues with 9 points and also has 6 goals.  Patrick Kane leads the way for the Hawks with 15 points and Marian Hossa leads Chicago in goals with 7.  Chicago dropped to 22nd in the league in penalty killing after allowing 5 goals to Vancouver.  The Hawks power play (outage) is ranked 28th.  The Blues power play is actually worse than the Hawks as they sit dead last in the NHL, a perfect opportunity for the Hawks to rebound on the penalty kill.  St. Louis comes in just 27th in penalty killing and has allowed 11 power play goals against.  The Hawks need to take advantage of that number and get the power play going. 

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Canucks Score 5 PP Goals, Embarrass Hawks 6-2

The Hawks faced off with the bitter rival Vancouver Canucks at United Center Sunday night.  It was a feeling out period early until Brent Seabrook took a stupid interference penalty at 4:17 of the first.  The Canucks made Chicago pay as David Booth buried a rebound after Corey Crawford made the initial save and no Hawks came to his aid.  The goal came at 6:00 of the period for a 1-0 Canucks lead on the power play.  Corey Crawford kept it 1-0 halfway through the first as Andrew Ebbett came in on a breakaway and Crawford shut the door.  The Hawks were very shaky in the defensive end early on.  The Hawks went to the power play at 10:09 when David Booth of the Canucks went off for hooking.  In a golden opportunity for the power play to tie the game, the Hawks power play unit failed to come through and the game remained 1-0.  A short time later Luongo gave up the worst goal I have ever seen scored by Michael Frolik at 12:57 to tie the game at 1-1 eliciting loud chants of Luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu from the Indian Head faithful.  The Hawks went back on the power play at 14:06 when Andrew Alberts went off for elbowing in a renewal of the rivalry.  The power play was short lived as the referees made a ghost high sticking call on Dan Carcillo when his stick failed to make contact with the Canuck player but the acting was superb.  The Hawks killed off the ensuing power play time and the game remained tied at one goal apiece.  Corey Crawford bailed the Hawks out again with a minute to go as Canucks pest Maxim Lapierre came in on a partial break and Crawford said no.  Patrick Kane took a roughing penalty with under a minute to play as he put Henrik Sedin on his back side for giving Corey Crawford a snow shower.  Vancouver outshot the Hawks 17-9 for the first period.  The difference in the game was the goaltending.  While Crawford kept the Hawks in the game, Luongo let in another awful goal against the Hawks who always seem to bring out the worst in Luongo. 

The second period started with 1:41 of carry over penalty time which the Canucks made the Hawks pay for as Aaron Rome blew a point shot by Crawford for a 2-1 Canucks lead.  It seems as though every stupid penalty you take ends up in the back of your net and the Seabrook and Kane penalties would certainly not be considered smart penalties and will certainly draw the ire of Coach Joel Quenneville.  The Hawks went to the box again as Bryan Bickell was whistled for boarding at 3:53 of the second.  The Canucks power play made it 3 for 4 on the night as Daniel Sedin had a wide open net after some nifty pass work for a 3-1 Canucks lead.  The Hawks complete lack of discipline and poor penalty killing completely responsible for the early hole.  Coach Q called timeout at 6:03 and really let the Hawks have it on the bench and rightfully so.  At 6:55 Maxim Lapierre went off for unsportsmanlike conduct and the Hawks looked for life on the power play.  The Hawks power play woes continued and the Hawks failed to score for the third time in the game.  Andrew Alberts went off for holding shortly after to give the Hawks another shot at redemption on the power play that has struggled all year long.  The Hawks showed a bit of life but were denied yet again on the power play.  At 15:07 Roberto Luongo gave a juicy rebound off a Patrick Kane blast that Marcus Kruger drove to the net and pounded home to bring the Hawks within one goal at 3-2.  The goal put life back into the silent United Center.  The momentum was short lived as the Hawks got over zealous in the offensive end leading to a 3 on 2 break the other way and a Jannik Hansen goal just 43 seconds after the Blackhawks goal.  Hansen’s goal gave Vancouver a 4-2 advantage.  At 16:11 Viktor Stalberg was reckless with his stick to send the Canucks to their 5th man advantage of the evening.  The Canucks cashed in once again as the Hawks whose penalty killing unit was a treat all season long was a dirty trick in this game.  Dan Hamhuis, the recipient of the Stalberg high stick, got the goal at 17:50.  The disastrous period finally came to an end with the Canucks leading 5-2.  Chicago outshot Vancouver 20-13 for the period despite being outscored 4-1. 

In the third period the Hawks got an early power play when Kane was pulled down at 00:50.  In the must convert opportunity the Hawks had their worst power play of the evening and fell to 0-5 on the evening.   After Dan Carcillo drove to the net, banged for a loose puck, and was tackled by Aaron Rome, he somehow got the extra 2 minutes and a 10 minute misconduct and put the Canucks back on the power play.  The Canucks wasted little time scoring their 5th power play goal of the night as Brent Seabrook stood in front of the net, watched Henrik Sedin stand in front of the net and Sedin pounded home the 6th Canuck goal of the evening for a 6-2 Canucks advantage.  That is the way it finished and it was by far the most embarrassing loss of the season for the Hawks who fall to 8-3-3 on the year and suffered their first home loss in regulation.

There is not much to say after this one other than when you allow 5 power play goals against on 6 chances and then go 0-5 on the power play yourself you will not win any games in the National Hockey League.  I wouldn’t be surprised if the Hawks were not held over for practice after that performance on home ice.    

The Hawks begin a two game road trip in St. Louis on Tuesday night.  During the game it broke that the Blues had fired Head Coach Davis Payne and hired Ken Hitchcock to replace him.  Expect a more defensive minded Blues team with Hitchcock behind the bench.  It will mark the first meeting of the season with the Central Division rival Blues.  The Hawks were 4-2-0 against the Blues last season and 1-2-0 in St. Louis.  Expect extensive work on special teams in practice after both units were pathetic against the Canucks. 

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Hated Canucks Come to Town Sunday Preview

The hated Vancouver Canucks come to town on Sunday night.  Vancouver comes in with a 6-7-1 record and has stumbled out of the gate.  Favorite Hawks whipping boy Roberto Luongo has a GAA of 3.19 and an eye opening save percentage of .884.  Defenseman Kevin Bieska is a -8 on the season.  Vancouver lost 3-2 to the Blues in St. Louis on Friday night and come to town with a 3-5-0 road record.  The Hawks lost in OT to the Lightning 5-4 on Friday night.  The Hawks come in 5-0-2 on United Center ice and have not lost in regulation at home.  This is the first meeting of the year for the bitter rivals who have met three years in a row in the Stanley Cup playoffs.  Chicago got the best of Vancouver two years running before falling in game 7 in the first round last year.  The Hawks were 2-2-0 against Vancouver in the regular season and split a pair of games on home ice.  First year Hawk Dan Carcillo has referenced the rivalry on his Twitter account multiple times and has even called out certain Canuck players.  We could see some fireworks on Sunday night out of the guy nicknamed “Car Bomb.”  The Hawks come in with the 5th rank penalty killing unit which will match up with the Canucks and their 8th ranked power play unit.  The Hawks power play unit comes in ranked 28th in the league and finally tallied on the power play Friday night against Tampa Bay after an 0-18 skid with the man advantage.  The Canucks have the 8th ranked penalty killing unit and have allowed 7 power play goals on the year.  Patrick Kane leads the way for the Hawks in scoring with 15 points.  Marian Hossa leads in goal scoring with 7.  For the Canucks its Daniel Sedin with 15 points and Chris Higgins with 6 goals.  Expect a Corey Crawford vs. Roberto Luongo matchup in goal.  Crawford comes in with a 6-2-2 record, 2.33 GAA, and .919 save percentage.  This is the first big test of the season for the Western Conference leading Chicago Blackhawks.  It is also a chance to put some distance in the standings between the Hawks and last season’s President Trophy winning Canucks.  Through Friday night the Hawks are also tied for the league lead in points.    


Hawks Fall in OT 5-4 After Wild 2nd Period

The Chicago Blackhawks skated with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night for the only meeting of the season between the teams.  The action was end to end early on with chances at both ends of the ice.  The Hawks got the first power play of the game at 8:55 when Ryan Shannon went off for holding.  Chicago had a couple sniffs at the net but failed to score on the power play for the 20th straight time.  Steve Stamkos was stopped on a glorious scoring chance by Ray Emery a short time later.  With just under four minutes to play Dave Bolland and Viktor Stalberg had a two on one break but Stalberg hit the right goal post.  The first period ended with more end to end action but no scoring.  Chicago outshot Tampa Bay 15-8 in the first period. 

The second period started off with a bang with Steve Stamkos putting in a rebound 15 seconds into the period as he was left all alone on the side of the net for a 1-0 Lightning lead.  The Hawks got a power play opportunity just 20 seconds later when Brett Connolly went off for tripping.  The power play finally converted in a key opportunity as Jonathan Toews fed Patrick Sharp who ripped it home for his 4th goal of the season to tie the game 1-1.  But at 4:55 in a sloppy sequence in front of Emery’s net and with the net appearing to be off the peg Brett Connolly was able to tap in a loose puck to give the Lightning a 2-1 lead.  The goal was reviewed but Toronto agreed with the call on the ice.  At 6:17 it was Marian Hossa scoring his 7th goal of the season as Patrick Kane found him all alone streaking up the left side to tie the game at 2-2.  Just 53 seconds later Dan Carcillo stole a puck at center, came in on a breakaway and backhanded one in to give the Hawks a 3-2 lead.  It was Carcillo’s first goal as a Blackhawk.  12 seconds later Patrick Sharp struck again for Chicago to give the Hawks a 4-2 lead.  Patrick Kane added another assist on the play for his third assist of the night.  At 11:45 Steve Stamkos undressed Nick Leddy and cut the Chicago lead to 4-3 with his second goal of the game.  With just over one minute to play in the second Viktor Stalberg went off for tripping to put the Lightning on the power play for the first time.  Stamkos added the hat trick on the power play to cap off the wild 8 goal period and tie the game 4-4. 

Things returned to sanity in the third period as both teams were kept off of the scoreboard.  Both teams had minimal chances as the checking got tight in the period in a tie game.  Chicago headed to their third straight overtime contest. 

In the overtime period it was Vincent Lecavalier ended it with just over a minute to play as he took a Martin St Louis pass and put it home for the game winner.  The Hawks fall to 8-2-3 on the year and 3-2-1 on the road but pick up their 19th point of the season.