Hawks Finish off Jackets in 3rd, Win 5-2

The Hawks came out strong after laying an egg in Carolina last night outshooting Columbus

10-8 in the first period.  Marcus Kruger scored his first goal of the year at 2:51 of the first after Blue Jackets goalie Allen York gave a juicy rebound that Kruger banged home.  The lead was short lived as Vinny Prospal snuck a shot inside the right post at 5:58 that Ray Emery was very slow moving side to side on.  The Hawks weren’t very disciplined in the first as Dave Bolland took two tripping penalties and Jonathan Toews a hooking call.  The penalty kill continued to impress killing all three Jacket power plays and at 18:21 Dave Bolland was absolved of his sins scoring the Hawks 3^rd shorthanded goal of the season.  The Hawks continued their struggles on the power play going 0-1 in the first and were also whistled for a penalty while on the man advantage. 

The Hawks came out buzzing in the second period.  With James Wisniewski in the box Patrick Sharp ripped one off both posts and Patrick Kane had a goal waved off after it was ruled to be tapped in with a high stick and the Hawks failed again to capitalize on the power play once again.  The Hawks were 0-2 on the power play in the second period.  At 14:02 the Jackets were able to tie it as Derek MacKenzie slammed home a rebound as three Hawks were star struck in front of the net by Rick Nash and failed to clear the puck.  Chicago outshot Columbus 12-8 in the second period. 

Early in the third period Patrick Sharp looked to score on the power play but the goal was waved off and Bryan Bickell was sent off for high sticking.  With time winding down on the 4 on 4 Viktor Stalberg was given way too much open ice and made the Jackets pay with his first goal of the season.  The Hawks killed off the ensuing power play time aided by a painful shot block by Dave Bolland.  1:58 later Stalberg tallied again after an Andrew Brunette pass left him looking at an empty net for a 4-2 Hawks lead.  Just minutes later Stalberg’s bid for a natural hat trick was denied as Marian Hossa put Stalberg in alone and he fired just wide of the right post.  The Hawks had a third power play goal of the night disallowed when the Zebras ruled that Bolland kicked the puck in at 12:57.  Columbus killed off the ensuing time and the Hawks failed to convert on the power play for the fifth time in the game despite 3 goals disallowed with the man advantage.  With Patrick Kane off for tripping Columbus had a goal disallowed when Derick Brassard kicked the puck into the net for the fourth disallowed goal of the night.  The Hawks killed the remaining time for their fifth kill of the night.  Michael Frolik added an empty net goal at 19:57 for a 5-2 Hawks winner.  The Hawks outshot Columbus 16-13 in the third period.

The Hawks were a perfect 5 for 5 on the penalty kill and added a shorthanded goal.  The power play put up another goose egg but showed some signs of life as 3 power play goals were taken off the score board.  Ray Emery stopped 27 of 29 shots for his second win in as many starts.  The Hawks outshot Columbus 38-29 for the game.  Chicago improves to 6-2-2 for the season and are still undefeated in regulation on home ice at 4-0-2.    

The Hawks will skate again on home ice Monday night when they take on the Nashville Predators.  The Hawks were 3-1-2 against the Predators last season going 2-1-0 on home ice.  This will be the first meeting of the season for the Central Division rivals.  Nashville comes in winners of two straight and trail the Hawks by 3 points in the Central Division standings.           

Update...2 Game Suspension for Carcillo

After a disciplinary hearing Saturday afternoon, Dan Carcillo was handed a 2 game suspension for a hit from behind in the first period of Friday night's game in Carolina.  Carcillo will be unavailable for the Hawks next two games against Columbus and Nashville Saturday and Monday nights. 

Blue Jackets @ Hawks Preview

The Hawks (5-2-2) face off against the struggling Columbus Blue Jackets (1-8-1) Saturday night at United Center.  The Hawks playing a full weekend slate of 3 games in 4 days against bad teams failed against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night as they fell 3-0 against a hot Cam Ward.  Ward stopped all 30 Hawks shots.  This is a trap weekend for the Blackhawks who had a problem all last season showing up for games against teams in the bottom half of the standings.  Not showing up for games against bad teams is why the Hawks were fighting for the 8^th seed in the Western Conference on the last day of the 2010-11 season.  The Hawks need to fix this problem in a hurry before it becomes a 2011-12 trend and what better time than now against the worst team in the National Hockey League.  Columbus has been awful and accumulated only 3 points and 1 win.  The lone win was against the Detroit Red Wings so the Hawks need to be careful not to fall in the trap.  The Hawks went 4-2-0 against the Jackets last season but the 2 losses were on home ice.  The Hawks come in with the league’s 3^rd ranked penalty kill and have now killed 26 of 28 opposition power plays on the season.  Columbus has the 28^th ranked power play and have converted just 5 of 51 power play chances.  The Hawks are not much better as they come in ranked 25^th and have converted only 3 of 33 chances.  The Blue Jackets could be the antibiotic for a sickly Hawks power play as Columbus is the league’s worst penalty killing team.  The Jackets have allowed 12 power play goals against in just 34 times shorthanded.  If the Hawks are going to get a top seed in the West this year the power play must get going and they must beat teams like the Blue Jackets.  The Hawks will find out later today if and how long they will be without winger Dan Carcillo who faces a league disciplinary hearing for a hit on Hurricanes defenseman Joni Pitkanen in the first period of last night’s game.  The play did not result in a penalty.      

Breaking News...Carcillo Faces Hearing

Hawks winger Dan Carcillo will face an NHL disciplinary hearing Saturday for a hit on Hurricanes defenseman Joni Pitkanen 1:45 into Friday night's game in Raleigh.  The play did not draw a penalty and is the latest edition of Court Shanahan and the NHL's new zero tolerance policy on head shots.  With Carcillo's history this could be a lengthy suspension.  Stay tuned.

Hurricanes Blank Hawks

The Hawks (5-2-2) laid a goose egg on the scoreboard as Cam Ward stopped 30 shots and the Hurricanes (4-3-3) defeated the Blackhawks 3-0 in Raleigh, NC.  The Canes frustrated the Hawks who took 5 penalties and also had a penalty shot called against them.  The Hawks penalty killers were perfect again and Crawford stopped Eric Staal’s penalty shot attempt in the second but it was not enough as the Hawks offense could not find a way to solve Ward.  Jonathan Toews was stopped on a clean breakaway, and the Hawks put up another goose egg on the power play going 0-3 on the evening.  Brett Sutter scored out of the box, and Brent and Tlusty also tallied for the Canes.  Corey Crawford stopped 30 of 33 shots on the evening.  The Hawks flew home after the game for a date with the Columbus Blue Jackets (1-8-1) on Saturday night at United Center.     

Hawks @ Hurricanes Preview

The Hawks (5-1-2) head off to Raleigh for a quick one night road trip on Friday night against the Carolina Hurricanes (3-3-3).  The Hawks are coming off a shootout win on Tuesday night against the Ducks that saw Patrick Kane get the shootout winner.  The Hawks were 0-2 in the shootout prior to Tuesday night.  The second line had a monster game and was all over the ice causing havoc on the Ducks highlighted by a highlight real Sports Center goal off a spin-o-rama no look pass by Patrick Kane onto the tape of Marian Hossa and into the back of the net.  Kane also added another assist with some nifty stick work along the boards and feed to Patrick Sharp that he blew by Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller.  Hossa had the goal but also hit two posts including one off a face off as time expired in overtime.  The penalty killing was great again as the Hawks killed 5 of 6 penalties and kept the Hawks in the game.  The Hawks have now killed 21 of 23 penalties and have added two shorthanded goals on the year.  The power play has been a different story and was blanked again against the Ducks going 0-3 on the man advantage.  The Hawks are now just 4 of 30 on the power play through 8 games.  Perhaps less passing, more traffic in front, and shooting should be in order for a power play that has looked to be a little too cute in the early going.  The Hawks will also look to shore up play in the defensive zone after having several miscues and sloppy passing against the Ducks.  The sloppy passing is becoming a theme and it needs to change.  The Hawks won the only game against the Hurricanes last season 5-2 at United Center.  Bryan Bickell, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Dave Bolland, and Ryan Johnson scored for the Hawks.  Eric Staal and Jeff Skinner tallied for the Hurricanes.  The Hurricanes are coming off a shootout loss to Ottawa on Monday night.  Jeff Skinner leads the way for Carolina with 4 goals, 6 assists for 10 points.  Carolina is 1-1-1 at home this season.  The Hawks are 2-1-0 on the road.  The game will be the first of back to back games for the Hawks who head home to face the lowly Blue Jackets on Saturday night.  

Hawks Break Shootout Curse, Win 3-2

The Hawks and Ducks squared off at United Center Tuesday night in front of another rabid crowd.  The first period was fast moving with hardly a whistle through the first half of the period.  Corey Perry was called for delay of game for shooting the puck over the glass and the Hawks got an early chance to redeem themselves on the power play.  The Ducks penalty killers got the job the done and the Hawks failed to convert.  Less than two minutes after the Ducks kill, former Duck Sean O’Donnell was sent to the box for tripping in front of the Hawks net.  The number two ranked penalty killing unit of the Hawks was up to the task and Michael Frolik created a great chance as he passed to himself around Cam Fowler, came in with a full head of steam, and was denied by Jonas Hiller.  Dave Bolland was whistled for a late penalty for slashing at 19:53 of the first.  Chicago outshot Anaheim 11-5 in the first period. 

Ryan Getzlaf made the Hawks pay with a power play goal in carry over time from a late first period penalty.  Corey Perry the reigning MVP made a sweet pass to Getzlaf who had a step on O’Donnell and ripped a shot by Corey Crawford at 00:58 of the second period to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead.  Sheldon Brookbank shoved Viktor Stalberg after a whistle and Jamal Mayers was quick to respond.  Mayers and Brookbank dropped the gloves and Mayers landed a punch or two before both players fell to the ice.  The momentum was short lived as Anaheim went back to the power play when Nick Leddy went off for holding at 6:41.  The Hawks killed the penalty and the game continued to be physical after Steve Montador gave Corey Perry a glove wash after Corey Crawford covered a puck.  The Hawks took the momentum and Marian Hossa tied the game 1-1 after a spin-o-rama Patrick Kane feed to Hossa who buried the biscuit at 10:16 for his fifth straight game with a goal.  Dan Carcillo contributed on the goal driving the net and creating space for Kaner to feed Hoss.  Teemu Selanne capped off a series of Hawks turnovers at 16:21 after a Patrick Kane pass was picked off at the Hawks blue line for his 640^th career goal.  Back to back turnovers by O’Donnell and Kane that led to a Ducks goal certainly will draw the ire of Coach Quenneville after Saturday night’s game in which Coach Q faulted the Hawks sloppy play for contributing to all four Avalanche goals.  The Hawks got a late power play when Patrick Maroon went off for tripping Jonathan Toews at 19:36.  Anaheim outshot the Hawks 13-9 for the period.

Chicago failed to capitalize on carry over penalty time to start the third period and shortly after Sean O’Donnell made a bone headed play dumping the puck into the stands for a Hawks penalty.  The Hawks were able to kill off the penalty to keep it a 2-1 game.  After some nifty stick work by Patrick Kane and a feed to Patrick Sharp, Sharp put a rocket over Hiller’s shoulder to tie the game 2-2 at 5:57 of the third.  The Hawks just missed a short time later when Patrick Kane got to a loose puck in the corner and fed Marian Hossa who blasted one off the far post and out.  Michael Frolik was stopped on a glorious chance of his own on a clean breakaway after skating around Lubomir Visnovsky at the Ducks blue line and couldn’t quite elevate the puck over Hiller’s pad.  The Hawks took another penalty when Kane’s stick clipped Bobby Ryan of the Ducks.  The Hawks were able to kill yet another penalty.  Marian Hossa had the game on his stick when Carcillo put him in alone with just over 2 minutes to play.  Hiller shut the door.  The pro Ducks officials then called another Hawks penalty for interference for the 7^th Duck power play of the game to the Hawks 3.  The Hawks penalty killers who were brilliant on the night killed off the penalty to force overtime.  The Hawks penalty kill was 6 for 7 on the evening. 

In overtime the Hawks dominated in shots and chances but couldn’t find the back of the net.  They did get a token power play from the zebras with a whole 2.4 seconds left when the stick of Bobby Ryan clipped Niklas Hjalmarsson.  Toews won the faceoff clean to Hossa who ripped it off the post as time expired.  It was the third straight Hawks home game to head to a shootout.  Jonathan Toews, Teemu Selanne, and Patrick Kane scored in the shootout for a 3-2 Hawks win.  The Hawks who came in 0-2 in shootouts and were 0-6 on shots broke the curse and improved to 5-1-2 on the season.  The Hawks took over 1^st place in the Central Division as Detroit fell to Columbus earlier in the evening.      

3 Stars

1)      Patrick Kane

2)      Marian Hossa

3)      Hawks Penalty Kill

3 Goats    

1)      Hawks Power Play

2)      Sean O’Donnell

3)      The Goal Post 

Ducks @ Hawks Preview

The Hawks (4-1-2) and Ducks (4-3-0) are set to faceoff at United Center on Tuesday night in the first of four Western Conference meetings this season.  Corey Perry leads the Ducks with 3 goals, 1 assist, and 4 points.  Ryan Getzlaf, Teemu Selanne, and Lubomir Visnovsky also come in with 4 points for the Ducks.  The Hawks were 2-2-0 against the Ducks last season and went 1-1-0 on home ice.  The Hawks come into the game with a sour taste in their mouth after blowing a 4-3 lead and losing in a shootout late in the 3^rd period against the Avalanche Saturday night.  The Hawks will look to improve on a struggling power play against an Anaheim team that has allowed just 3 power play goals against and is 6^th in the league on the penalty kill.  Patrick Sharp leads the way for the Hawks with 2 goals, 5 assists, and 7 points.  The Hawks also have three players tied for the team lead in goals with 4.  Marian Hossa, Dave Bolland, and Jonathan Toews all come in with 4 goals, 2 assists, and 6 points each.  The Hawks will begin play Tuesday night tied atop the Central Division with the Detroit Red Wings with 10 points each.  Detroit has one more win than the Hawks and has played one less game.  This is a game to keep pace and to continue to accumulate valuable October points that the Hawks learned last year count just as much as points in April.    

Hawks Prospect Saad OHL Player of the Week

Hawks prospect Brandon Saad, the Hawks 2^nd round pick in the 2011 draft, had an impressive camp and due in part to injuries at forward made the Hawks opening night lineup.  Saad played in two games and recorded 3 shots before being sent back to his junior team in the Ontario Hockey League the Saginaw Spirit.  Saad made headlines at the beginning of the month by being the first 18 year old not drafted in the first round to make an opening night roster since Ryan O’Reilly of the Colorado Avalanche in the 2009-10 season.  Now Saad is closing out October by being named the OHL player of the week for the week ending October 23^rd.  Saad recorded 6 goals and 4 assists in three games during the week for a massive 10 points.  Saad now has 8 goals and 5 assists for 13 points in just five games since being returned to juniors from the Hawks.  I think it is safe to say we should see Saad wearing an Indian Head Sweater again, and this time for good, come opening night next season.

Update:  Brandon Saad was also named the Canadian Hockey League player of the week.  Great job Brandon! 

The Indian Head Sweater Report

Through the first seven games of the 2011-12 campaign, the Chicago Blackhawks are off to a   4-1-2 start.  The Hawks are 2-0-2 at home and have collected 6 of 8 possible points on home ice.  The Hawks have only lost one game in regulation which was the season opener in Dallas.  Chicago has won 2 of 3 on the road to start the year.  The Hawks are tied for points atop the Central Division with the Detroit Red Wings, each with 10 points, but the Wings have played one fewer game.  The Hawks are averaging 3.43 goals per game and are allowing just 2.57 goals per game.  Marian Hossa, Dave Bolland, and Jonathan Toews have four goals each, and Patrick Kane is adjusting well to his new role as second line center with 2 goals, 4 assists, and a plus 3. 

All looks good on paper for the Hawks but there are concerns on the defensive end of the ice.  Coach Quenneville was livid after Saturday night’s game when he hinted that he was less than impressed with the defensive zone play and the four goals the Hawks gave up including a clean breakaway to rising start Gabriel Landeskog with under three minutes to play with the Hawks holding a 4-3 lead.  The defensive miscue between Keith and Leddy led to a tie game and an eventual shootout loss to the Avalanche.  There was also a first period tip in by Paul Stastny in which he us uncovered in front of the net and another by Landeskog in the second in which he took a pass nearly in the crease and was able to beat Crawford.  Then there was the Winnipeg game a week ago in which the Hawks had multiple miscues clearing the defensive zone that led to multiple second and third chance opportunities for the Jets.  The Hawks were lucky to get out of that game with two points.  Outlet pass issues and defensive zone coverage lapses have been the norm early on and those issues need to be addressed in a hurry.  Free agent acquisition Steve Montador has appeared to panic at times and turned the puck over.  Ducan Keith has had good stretches so far that remind of his Norris Trophy and Cup winning season but also stretches that look and awful lot like last season.  Nick Leddy has shown some definite improvement but still finds himself dangerously out of position at other times. 

The other glaring issue through the first seven games is the play of the power play unit.  Chicago is currently ranked 19^th in the NHL with a power play percentage of 14.81%.  They have scored just 4 goals on 27 man advantage opportunities.  The Hawks failed to convert in a key opportunity as they had nearly two minutes of power play time to start overtime against Colorado.  The Hawks failed to convert with Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane, and Jonathan Toews on the ice for the full two minutes of a 4-3 overtime power play.  The Hawks were the 4^th ranked power play unit a year ago.  The power play must get going.

The penalty kill has been the brightest spot of the young season.  The Hawks have killed 94.12% through seven games and have allowed just 1 goal while scoring 2 shorthanded goals.  The Hawks are also the least penalized team in the league with only 17 trips to the sin bin.      

Hawks Fall to Avalanche in the Shootout

The Blackhawks fell to the Avalanche 5-4 in a shootout in one of the more exciting games I have seen in years.  Colorado opened the scoring at 16:09 of the first period when Paul Stastny tipped in a shot from the point.  Michael Frolik tied it for the Hawks 49 seconds into the second period when Avalanche defenseman Eric Johnson made a terrible pass to a wide open Frolik for a gift goal.  But the Avalanche responded with a goal by David Jones at the 7:41 mark set up by Hejduk and Stastny.  Rookie and second overall pick in the 2011 draft Gabriel Landeskog made it 3-1 Avalanche as he kept his stick on the ice while getting hit and poked it past Corey Crawford.  The Hawks would get a late power play and Jonathan Toews made the Avalanche pay jumping on a rebound for his fourth goal of the year.  In the third Jamal Mayers tied the game at 3 after Nick Leddy made some nifty moves and fed Mayers.  Marian Hossa gave the Hawks the lead late in the third and the Hawks looked to be on their way to an exciting come from behind win at home.  Landeskog had other ideas taking a pass from Ryan O’Reilly and coming in all alone to beat Crawford with under two minutes to play.  After a back and forth overtime, that started with the Hawks with nearly two minutes of power play time, the game headed to a shootout.  Joakim Lindstrom scored the lone goal of the shootout for the Avalanche on a highlight reel move that faked Crawford out of his net and left him with nothing else to do but bow his head.  The Hawks fall to 4-1-2 on the season.  The Hawks will take on the Anaheim Ducks at home on Tuesday night.  The Ducks come in with a 4-2-0 record. 

Avalanche at Blackhawks Game Day

The Chicago Blackhawks (4-1-1) and Colorado Avalanche (5-2-0) will face off Saturday night at United Center in the second game of a home and home.  The Hawks defeated Colorado 3-1 in Denver on Thursday night.  Hawks goalie Corey Crawford and Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov both played spectacular and are expected to be in net tonight.  The Blackhawks (2-0-1) at home will look to continue to pile up October points that eluded them a year ago as their Stanley Cup title defense sputtered early and left them fighting until the last day of the season for a spot in the playoffs.  Chicago has accumulated 9 of 12 possible points so far.  The Hawks come into the game as the 2^nd ranked penalty killing team in the league.  They will need to stay out of the box and the PK will need to stay sharp against the number one ranked Colorado Avalanche power play unit.  The Avalanche come into the game riding a 5 game road winning streak.  Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, and Marian Hossa scored for the Hawks in Thursday’s win.  Ryan O’Byrne scored the loan Avalanche goal.  The Hawks look to improve on their 1-0-0 record in the season series against an Avalanche team that took 3 out of 4 from the Hawks a season ago. 

Prior to the game the Hawks will unveil two new statues outside of United Center to honor Hawks legends Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita.  Stan Mikita is the Hawks all-time leader in points with 1,467 and assists with 926.  Mikita helped lead Chicago to the 1961 Stanley Cup.  Mikita added 59 goals, 91 assists, and 150 points in his Hawks playoff career.  Bobby Hull the “Golden Jet” is the Hawks all-time leader in goals scoring 610 goals and was also a member of the Hawks 1961 Cup winning team.  Hull netted 62 goals, added 67 assists, and tallied 129 playoff points.  The pair have been named Blackhawks Ambassadors over the last few years and both have their Indian Head Sweaters hanging from the United Center rafters.  Both are members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.  The statues will be located on the northeast plaza outside of the United Center near Madison Street.   

Hawks Defeat Avalanche 3-1

The Chicago Blackhawks rolled into the Mile High City on Tuesday night riding a four game point streak.  The Hawks came out a bit on their heels facing an Avalanche team returning from a five game road trip that saw them go 5-0-0.  Corey Crawford was the story early as the Hawks spent the majority of the first ten minutes defending in their own end.  Hawks winger Patrick Sharp said after the game “He made some really big saves for us and it could have been coming from behind pretty early on so he’s been just getting better and better every game for us and he was a big part of our game tonight.”   

Hawks Coach Joel Quenneville added “We weathered the storm with him holding the fort early in the game.  We were very sloppy.  They have some quickness and some speed in their game and we were in our end for the first ten minutes.  He was strong all game long and he seemed square and I think all the saves he made them look like his position was so good that it didn’t look like they were great saves but he seemed to keep the puck and his rebounds were great.” 

 Hawks Captain Jonathan Toews added, “He played some great hockey the way he has all year already, so its kinda what you need to win on the road in some of these tight games and he was there for us tonight.”    

After a sloppy start, the Hawks seemed to get better as the game progressed.  Hawks Captain Jonathan Toews made it 1-0 Hawks with a top shelf back hander from Dan Carcillo and Nick Leddy at 16:02 of the first.  Ryan O’Byrne tied it for the Avalanche on a puck that deflected off of his glove at 15:27 of the second period.  Despite the unlucky goal for the Hawks, they outshot Colorado 12-8 in the period and seemed to take control of the game.

The Hawks turned the tables on the Avalanche in the third playing a good chunk of the period in their offensive zone.  Patrick Sharp scored the game winning goal at 7:20 of the third with helpers from Duncan Keith and former Avalanche winger Andrew Brunette.  With Brent Seabrook off for tripping and the clock ticking down the Avalanche pulled goalie Semyon Varlamov for a 6-4 advantage.  Marian Hossa capped the scoring with a shorthanded empty net goal and the Hawks killed the remaining power play time for a 3-1 victory.  It was the second straight road win for the Hawks who head home for a rematch with the Avalanche on Saturday night. 

Hawks goalie Corey Crawford was impressed with the third period and said, “Our third period was really good.  That’s the kind of period we needed to finish the game.  We were solid, we didn’t give them much, we were smart with the puck.  You know that was probably one of our best periods this year.”  

The top line of Toews, Brunette, and Sharp had a big night after playing well but not having much to show for the first five games of the season.  Hawks winger Patrick Sharp who scored the game winning goal said, “We’re moving the puck well, had a lot of scoring chances, nothing different from the first five games,  just the puck went in.” 

Added Hawks Captain Jonathan Toews, “We weren’t worried we know we just got to keep working hard and even tonight we could have had two or three more.”    

Colorado outshot Chicago 32-30 for the game.  Chicago continued their struggles on the power play going 0-2 on the evening.  The penalty kill continued to be strong as the Hawks killed off both shorthanded situations against the league’s number one power play coming into the game including a crucial kill with two minutes to play in the third.  Chicago improved to 4-1-1 on the year.        

Hawks Mile High Preview

The Chicago Blackhawks (3-1-1) invade Pepsi Center tonight and will face off against a Colorado Avalanche team that has won five games in a row on the road to improve their record to 5-1-0 on the young season.  The Blackhawks have recorded a point in four straight games since losing the season opener in Dallas.  The Hawks come in with a 1-1-0 road record and will look to continue to accumulate early season points against a young and hungry Avalanche team.  Colorado won three of the four meetings last season with the Hawks loan victory a 4-0 home win in January. 

Chicago comes into this game after a dominating road performance on Tuesday night that saw the Hawks double Phoenix in shots and fly off to Denver with a 5-2 victory.  The penalty kill was perfect and Dave Bolland added a shorthanded goal.  The Hawks have allowed just one power play goal against all season and are currently 4^th in the NHL in PK%.  Bryan Bickell also scored for the Hawks and the big winger now has a four game point streak with two goals and two assists.  The power play was the downfall and needs to get going.  Marian Hossa scored on a two man advantage for the Hawks but the power play was just 1-5 for the game.  The Hawks are just 3-22 on the power play on the season good for 18^th in the NHL. 

Colorado comes in following the first 5-0 road trip in franchise history.  Colorado is the league’s number one power play team converting 7-22 chances.  The ageless Milan Hejduk leads the Avalanche in scoring with three goals and two assists for five points.  The Avalanche are bigger on defense and will be a lot harder to play against.  Colorado brought in two new goaltenders in Semyon Varlamov and former Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe trophy winner Jean-Sebastien Giguere.  Varlamov is 3-1-0 with a .938 save percentage and 2.17 goals against average.  Giguere has been a healthy back up going 2-0 with a .933 % and 1.49 GA. 

Tonight’s game will be the first of a home and home series.  The Hawks and Avalanche will face off again Saturday night at United Center

Hawks Dominate in Phoenix, Win 5-2

The Hawks and Coyotes got off to a fast pace with lots of skating and few whistles.  Marian Hossa returned to the lineup for Chicago and showed plenty of speed and no signs of injury.  Coyotes goalie Jason LaBarbera was the story early as the Hawks outshot Phoenix 15-4 in the first period.  Both teams killed early power play chances but it was the Coyotes that couldn’t stay out of the box.  Phoenix went to the box three times in the first and the Hawks were able to cash in on the power play when Marian Hossa made it 1-0 with Chicago on a two man advantage.  Daymond Langkow nearly tied it shorthanded shortly after but couldn’t handle the Derek Morris pass with Hawks goalie Corey Crawford down and out.   

The second period started off with a bang for the Coyotes when Taylor Pyatt finished off a rebound that Niklas Hjalmarsson failed to clear.  The Hawks came on strong after the Phoenix goal and Jonathan Toews gave the Hawks the lead when LaBarbera failed to control an Andrew Brunette shot and Toews pounded it home.  The Hawks continued to take it to the Coyotes but Phoenix was able to tie the game again when Duncan Keith lost an edge leading to a Ray Whitney strike.  Less than a minute later Jamal Mayers tipped home a Duncan Keith point shot to put the Hawks back in front 3-2.  Chicago outshot the Coyotes 12-5 in the second and through two periods of play held a 27-9 edge in shots but had just a one goal lead.  The Hawks were just 1-5 on the power play through forty minutes of play.

The Hawks killed two early back to back Phoenix power plays and Dave Bolland added a shorthanded goal to give the Hawks a 4-2 advantage early in the third.  Bryan Bickell ripped home a fifth Hawks goal halfway through the third on a 2-1 break to cap a dominate performance by the Indian Head Sweaters. 

Chicago outshot Phoenix 35-16 for the game and killed off three Phoenix power plays.  The majority of the game was played in the Phoenix end and the Hawks swarmed for pucks often creating a shooting gallery on Jason LaBarbera.  The Hawks still played a bit sloppy when it came to getting pucks out of their own end and also struggled on the power play going just 1-5 on the man advantage.     

The Hawks head to Colorado for a Thursday night showdown with the red hot Western Conference leading Colorado Avalanche.  Colorado (5-1-0) has won five straight all on the road.  The Hawks will need to bring their “A” game to get two points in the mile high city against one of the youngest teams in the league.      

Hawks @ Coyotes Preview

The Hawks (2-1-1) begin a two game road trip in Phoenix on Tuesday night when they face off with the Coyotes (2-1-1).  The Hawks are coming off a home loss on Saturday to the defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins in which the Hawks were outplayed in the third period, blew a 2-1 lead, and eventually lost in the shootout.  The Hawks will need a solid 60 minute effort after not playing particularly well in the third period against Winnipeg either.  This will be the first of four meetings with the Coyotes this season.  The Hawks were 2-1-1 against Phoenix last year and all four games were decided by one goal with two of those games going to a shootout.  Hawks number one goalie Corey Crawford started three of the four games and was sharp posting a 1.90 Goals Against Average and .922 save percentage.  Marian Hossa is expected to return to the lineup after missing Saturday’s game with an upper body injury.  The Hawks will need to keep Shane Doan in check who has three goals and four assists for seven points in the first four games of the season.  Patrick Kane looks to continue his good early season start with six points in four games and winning over 56% of face offs after being shifted to Center.  With points in the Western Conference at a premium, the Hawks need to continue to accumulate points early on to give them some breathing room as the season moves on.  As the Hawks know way too well after a slow start last season, points in October are just as important as points in April.    

Ben Smith Sent Down to Rockford

The Hawks assigned Forward Ben Smith to Rockford of the American Hockey League on Monday.  Smith scored 3 goals in 7 playoff games for the Hawks in 2011 including the overtime game winner in Game 6.  Smith was looking to make the Hawks roster but suffered a concussion against the Detroit Red Wings and has been out since.  Smith returned to practice last week but with the Hawks one over at the forward position with Dave Bolland and Viktor Stalberg healthy, Smith appears to be the odd man out for the time being.    

Hawks Fall in the Shootout to the Champs 3-2

With Marian Hossa out of the line up with an upper body injury Viktor Stalberg returned to the lineup for Chicago for his first appearance of the regular season.  The Hawks and Bruins played a chess match early on as the two NHL heavy weights tried to feel each other out early.  The Hawks killed a power power play when Stalberg went off for tripping at 9:17 of the first period.  The kill seemed to spark the home team who had the better of the chances the second half of the period.  Bryan Bickell cashed in on a breakaway for the only goal of the period to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead over the defending Stanley Cup Champions after one period of play.  Corey Crawford returning after taking the game off against Winnipeg and was sharp stopping 13-13 shots in the period. 

The Hawks continued their sluggish early season start on the power play by giving up a shorthanded goal to Chris Kelly on a 2-1 break.  Patrick Kane capped off a 2 minute plus shift with some hard work and his second goal of the year to put the Hawks back on top 2-1 early in the second period.  The Hawks had the better of the play for the rest of the period killing a Bruins power play and just missing on a shorthanded chance of the their own as Patrick Sharp couldn’t connect with Jonathan Toews on a 2-1 shorthanded break.  Corey Crawford was sharp in the second period controlling rebounds and not providing second chance opportunities.  The Hawks are starting to look a lot like the 2009-10 edition early on.

The third period was tight and chippy with the Hawks failing to cash in on a power play after Michael Frolik was boarded by Patrice Bergeron.  Nathan Horton tied it for Boston at 7:56 of the third period.  The Hawks fell asleep in the third and the majority of the period was played in the Bruins offensive zone.  Boston outshot Chicago 10-7 in the third period.  The Hawks got a late power play chance with 3:35 remaining but that was nullified when Sharp went off for holding at 17:33.  The Hawks were able to kill off the ensuing power play time despite Boston hitting the post to force overtime. 

In overtime both teams had a few chances but Corey Crawford made the save of the game stopping Rich Peverley on a breakaway to keep the Hawks in the game.  Tim Thomas made a good save on a Seabrook shot in the last minute of overtime to send the game to a shootout. 

In the shootout Thomas stopped Jonathan Toews when he failed to elevate the puck as it rolled at the last second.  Tyler Seguin tallied for the Bruins as he went five hole on Crawford.  Patrick Kane was denied by Thomas who closed the five hole to make the stop.  Patrice Bergeron mishandled on an attempt to keep the Hawks alive.  Patrick Sharp was denied and the Hawks fell to the Bruins 3-2.

The Hawks fall to 2-0-1 at home and 2-1-1 on the season.  Chicago travels to Phoenix for a date with the Coyotes on Tuesday night.  In the game give the edge to the Hawks for two periods but Boston looked very alive in the third period and caught the Hawks napping.  Coach Q will need to remind Chicago that games are 60 minutes for a reason.    

Hawks Skate With Defending Champs Tonight, Hawks/Bruins Game Day

The Boston Bruins (1-3-0) invade United Center tonight in a battle of the last two Stanley Cup Champions.  The Bruins are off to a sluggish start after hoisting their first Cup since 1972 and the Cup hangover is similar to what the Hawks went through a year ago.  Boston comes in losers of two in a row and will look to make a statement against the Hawks that they are still a team to be feared.  This could very well be a Stanley Cup Finals preview as the Hawks are primed to regain their position as the best team in the Western Conference after adding some much needed grit in the offseason.  Dan “Car Bomb” Carcillo showed why he was signed on Thursday night when he hit and agitated everyone in a Jets sweater and even added an assist.  Carcillo has a history with the Bruins from his Flyers days so it will be entertaining to see his effect on tonight’s game.  Despite the slow start, Boston is a team that should not be taken lightly as their Cup winning roster has remained virtually intact from last season.  Center David Krejci is out for the Bruins and Defenseman Adam McQuaid is likely out with a head injury suffered in Carolina.  For the Hawks, Viktor Stalberg and Ben Smith have returned to practice this week.  Ben Smith will not play Saturday night.  Stalberg could crack the lineup for the first time this season after suffering a knee injury in pre-season.  Corey Crawford will be back in goal for Chicago after backup Ray Emery got the nod against Winnipeg.  The game will be televised nationally on NHL Network.  Nothing beats a good original six matchup in my book.

Hawks Shoot Down Jets in Chicago

The Hawks (2-1-0) defeated the Winnipeg Jets (0-2-0) in front of a capacity United Center crowd.  Chicago got off to an awful start with sloppy play in their own defensive zone that led to two Jim Slater goals.  The home crowd let Chicago know what they thought of the less than blue collar effort with a chorus of boos.  Hawks Coach Joel Quenneville had enough, called timeout, and came unglued at one point motioning with his thumb to the locker room tunnel in a work hard or get the bleep out of here type of gesture.  The tirade sparked the home team as Andrew Brunette cashed in on the power play from Kane and Toews a short time later to cut the lead to 2-1.  Patrick Kane scored his first goal of the year off a steal and sweet pass from Marian Hossa to tie the game 2-2.  Dan Carcillo making his first appearance of the year for the Hawks made it clear early and often why Stan Bowman signed the agitator.  He hit everything in a white sweater early and was in the heads and under the skin of several Jets.  Carcillo fit in nicely opening up some ice for Kane and Hossa and even made some skilled passes.  He added an assist on the Kane goal.  Hossa gave the Hawks the lead for the first time 33 seconds into the second period from Leddy and Kane.  Dave Bolland added a fourth Chicago goal off a feed from Brian Bickell.  The Hawks appeared to be cruising to a 4-2 victory but extremely sloppy play in the defensive zone and an apparent inability to get the puck out of their own end on numerous occasions resulted in a Kyle Wellwood goal with just under six minutes remaining.  The Hawks survived more sloppy defensive play to hold on for a 4-3 win.  The win and the play of the Kane centered second line was the bright spot.  The play in the defensive  zone has to improve in a hurry.  I counted at least 15 times in the third period that the Hawks failed to make outlet passes out of the zone giving the Jets numerous extra chances that they failed to make the Hawks pay for.  Nothing against the Jets but let’s face it they are not the Canucks, Sharks, or Red Wings and one would have to think that one of those teams might have punished Chicago for their poor defensive play.  Chicago will have to be sharper when they face off against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins on Saturday night.  The Bruins are off to a sluggish 1-3-0 start and will be out to make a statement against the Hawks in a potential Stanley Cup Finals preview.  

Hawks Game Day Jets @ Hawks, Saad sent to Juniors

The Winnipeg Jets (0-1-0) fly into United Center tonight after a stinker in the home opener in which the emotion of the moment took its toll in a sloppy 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.  The game will mark the return of former Blackhawks and Stanley Cup Champions Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien aka Big Buff.  It will be a homecoming for Ladd and Buff marking their first return trip to United Center since game 5 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals where Buff scored 2 goals and added 2 assists in the game that propelled the Hawks to a game 6 win and a Stanley Cup Championship.  This will be the only meeting of the year between the Hawks and Jets.  The Hawks beat the then Atlanta Thrashers 5-4 in a shootout in the only meeting last season.  Jonathan Toews lit the lamp twice, added two assists and also scored in the shootout to lead the way for the Hawks who also had two goals from Patrick Kane.  Nik Antropov led the scoring for the Thrashers with a two point night. 

The Jets will be playing in only their second game of the year but did not do much right against Montreal.  The Jets come in 0-7 on the man advantage and 3-4 (25%) on the Penalty Kill.  18 year old Mark Scheifele the 7^th overall pick in the 2011 draft is one to watch for the Jets.  After an impressive exhibition season, Scheifele signed with the big club and is looking to stick for the season.  Scheifele logged one shot in 13:44 of ice time against the Canadiens.  He is hockey smart and has defensive awareness.

The Hawks (1-1-0) come into the game fresh off a 5-2 win against the Dallas Stars Saturday night.  Dan “Car Bomb” Carcillo will be making his Blackhawks regular season debut after being suspended for the first two games of the season for an incident involving on ice officials in last year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs while a member of the Flyers.  Carcillo was brought in to add some toughness to a team that got pushed around at times last year.  Carcillo will help in that department if he can keep his emotions in check and stay out of the penalty box.  Carcillo has practiced this week on the second line with Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa.  The Hawks will look for some power play improvement after going 1-11 through two games.  The Hawks know the importance of points in October after a slow start last year left them battling until the last game of the season and then having to depend on Minnesota to send them to the playoffs.  Look for a solid effort for the Hawks tonight.  Ray Emery will get his first start of the year.  Emery went 7-2-0 with a .926 save percentage and a 2.28 goals against average in 10 games with the Ducks last season. 

Viktor Stalberg has returned to practice (knee injury) as has Ben Smith (concussion).  With those two just about healthy, and Carcillo back from suspension, camp sensation and 2011 2^nd round pick Brandon Saad is the odd man out.  A long shot to stick with the team, the Hawks had 9 games to send Saad back to Juniors or keep him for the year.  Saad had 3 shots in two games to start the year.  He will play another season with the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL.  Saad should be one to watch in camp next year for a spot on the roster.  He has a tremendous upside and is defensively aware.  Even with Saad sent to his Junior team, the Hawks appear to be one over at forward.  Marcus Kruger, Ben Smith, and Rostislav Olesz appear to be the likely candidates to go to Rockford.  One would think Smith deserves a chance given his play in last year’s playoffs and his nose for the net.  Kruger did not have a stellar camp and was already sent packing once this year but his play on Saturday night appeared to stabilize the center position and was to Coach Q’s liking.  That leaves Olesz.  The problem with him is he would have to clear waivers.  If he is taken though, it would free up some cap space for later in the year for a player I don’t think the Hawks wanted to begin with but was necessary to shed Brian Campbell’s lofty salary cap hit.  Stay tuned.         

Hawks Dominate in United Center Opener

Less than 24 hours after dropping the season opener to the Dallas Stars in Big D the Blackhawks looked to open the season at United Center with a bang in the second game of a home and home with the Stars.  The capacity crowd would not be disappointed.  The Hawks came out feisty and with a purpose hitting everything that moved on the first couple shifts.  The Hawks poured on the defensive pressure holding Dallas to a meager 9 shots through the opening two periods.  Andrew Brunette opened the scoring with his first goal as a Blackhawk tipping home a rebound with Sharpie and Kaner adding helpers on the play.  The goal was the first power play goal of the year for the Hawks who went 0-4 with the man advantage in Dallas on Friday night.  Dave Bolland playing in his first game of the season made it 2-0 in the second on a shot that Raycroft did not appear to see.  Jonathan Toews made it 3-0 on a breakaway out of the sin bin notching his first strike of the young season.  Vernon Fiddler of the Stars cut the lead to 3-1 with a nifty roof shot at the last second as Crawford was going down.  Patrick Sharp extended the Hawks lead in the third period with a rocket over Raycroft’s shoulder.  Dallas pest Steve Ott tipped home a power play tally half way through the third to cut the Chicago lead to 4-2.  The Hawks continued their strong play against a Dallas team that appeared more tired despite the fact both teams got into Chicago in the early morning hours.  The Hawks outshot the Stars 31-21 for the game.  Dave Bolland added an empty netter for a 5-2 Hawks winner.  Cue Chelsea Dagger!  The Hawks went 1-7 on the power play and are now just 1-11 on the season.  One would think Coach Joel Quenneville will devote some practice time this week to the man advantage.  Getting pucks through traffic and on net should be a focus.  The penalty kill has been a bright spot through the first two games as the Hawks have now killed 6 out of 7 chances.  The Hawks will have the next 4 days off before the Winnipeg Jets come to town Thursday night.  It will be a homecoming for Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien who won the Cup in 2010 before becoming salary cap casualties.  It will mark the only appearance by the Jets at the UC before they possibly become division rivals in the 2012-13 season.       

Hawks Drop Opener in Dallas

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 13^th at home.