Well, I was set to write an entry all about how Troy Brouwer would need to be the guy to step up and provide a physical game for the Blackhawks with Adam Burish on the IR and Ben Eager struggling with post-concussion symptoms. He filled that role tonight. Brouwer had some big hits throughout the game, and squared off against Jarome Iginla. Brouwer left the ice with a bloody noggin as a result – still the act fired up the crowd even more after the fourth unanswered goal by Dave Bolland.
There were quite a few times where I thought about changing the TV station and watching something else after the Blackhawks were down 3 – 0, but I figured nothing else was on. If you stuck this one out like me, your patience was rewarded with a 6 – 5 overtime victory over the Calgary Flames. I am still amazed at how the Blackhawks pulled this one off. The team played horrible hockey for the first seventeen minutes of the game. Huet was porous – he let in three goals in under a minute, thus was pulled. It’s becoming hard to argue that Huet’s job as No. 1 is safe.
Antti Niemi started in net, letting in two goals out of the gate. Rene Bourque’s goal was too much for him on the glove side, but the trickler by Olli Jokinen was really ugly. It’s hard to come off the bench cold, but Niemi was solid after that, however. The Flames were held scoreless for the remainder of the night.
The whole team was playing uninspired hockey until John Madden scored late in the first period. That and whatever Coach Quenneville screamed at them during intermission sparked the comeback.
Patrick Kane led the charge in the second period with a quick wrist-shot just under the blue-line, and tallied assists on the next two goals from the Blackhawks. The three point night for Kane ties him with Patrick Sharp for the team lead in points with seven (3 goals, 4 assists). With Jonathan Toews off to another slow start, Kane has picked up the slack – he was all over the offensive zone and making great passes.
Sharp’s redirected shot in the third period to tie the game, and Brent Seabrook’s game winning goal in overtime finished out the greatest comeback in the Blackhawks’ eighty-three year history. Even the iron ‘stached Quenneville broke a smile when this one was over.
There may never be another game like this for the franchise, and yours truly is glad he didn’t turn this game off.
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