Hawks Beat Flames 4-2, Coach Q Gets Win Number 600

The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Calgary Flames on Sunday night at United Center in front of 21,192 fans in the third of four meetings this season.  Rockford call up Jeremy Morin was in the lineup for Chicago for the first time since November 6, 2010.  Morin suffered a concussion in a game for Rockford last January and didn’t return until October of this year.  Sean O’Donnell and Sami Lepisto were healthy scratches for the Hawks.  Dan Carcillo was also out of the lineup for the second straight game with an “upper body” injury.  The Hawks got a big early hit from Jeremy Morin that got the Hawks going.  Chicago got the first power play of game just over three minutes in.  The Hawks got a couple of chances but Calgary killed the penalty.  Chicago made it 1-0 when Calgary failed to get it out, Steve Montador snuck in from the point to the top of the circles, and blasted one by Mikka Kiprusoff at 9:23.  Calgary got a power play of their own when Marian Hossa went off for high sticking.  The Hawks killed the penalty for their 20^th straight kill.  Brent Seabrook took a dangerous hit from former Hawk Rene Bourque when Seabrook ran into the referee and was blindsided by Bourque while facing the boards at an awkward angle.  Hello Brendan Shanahan.  Bourque was assessed a 5 minute major on the play and a game misconduct.  Marcus Kruger drew an interference penalty on the power play that nullified 2 minutes of the Hawks man advantage.  The Hawks failed to convert on the remaining 5 minute penalty time in the first period.  25 seconds remained when the second period started.  The Hawks outshot Calgary 9-3 in the first period.

Calgary killed the remaining 25 seconds of the 5 minute Bourque penalty but the Hawks went right back to the power play when Lee Stempniak went off for slashing.  The Flames killed the penalty.  Brent Seabrook did not return for the second period and was listed as out for the game with an “upper body” injury by the Hawks.  This is not good news with Seabrook’s concussion history.  The Hawks made the Flames pay for some sloppy play in their defensive zone when Niklas Hjalmarsson ripped one on net from the point that dribbled through Kiprusoff for a 2-0 Hawks lead at 5:15 of the second.  The Hawks got another power play late in the second when Jonathan Toews was hauled down in the corner.  Chris Butler went to the box for tripping and the Hawks went back to the man advantage.  On a fast developing play off a faceoff win from Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane made it 3-0 when he beat Kiprusoff like a rented mule from the top of the circle.  Cue Chelsea Dagger.  The Flames got a late power play of their own shortly later when Dave Bolland went off for tripping.  The Hawks killed the penalty to remain perfect in the last 7 games on the penalty kill.  Shots were 8 apiece for the second period.

Ray Emery made a huge save to start the third period to keep the shutout bid intact.  Right after Bryan Bickell took a huge hit from Cory Sarich.  Bickell tracked down Sarich with the intent to fight and the mittens came off.  Sarich got the better of the scrap and Bickell got an extra two minutes for instigating and a ten minute misconduct.  Not exactly a smart decision up 3-0.  Olli Jokinen had a good chance on the power play but Emery said no.  Jokinen got the better of Emery later in the man advantage and made it a 3-1 game with a screen from Jarome Iginla.  It was the first goal allowed by the Blackhawks on an opponent’s power play in 22 chances.  On a cheap hit on Patrick Kane in front of the net the Flames got another penalty.  They called T.J. Brodie for high sticking on the play.  Mikka Kiprusoff robbed Patrick Sharp on the power play with a nice glove save.  The Hawks got a two man advantage when Jarome Iginla got a bench minor for whining on the bench.  Marian Hossa made the Flames pay for their whining with a two man advantage goal for a 4-1 Hawks lead.  The Hawks continued on the power play 5 on 4.  The Flames killed that penalty that was assessed to Brent Sutter for yapping at the official.   The Flames would get a late power play with about 3 minutes left.  Curtis Glencross quickly made it 4-2 as he popped the water bottle left open in front.  The goal was at 16:25 of the third period.  The Hawks would be short again when Michael Frolik went off for tripping.  Chicago killed the power play and Calgary pulled Mikka Kiprusoff.  The Hawks finished off the Flames for a 4-2 win and Coach Joel Quenneville’s 600^th career win.

Chicago improved to a National Hockey League leading 21-8-4 and 11-2-3 on home ice.  The Hawks will play the high flying Penguins in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.  Coach Q, fresh off his 600^th career victory, said after the game that Seabrook seems ok and he hopes he makes the trip to Pittsburgh.  

        

Flames @ Blackhawks 12/18/11 Preview

The National Hockey League leading Chicago Blackhawks (20-8-4) will take on the Calgary Flames (14-14-4) on Sunday night at United Center.  It will be the third of four meeting this season and the Hawks are 1-1-0 against Calgary.  The Hawks beat the Flames 4-1 in Chicago on Veteran’s Day but fell to the Flames 5-2 on the Circus Trip in Alberta.  The Hawks come in winners of 4 straight and are 8-1-1 in their last ten contests.  The Flames are 5-2-3 in their last ten and come in with a 6-9-2 road record.  The Hawks are 10-2-3 on home ice.  Olli Jokinen leads the Flames with 25 points and Jarome Iginla has a team high 12 goals.  Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, and Jonathan Toews are all tied with 34 points apiece.  Toews has a team high 18 goals for Chicago.  The Hawks won both meetings in Chicago last year and look to do the same this year.  The Hawks penalty killing unit has been hot as of late not allowing a goal in 6 straight games after being awful in November.  Ray Emery has started the last four games and is 4-0 during that stretch.  Coach Quenneville will start Emery again Sunday night.  Coach Q won his 599th NHL game behind the bench on Friday night and will be looking for win number 600 on Sunday night.  Dan Carcillo did not skate Saturday morning and is questionable for Sunday.  Ben Smith was sent back to Rockford but might be recalled if Carcillo can't go. 

Hawks Shoot Down Ducks, Win 4-1

The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night at United Center.  Dan Carcillo was out of the lineup with a concussion.  Ray Emery got the start in net for the Blackhawks.  Jonas Hiller got the nod for the Ducks.  Duncan Keith went off just 1:14 in for tripping Corey Perry behind the Hawks net.  The penalty killing unit, which has been strong of late going perfect on the penalty kill in 5 straight games, got tested early.  The PK was up to task and the Hawks killed the penalty.  Jamal Mayers got the scoring going with a backhand shot off the blocker of Jonas Hiller to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead at 6:37 of the first period.  For Mayers it was his first goal in 24 games.  The Hawks got a very late first period power play that had 46 seconds time carry over to the second period.  The Hawks outshot the Ducks 8-6 in the first period of play. 

The Ducks killed the power play to start the second but a terrible turnover by the Ducks to Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp led to a Big Hoss goal and a 2-0 lead at 1:07 of the second period.  It was Hossa’s 14^th goal of the season.  Hossa just missed on a breakaway 6 minutes later that Hiller just turned away.  Hoss got the rebound and nearly put that in too.  Moments later it was John Scott pummeling Sheldon Brookbank.  Scott got 5 for fighting and Brookbank 5 for receiving.  At 8:01 a puck went off Dave Bolland and in but was immediately ruled no goal.  Toronto reviewed it but it was ruled that Bolland made contact with Hiller before the puck crossed the line much to the chagrin of Joel Quenneville and the United Center faithful.  The Ducks then went on the power play with Nick Leddy off for hooking at 8:49.  The Hawks killed the penalty but shortly after took offense to a Bobby Ryan hit.  Jamal Mayers went off for roughing at 11:12 and the Hawks were short again.  The Hawks killed that power play as well.  The Hawks got a late power playoff their own at 17:00 as Ryan Getlaf took a lazy penalty and grabbed the stick of Bryan Bickell.  The Hawks wasted little time as Nick Leddy made a play at the blue line, found Dave Bolland, and Bollie wripped a wicked shot by Hiller for a 3-0 Hawks lead on the power play at 17:19.  The Ducks outshot the Hawks 8-7 but the Hawks won the period 2-0 on the scoreboard.

The Hawks controlled most of the first half of the third period.  At 10:17 Patrick Sharp came in with speed from the blue line, beat a Ducks defender, and buried one top shelf with Hiller going down to give Chicago a commanding 4-0 lead.  Late in the period Jamal Mayers absolutely hammered Cam Fowler and Matt Beleskey took acception.  Beleskey dropped the gloves and Mayers obliged and proceeded to hammer Beleskey in the second one sided fight of the night.  Advantage Hawks 2-0 in Friday night fights.  Chicago got a power play after the fight as Beleskey drew and extra 2 minutes for roughing.  Anaheim killed the penalty and big John Scott just missed putting in a Patrick Kane rebound for the Gordie Howe hat trick.  The Hawks lost the shutout when Jonathan Toews lost the puck trying to exit the zone and Teemu Selanne made the Hawks pay to make it 4-1 late in the third.  The Hawks closed out the remaining time for their 4^th straight victory.  

  

With the victory the Hawks improved to 20-8-4 overall and 10-2-3 on home ice.  The 44 points tied the Wild for best record in the National Hockey League.  The Hawks will skate again Sunday night when the Calgary Flames come to town for the second and final time this season.

The three stars of the game were 1 Ray Emery, 2 John Scott, and 3 Jamal Mayers.    

Hawks Win Battle of West, Beat Wild 4-3 in a Shootout

The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday night in St. Paul in a nationally televised battle of the two best teams in the Western Conference.  Ray Emery got the nod in net for the Hawks and Niklas Backstrom manned the pipes for the Wild.  The game got off to a good start for the visitors who outshot the Wild 11-2 in the scoreless and penalty free first period.  Niklas Backstrom was sharp early to keep the Hawks off the board. 

Things got going in the second period early when Dan Carcillo and Brad Staubitz dropped the mittens in what could be the start of the new Minnesota/Chicago rivalry with both teams in the same Conference when the NHL realigns next season.  The two combatants went right to center ice and exchanged knuckle sandwiches.  Staubitz appeared to get the best of Carcillo in that battle but nothing beats a good ole hockey scrap. 

 The Hawks got the first power play of the game when Mikko Koivu went off for tripping at 7:06 of the second.  Patrick Sharp had a golden opportunity with Backstrom down but couldn’t elevate the puck.  The Hawks would then get a two man advantage when Matt Cullen went off for unsportsmanlike conduct at 8:20.  Cullen on a shorthanded break thought he was hooked but it was just a good play by Duncan Keith.  Matt Cullen stated his displeasure from the bench to the referee and was shown the box.  The Hawks called timeout and looked for the lead with 46 seconds of two man advantage time.  The Hawks failed to convert on the two man advantage, but after the first penalty expired, Marian Hossa gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead on the power play at 9:19.  Big Hoss drove hard to the net and slammed home a puck that Patrick Sharp had thrown off Jonathan Toews.  Just 89 seconds later, it was Michael Frolik giving the Hawks a 2-0 lead as he put home a Marcus Kruger pass into a wide open net as the Hawks were coming in numbers.  But the Wild would battle back.  Kyle Brodziak cut the lead to 2-1 at 13:10 when he was left wide open in front of the Hawks net and beat Ray Emery.  The Hawks bench was furious after the goal as the linesman had his hand up for icing and then dropped it late.  Just two and half minutes later it was Matt Cullen avenging his unsportsmanlike penalty and tying the game at 2-2 at 15:41 of the second.  Minnesota caught the Hawks in a change and Cullen and Hawk killer Cal Clutterbuck made Chicago pay with Cullen finishing.  Steve Montador would get a late penalty for high sticking which Chicago would kill.  Shots were 10-10 in the action packed second period. 

Jonathan Toews would give the Blackhawks a 3-2 lead early in the third period in a great individual effort Toews stepped out of the corner, side stepped a hit, and beat Backstrom with a wicked wrister at 6:54 of the period.  Dan Carcillo would go off for elbowing at 8:01 but the Hawks penalty killers who have been good in recent games were up to the task again to keep Chicago in the lead 3-2.  But at 14:56 the Wild would strike with Mikko Koivu scoring from the slot on a delayed penalty to tie the game 3-3.  The Wild outshot the Hawks 16-7 in the third period.

In overtime, it was back and forth with both teams exchanging chances.  The Hawks outshot the Wild 3-2 in the scoreless 5 minutes of action.  In the shootout it was Ray Emery stopping Matt Cullen and Danny Heatley.  Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane both scored for Chicago for the shootout victory.  Patrick Kane made about 100 moves on his attempt and completely undressed Nik Backstrom in a highlight reel, Sports Center moment, goal of the year type fashion to seal the victory for the Hawks.  See the goal with the link below:

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=35&id=142355

The Blackhawks improved to 19-8-4 overall and 10-6-1 on the road two move within 2 points of the Wild for the best record in the National Hockey League.  Chicago is now 7-2-1 in their last 10 games.  Chicago returns home to play Anaheim on Friday night at United Center.  It will be the third of four meetings against the Ducks this season for the Hawks.  The Hawks have won the first two games against Anaheim who has won just 2 games on the road this season.    

Blackhawks @ Wild 12/14/11 Preview

The Chicago Blackhawks (18-8-4) will take on the Minnesota Wild (20-7-3) on Wednesday night in St. Paul, MN in a battle of the two best teams in the Western Conference.  The Hawks come in 9-6-1 on the road and the Wild are 10-4-1 on home ice.  This will be the first of four meetings this season between the Hawks and Wild who will be in the same conference when the National Hockey League realigns next season.  The Hawks were 3-1-0 against the Wild last season and were 2-0-0 in St. Paul.  Ray Emery, 6-1-2 on the season, will start again in goal in place of Corey Crawford.  Jonathan Toews leads the Hawks in points with 32, and goals with 17.  Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane, and Patrick Sharp all have 31 points apiece.  Mikko Koivu leads the Wild with 26 points.  Kyle Brodziak leads Minnesota with 10 goals.  Goalies Niklas Backstrom, Josh Harding, and Matt Hackett have a combined Goals Against Average of 2.10 for the National Hockey League leading Wild.  The Hawks come in winners of two straight and the Wild are on a seven game winning streak and are currently playing in Winnipeg before Hosting the Hawks tomorrow night.     

Hawks Tie Game Late, Sharpie in OT Beats Sharks 3-2

The Chicago Blackhawks took on the San Jose Sharks Sunday night in a battle of Western Conference heavyweights.  The Hawks got an early power play with Andrew Desjardins going off for boarding at 2:12 of the first period.  Chicago failed to convert on the man advantage and the game remained scoreless.  Viktor Stalberg went off for tripping moments later to give the Sharks their first crack at the power play.  The Hawks killed the power play aided by a good glove save by Ray Emery.  Marian Hossa went off for tripping halfway through the period that the Hawks promptly killed.  Jamie McGinn got the Sharks on the board with under 4 minutes to play poking a rebound by Emery for a 1-0 Sharks lead.  San Jose outshot Chicago 17-8 in the first period of play.    

The Hawks got a very early power play in the second period when Dan Boyle went off for hooking.  The Hawks failed to tie the game on the man advantage.  Niklas Hjalmarsson blasted one from the point that was tipped home by Marcus Kruger to tie the game at 1-1 at 7:53.  That broke a scoreless streak against the Sharks this season of 87:53.  But at 9:38 it was Justin Braun ripping one home for the Sharks to go back up 2-1.  Emery made a huge save with just under 8 minutes to play in the second to keep the deficit just 1 goal.  The Sharks outshot the Hawks 16-5 in the second period and 33-13 through the first two periods. 

The Hawks nearly tied the game less than a minute into the third with Toews, Kane, and Sharp swarming the net but Anti Niemi shut the door.  The Hawks looked more alive to start the period and after a whistle Joe Thornton and Jonathan Toews had a little disagreement.  Thornton went off for high sticking and the Hawks went to the man advantage.  The Hawks had a number of chances but highway robbery by Niemi on Marian Hossa kept the Hawks off the board and the Sharks killed the penalty.  The Hawks continued to swarm the Sharks net for most of the period but couldn’t solve Niemi.  The Hawks won every board battle late and created chance after chance but Niemi continued to say no.  The Blackhawks pulled Emery with 70 seconds to play and a faceoff in the Sharks zone.  Toews won the draw and Marian Hossa who had been denied by Niemi over and over in the third period slammed it off of Andrew Brunette and home to tie the game 2-2 at 18:54 of the third.  At the end of regulation Ryane Clowe punched multiple Hawks and a brawl ensued involving Hossa, Keith, and Clowe.  Somehow no penalties were called and overtime would start 4-4.

In the overtime the Hawks were all over the Sharks as they seemed to take exception to the gutless referee who didn’t call a penalty on Ryane Clowe who punched 3 different Hawks.  With under a minute to play in the overtime it was Patrick Sharp having the final say cleaning up a Marian Hossa rebound and ending the game. 

The Hawks move to 18-8-4 on the year and 9-2-3 on home ice.  Their 40 points put them 3 points ahead of Detroit for the Central Division lead and 3 points behind the Wild for the Western Conference lead.  The Hawks will battle the Wild on Wednesday night in Minnesota in the first meeting of the year between the two best teams in the Western Conference.         

      

Sharks @ Hawks Preview 12/11/11

The Chicago Blackhawks (17-8-4) will take on the San Jose Sharks (15-9-1) at United Center on Sunday night.  The Hawks are coming off a 3-2 OT win on Long Island on Thursday night.  They will be taking on a Sharks team that is an impressive 7-3-0 on the road.  The Sharks beat the Hawks 1-0 in San Jose in November in a game the Hawks played very well in but couldn’t get any pucks past former goalie Anti Niemi.  This will be the second of four meetings this season with the Sharks.  The Hawks and Sharks split two meetings at United Center last season.  The always dangerous Joe Thornton leads the Sharks with 23 points and Joe Pavelski leads the way for San Jose with 12 goals.  The Sharks will play at St. Louis on Saturday night before heading to Chicago.  Jonathan Toews leads the Hawks with 17 goals and 32 points and Patrick Sharp, who had 2 goals and 1 assist Thursday night and is a proud new Dad, is up to 15 goals on the year.  Ray Emery will start again in goal for the Hawks in place of the struggling Corey Crawford.