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 5^th 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 9^th 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.