Archive for the ‘2009-10 Game Reviews’ Category

Streaks Always End – Blackhawks 2, Coyotes 0

March 23rd, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Save of the night

The Coyotes’ story this season is a good one. They filed for bankruptcy less then a year ago, and going into tonight’s game the Coyotes were tied with the Blackhawks atop the Western Conference standing. Dave Tippet has done a great job with the team he inherited, and has already won the Jack Adams Award in the eyes of many. The roster is riddled with other teams’ castoffs. No one would have predicted anything close to this sort of success from Phoenix this season. One could say the organization has risen from the ashes.

Now that all that good stuff is out of the way, it was great to watch the Blackhawks shutout the Coyotes 2-0, end their nine-game win streak and take sole possession of first place in the West. Coach Quenneville emphasized defense leading into this game, and it clearly paid off. It was apparent that the boys were playing tighter on their opponent in the defensive zone. Antti Niemi stepped up his game as well. He saved all twenty-eight shots on goal on his way to a sixth shutout. Niemi made some less then routine stops throughout the night to keep the Blackhawks on top. The goaltending job is his to lose at this point.

On the other end of the ice the Blackhawks played a solid game as well. They could only muster two goals against Ilya Bryzgalov in the second period, but that was all they needed (and then some) to come out of this game with two points. Patrick Kane scored the first off a neutral zone turnover. He went top shelf with a wrist shot to beat the Coyote netminder. Marian Hossa scored the second after Dave Bolland’s takeaway behind the net moments earlier. That second line has been playing well of late.

Anyways, it was great to see Brent Seabrook back in action. He missed only two games after getting his bell rung by former good buddy James Wisniewski. Sitting out for two games probably did Seabrook some good. He was a revolving door on defense coming down the stretch. Seabrook logged 22:41 of ice time. I was a little surprised to see Quenneville go with Dustin Byfuglien on the blue line again, but he played another decent game. I hope this trend doesn’t continue when Kim Johnsson returns.

Next up, the Blackhawks will be in Columbus for a game Thursday night.

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Blackhawks 4, Coyotes 5 (SO)

March 21st, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Vrbata beat Niemi during the shootout

It’s late, and I didn’t feel much like writing a game review till now. I’m a little down after the outcome of a few sporting events that took place on Saturday. Really, all you need to know to understand my mood is that I graduated from University of Kansas. So, when the Blackhawks were unable to put the Coyotes away last night, my already dark mood deepened. Obviously, the girlfriend didn’t understand why I was down in the dumps.

Anyway, the defense was suspect. Antti Niemi was good enough in net. Made some key saves throughout regulation, overtime and the shootout. A team that is the caliber of the Blackhawks should be able to put the Coyotes away, but the fact that they came back both times they were down by two goals says a lot about this Phoenix squad. Patrick Kane – who had two goals on the evening – almost won the game in overtime if it wasn’t for Ilya Bryzgalov’s stick save (well, the knob). Radim Vrbata scored the lone shootout goal to give the home team a 5-4 (SO) victory.

The team made up of ex-Blackhawks and other team’s castaways has become a force in the West. They have won eight games in a row, and sit one point behind the slumping San Jose Sharks (before their game in Dallas).

Next up, the Blackhawks will face the Coyotes again on Tuesday, but this time at the friendly confines of the United Center.

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The Thin Blue Line – Blackhawks 3, Kings 0

March 19th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Big Buff was solid on defense.

Coach Quenneville didn’t have much to work with on the blue line last night. Three of the Blackhawks six regular defensemen were out of commission. We know Brian Campbell will be out for the rest of the regular season, Kim Johnsson is day-to-day and no timetable has been set for Brent Seabrook’s return. So in order to fill out an already thin blue line, Dustin Byfuglien took the ice at his natural position on defense, and he looked rather comfortable. The defense was tight, limiting Antti Niemi’s workload to a miniscule seventeen shots and a 3-0 shutout (his fifth) of the Kings. Niemi didn’t have to stand on his head, but made the saves he needed to make.

Not only were the Blackhawks good in their own zone, they were on the attack all night tallying three goals on thirty-seven shots. My boy Troy Brouwer scored the first goal of the game in the second period and his twentieth of the year. He was reunited with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane on the first line. Tomas Kopecky padded the ‘Hawks lead by scoring two goals in the third period, and earned him self a pat on the back.

The officiating crew was the same two refs and same two linesmen from Wednesday’s game in Anaheim were they blew a couple big calls – James Wisniewski‘s hit on Seabrook that earned him an eight-game suspension and Corey Perry’s shove of Brent Sople that led to Saku Koivu’s game-winning tally. They made a few calls obviously in favor of the Blackhawks last night. The one that stands out the most was giving Raitis Ivanans two-minutes for roughing on top of the five-minute fighting major when Ben Eager clearly threw the first punch. Anyways, I’m not complaining.

Next up, the Blackhawks will travel to the desert to play the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday. By then we should hear more on Seabrook’s situation, and more on Johnsson’s day-to-day status.

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Off With His Head – Blackhawks 2, Ducks 4

March 18th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

This is frustrating. It seems like the league’s officiating has gone downhill since the Olympic break, and lately the Blackhawks have been on the wrong end of errant calls more then before. Before we go down that road, I wanted to do a very brief recap of last night’s 4-2 loss to the Ducks. The Blackhawks played relatively well on both ends of the ice. Corey Crawford looked okay in net. He made one bad play – leaving the crease to clear the puck from his zone, which led to a shorthanded goal for the Ducks. On the other end of the ice, Jonas Hiller stood on his head – as always – stopping thirty-nine of forty-one shots on goal.

The story from last night’s game was James Wisniewski’s hit of Brent Seabrook that only earned him two minutes in the box. Should have been longer, possibly a game misconduct. It was charging, interference and intent to injure all rolled into one. The refs blew the call when it happened, but the league has already announced they are reviewing the hit. I won’t be pleased with the ruling if he is suspended for two games or less. Nick Boynton became a hero in Chicago after one day on the job for dropping the gloves vs. Wisniewski in the last minute of the game.

Alexander Ovechkin’s hit on Brian Campbell was tame compared to Wisniewski’s hit on Seabrook. I know I keep saying this, but Ovechkin plays a reckless game. He may not fully understand the severity of his actions. Ovechkin planted his feet and drove Campbell’s defenseless body awkwardly to the boards, but in no way do I think he wanted to hurt the seven-million-dollar-man. Wisniewski went headhunting to exact revenge on Seabrook for a hit on Perry seconds earlier, and all he got was two minutes for charging? That is bull-roar.

Watch and listen (bellow). The worst part of this clip is that Anaheim’s color commentator, Brian Hayward, is questioning whether Seabrook is ‘selling’ the call. From what I’ve read elsewhere, Hayward later apologized for the comment.

Wisniewski sped to the corner, from the other end of the ice, with the intention to take a run at the Blackhawk defenseman, leaving his feet to bash Seabrook’s head into the glass. That hit was dirtier then Rod Blagojevich. Although, initially stunned, it didn’t appear as though Seabrook sustained any injury as a result of the hit, but he left the game. The Blackhawks already thin blue line could become thinner if Seabrook is out for any amount of time, and brace yourself to witness Dustin Byfuglien on defense once again. I doubt the small contingent that hoped Wisniewski would return to the Blackhawks one day exists no longer.

Next up, the Blackhawks will play the Kings tonight in Los Angeles. If Coach Quenneville can’t use Wednesday’s game to motivate his team, I don’t know what will. The ‘Hawks hope to stop their three-game losing streak.

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Weekend Review; Ovechkin Hit On Campbell Reaction

March 14th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Two afternoon games this weekend, back-to-back with a possible four points to be had, but the Blackhawks came away with just one. The ‘Hawks lost 3-2 to Philadelphia on Saturday, and 4-3 (OT) to Washington on Sunday. Going into the weekend the goaltending and team defense were under a microscope. The combined goaltending efforts from Cristobal Huet (in Philadelphia) and Antti Niemi (vs. Washington) were good. No complaints on that front. However, the defense was suspect giving away both games late.

No one likes playing afternoon games, especially back-to-back like the Blackhawks did, but you can’t let leads slip away in the closing minutes of the games. Fatigue played a part in Sunday’s overtime loss to the Capitals (see the back-check on Nicklas Backstom’s game-winning goal). Mentally, the ‘Hawks need to be tougher then they were this weekend.

Anyway, just as the Blackhawks are able to roll out a healthy lineup Marian Hossa and Kim Johnsson were scratched from Sunday’s game with ‘lower-body’ injuries (both are day-to-day), and now they might be without Brian Campbell’s services for the remainder of the season after Alexander Ovechkin’s dirty hit. It’s being reported that Campbell has a broken collarbone and a few broken ribs. All of a sudden, Johnsson has become a very important piece to the puzzle. He’s a puck moving defenseman, will have a bigger role on the power play and will move to the second pairing with Niklas Hjalmarsson.

Ovechkin has always played with reckless abandon, which is an aspect of his game that makes him one of the most exciting players to watch in the game. Shoving a defenseless Campbell head first into the boards is an example of how his style of play put a player’s health in jeopardy. Ovechkin was booted from the game with a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct. He should get at least a one-game suspension for this.

Next up, the Blackhawks go west for back-to-back games in Anaheim on Wednesday and in Los Angeles on Thursday. Expect for a defenseman to be recalled from Rockford before Wednesday. My guess, Nick Boynton.

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Blackhawks 3, Kings 2 (OT)

March 11th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Enough said

As they say over at HOCKEENIGHT, Patrick Sharp is a very handsome man. He had a good night on the scoresheet. Sharp scored the first Blackhawk goal on a pass from Adam Burish from behind the net, and scored the game-winning goal in overtime on a great feed from Dave Bolland who forced the turnover in the neutral zone. The peasants rejoiced, and the Blackhawks came away with two points.

Never did I think seeing Burish back in the lineup would bring a smile to my face. The Blackhawks did just fine with out him, but he does provide a sense of energy in the lineup. In his first shift he had a helper on Sharp’s first goal and received a fighting major for dropping the gloves with forward Richard Clune – just a goal away from the Gordie Howe hat trick. Burish never got that goal. He centered the fourth line.

Burish wasn’t the only player fan’s had their collective eye on. Antti Niemi had to impress last night in order to keep the starting gig. He did a decent job in net, stopping twenty-eight of the Kings’ thirty shots on goal. The two that went in were on Niemi. Still, the Finn had a save percentage of 0.933. I’d say that’s worthy of another start.

Anyway, there isn’t much to complain about from this game. Well, maybe the fact that the second period hasn’t been so kind to the Blackhawks lately, the power play has become anemic once again and the officiating was rather bad. The latter being something out of Coach Quenneville’s control, but there is room for improvement regarding the other two.

Next up, the Blackhawks will be in Philadelphia on Saturday. Don’t expect a recap for that one. I’ll be out drinking Guinness, celebrating St. Patrick’s Day early with the rest of the city.

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Evil Doers Win – Blackhawks 4, Red Wings 5

March 7th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Make it rain... hats

I don’t think I’ve even witnessed a momentum shift like that (in person) before. That Blackhawks should have been up 3-0 early in the second period – on their way to victory – but the bogus no-goal call gave the Red Wings the break needed to mount a comeback. Cristobal Huet was chased from the game after letting in four of the five goals Detroit scored in the second period. Antti Niemi let in the other in relief. The Red Wings had a 5-2 lead at the end of the period. The United Center was silent.

The Blackhawks attempted a comeback of their own in the third period on the back of Andrew Ladd and the third line. He scored two goals in the period to earn the hat trick. It took a while for those in attendance to realize what just happened since Ladd’s third goal was on a redirect, but eventually baseball caps (and foam head-ware) slowly trickled their way down from the 300-level. The momentum shifted back to the Blackhawks, but they were unable to score another goal to take the game to free hockey (overtime). The Red Wings won 5-4.

This game was full of bad calls – for both sides. Of course, we only care about the calls that didn’t go the way of the Blackhawks. It’s easy to complain about the officiating, but it wouldn’t even be an issue if the defense showed up and the goalies stopped pucks. Detroit will be the measuring stick in the West for the foreseeable future. Give them and inch, they take a mile. Mentally, the ‘Hawks will need to be tougher to avoid another second period like today’s.

Next up, the Blackhawks will have two days off before they face the Kings at the United Center on Wednesday. Word is that Adam Burish will be in the lineup.

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Blackhawks 6, Canucks 3

March 6th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Just the way I like Bobby Lou

Once upon a time, there was a time I liked Ryan Kesler. But that was long ago – well, before he made those remarks about our boy, Andrew Ladd. Earlier today, Mr. Kesler backed off his “Ladd is a coward” comment. Anyway, Ladd took care of business thirty-seven seconds into the game. The two shoved, swapped swings resulting in two minutes in the box each. The early exchange set the tempo for the game – there were four fighting majors.

Seeing Roberto Luongo chased from the game after one period of play was extremely satisfying. The Blackhawks scored five goals on him in the first period, and scored once on his replacement, Andrew Raycroft. Thirteen ‘Hawks tallied at least one point in last night’s 6-3 victory over the Canucks. Even Jordan Hendry took part in the scoring – his first goal of the season – and an assist.

Cristobal Huet was himself in net last night. He made a highlight reel save, then followed that up with a softy he let in to Kesler in the first. He saved twenty of the twenty-three shots the Canucks were limited to.

Next up, the Blackhawks host the Red Wings at the United Center this Sunday. No love will be lost in that one.

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Blackhawks 5, Oilers 2

March 4th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Together again

It’s always great when the Blackhawks are able to follow a horrible team performance with a dominating one. The 5-2 victory over the Oilers make it easier to forget last night’s loss to the Islanders. To give you an idea how dominating the ‘Hawks were this game just look at the shot totals. The Blackhawks out shot the Oilers by thirty-three shots on goal (47 to 14). Each period, they were able to hold their opponent to a lower shot total then the period before – six in the first, five in the second and just three in the third.

As the match progressed, the Blackhawks picked up their play. Any sight of rust vanished. Neither team scored in the first period, but Marian Hossa put the ‘Hawks on the scoreboard first just three minutes into the second. The Oilers tied it up with one questionable goal, and took the lead 2-1 with a goal that shouldn’t have happened after the obvious slash of Niklas Hjalmarsson by Gilbert Brule was missed. How the refs didn’t see Hjalmarsson’s stick break in half as a result of the slash is beyond me. The Blackhawks didn’t’ let the man keep them down. They scored four unanswered goals to put this game away for the good guys.

It was an overall dominating team performance, but there are always individuals that stand out above the rest. This isn’t communist Russia. Players get their kudos when they deserve their kudos. Hossa finished with a goal and an assist – so did Jonathan Toews and Dave Bolland. Hopefully tonight’s game is an indication that Bolland is back in game shape. Duncan Keith and Patrick Kane had two helpers each. Hjalmarsson added a rare goal on a heavy slap shot from the point on a four on four.

In net, Cristobal Huet was good enough to get the win. He did have a few tough saves on the night. No matter to the fact that both goals could have been negated with better officiating, but when the team in front of the goalie can limit an opponent to fourteen shots, the chance for a win is great. That is how this team has won many games this season, and their going to get more wins playing that way going forward. That is why the Stan Bowman stood pat at the trade deadline, and opted to go with the tandem of Huet and Antti Niemi.

Next up, the Blackhawks will host the Vancouver Canucks and the lovely Ryan Kesler at the United Center this Friday. Let the blood flow.

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Live Rust – Blackhawks 3, Islanders 5

March 3rd, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Out of the Blue, and Into the Black

Hey Hey, My My (Out of the Blue) – The Blackhawks went into the Nassau Coliseum expecting a victory over a weaker foe, but left with a rather embarrassing loss to the Islanders. Entrenched on home ice, the Islanders won the game 5-3 due to the goaltending performance of Dwayne Roloson. It looked as though the Blackhawks were ill prepared and were trying to shake off the rust that accumulated over the two-week Olympic break. The goaltending effort from both goalies was poor, and the defense in front of them wasn’t any better.

A couple Olympians came out strong in this one, however. Jonathan Toews had two assists on the night, and Patrick Kane had a goal and two assists. It appeared as though Coach Quenneville was trying to give the non-Olympians more ice-time. No player saw less then ten minutes of ice-time against the Islanders.

Next up, the Blackhawks host the Oilers tonight at the United Center. With the trade deadline about an hour away, an anonymous source said that Bowman is trading Tomas Kopecky to the Maple Leafs for a case of WD40. Now, that is the type of ‘joke’ that would cause my girlfriend to pretend she doesn’t know me.

Minor Moves –

Defenseman Simon Danis-Pepin was reassigned to the Toledo Walleye by way of Rockford. In thirty-eight games with the IceHogs he had one goal and seven assists – eight points. This will be his first time in Toledo and the ECHL. The move is due to the number of newly acquired defensemen in Rockford.

Changes have been reflected on our In the Organization page above.

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