Hawks Lose Thriller in Philly 5-4 in Final Minute

The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night in a battle of NHL heavyweights and the game lived up to the hype.  The Hawks were making their first trip back to Philadelphia since they left with the Stanley Cup on Patrick Kane’s overtime winner in Game 6 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals.  The Hawks got on the board first with a Jimmy Hayes tip goal at 3:01 of the first.  It was the 2^nd goal in 3 career games for Hayes.  Off the next face off Andrew Shaw making his National Hockey League debut dropped the mittons with Zac Rinaldo.  Rinaldo got the better of that scrap and both got 5 for fighting.  Jakub Voracek tied it for the Flyers at 19:09 of the first and the teams went to the room tied at 1-1.  The Flyers outshot the Blackhawks 13-7 in the first period of play. 

In the second period, it was rookie Andrew Shaw with a power backhand move to score his first career National Hockey League goal to give the Hawks a 2-1 lead.  But the wheels would come off for the Hawks in the second period.  Just 17 seconds after the Shaw goal Scott Hartnell would tie the game on his 18^th goal of the season tipping a puck out of midair from the slot that beat Ray Emery.  Harry Zolnierczyk gave the Flyers their first lead of the night when he beat Emery with a backhand shot at 11:51.  Just 23 seconds later James van Riemsdyk beat Emery again to give the Flyers a 4-2 lead which they took to the dressing room.  The Flyers dominated the second period outshooting the Hawks 21-15 in the middle frame. 

In the third period the Flyers controlled much of the first half of the period and looked to have the game well in hand when Patrick Sharp went off for a 4 minute double minor for high sticking at 10:15 of the third.  The Hawks would kill the penalty with help from the left post and as Sharp’s penalty expired Brent Seabrook put a rising wrist shot by Ilya Bryzgalov to cut the lead to 4-3.  Just 25 seconds later, Jonathan Toews stole a puck, fed Patrick Sharp who found a wide open Patrick Kane in the slot, and Kane buried it to tie the game at 4-4.  The Kane goal came at 14:40 of the third. 

The Hawks dominated the next 4 minutes putting puck after puck on Bryzgalov.  But Patrick Kane would be whistled for a high stick at 18:22 of the period.  With just 32.8 seconds remaining, it was James van Riemsdyk beating Emery for the game winner on the power play.  The Flyers would hold on to defeat Chicago 5-4 in a thriller in the only meeting this season between the Hawks and Flyers.  Shots were even at 12 apiece in the third.

Philadelphia outshot Chicago 46-34 for the game.  Power plays were 4-0 in favor of the Flyers. Chicago falls to 24-12-4 on the year and 10-8-1 on the road.  The Hawks return home to face the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night in the third of four meetings with the Avalanche.  Chicago is 1-0-1 on the year against Colorado.  The Hawks won in Denver 3-1 in October and lost 5-4 at home in the shootout two days later.