Tag Archives: Marian Hossa

Blackhawks now 5-0-0

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Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane, Kari LehtonenWith tonight’s victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Blackhawks are now 5-0-0 to start their season. This ties their best start to a season in franchise history. The only other time that they have started a season with 5 straight wins was in 1971. Hard to believe, right?

Through their first 5 games, all 4 lines of the Blackhawks have played well. They have played so well that they are drawing comparisons to the 2009-2010 Hawks team that won the Cup. Over the last 2 seasons, the Blackhawks relied way too much on their top players, both offensively and defensively. In the NHL, you can’t do that and expect to win. You need all 4 lines to contribute if you want to have a successful team. I’m not saying that they don’t need to count on their top dogs to produce, but they shouldn’t put 100% of their faith in them. Having said that, the top players on the Blackhawks (Toews, Kane, Hossa, Sharp) are all off to hot starts to the season. Hossa already has 5 goals through the first 5 games, Kane has 2 goals and 7 assists, Toews has 3 goals, and Sharp has 6 points (2G, 4A).

The special teams of the Blackhawks have been coming up big as well through these first 5 games. Their powerplay is ranked tenth in the NHL, going 6/24, and their penalty kill has only allowed 1 goal in 17 times shorthanded (94.1%). This is a huge turn around from last season, when the Hawks were ranked in the bottom five in the NHL in both categories. Successful teams always have good special teams play, so hopefully the Hawks can continue playing well in those areas from here on out.

Corey Crawford has been another positive so far for the Hawks. He is 4-0 with a .923 save percentage and a 1.99 GAA. You could argue that the only reason the Blackhawks didn’t advance past the Coyotes in last year’s playoffs was because of Crawford’s poor play in net. It was no secret heading into this season that he needs to play much better if they want to be successful. So far, he is playing with a ton of confidence and is making all of the “must make” saves, as well as some highlight-reel ones.

One thing that was very evident in their game against the Stars on Thursday night was the speed of the Blackhawks. You would be hard pressed to find 2 other teams in the NHL with comparable speed to the Hawks right now. They made the Stars look like they were skating in slow motion, which led to numerous great scoring chances (41 shots on goal). If it wasn’t for the incredible play of Kari Lehtonen, the Hawks could have had at least 6 goals that game. Instead, they scored 3 unanswered after going down 2-0 in the second period. The third goal came in overtime after a beautiful, no-look pass from Kane to Hossa for a one-timer goal.

All in all, this team is simply clicking on all cylinders at the moment. Tonight was not a pretty game against the Blue Jackets, but they still found a way to win. The Hawks have that “never quit” attitude to them. It seems as though they are never out of any game. Regardless of the score, they are going to keep coming at you with everything they’ve got. They have a certain feeling about them that I have only felt one other time, and that was with the 2009-10 Hawks. It’s hard to describe that feeling, but you just know when you feel it. While I don’t want to get over-hyped about the Blackhawks, it is hard not to get excited about what this team has the potential to do this season. If they can avoid suffering any big injuries to key players, this could be a memorable spring for the Hawks.

Blackhawks start the season 2-0

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6955694We are already 2 games into the Blackhawks’ regular season, and they are 2-0. Both wins came on the road, with the first in L.A., and the second in Phoenix. I don’t think many people really knew what to expect from the Hawks through the first 2 games, but I would bet that not many people predicted things to go as well as they did.

After only a week of training camp, the Hawks (like all other NHL teams) we put right to the test by immediately starting regular season games with no preseason games. Because of this, I was expecting a sloppy start to the season from the Hawks. It would not have surprised me if they went 1-1 or 0-2 to start the season. Fortunately, they did much better than that.

After waiting for the L.A. Kings to raise their first ever Stanley Cup banner, the Hawks went out and thrashed them to begin the season 1-0. Kane started the scoring early in the first by ripping off a wicked one-timer from an impossible angle that beat Jonathan Quick. Not only did this give the Hawks an early lead in the game, but it got their powerplay off to a good start to the season. More on that in a bit. From there, the Hawks ran away with the game and ended up winning 5-2, thanks to goals by Hossa (2), Toews, and Frolik.

Last night in Phoenix, Ray Emery got the start in net in place of Corey Crawford, who started the day before in L.A. Emery let in a soft goal early in the first period, which left many Hawks fans (me included) thinking that it could be a long game. Thanks to Patrick Kane, however, the Coyotes lead didn’t last long. On the Hawks’ first powerplay of the game, Kane, with the puck on his stick, maneuvered his way from behind the Coyotes net, through the defensemen in front of the net, and then dished the puck off to Dave Bolland at the side of the net for an empty net goal. It was as sweet a goal as you will see (See it here). The Coyotes would end up getting the next goal, but the Blackhawks answered that with 4 straight goals to give them a 5-2 lead early in the third. The final score ended up being 6-4 in favor of the Hawks.

So, what did I see from the Hawks in their first two games?

I saw a completely different team than the one who was eliminated from the playoffs in the first round last spring. Throughout their first 2 games this year, the Hawks looked MUCH quicker moving up and down the ice, they had numerous dominating shifts in which they kept the puck in the offensive zone for over 30 seconds, they seemed more aggressive along the boards, and their special teams were solid. Last year, their powerplay and penalty kill both ranked in the bottom 5 in the NHL, which was unacceptable given the amount of talent on their roster. To see them succeed on both sides of their special teams play was a very good sight and should provide them with some confidence moving forward. This team is way too talented to not be one of the best teams on the powerplay this year.

Last night especially,  I thought the Hawks showed much more aggressiveness than they did last year. Brandon Bollig and Niklas Hjalmarsson both had a couple of nice hits along the boards that really helped to set the tone for the game.

It was very nice to see so many guys getting involved in the scoring through the first two games. Frolik, who struggled mightily last year, got off to a good start by scoring in their first game against the Kings. He has looked much like he did in the playoffs last year, which is a VERY good sign. Bickell, who spent the lockout playing in Europe, has been more aggressive already and added a nice assist on Viktor Stalberg’s first goal of the season last night. Dave Bolland, who could prove to be the key to any success the Hawks might have this season, scored twice last night, including a powerplay goal. If he can avoid long stretches of recording minimal points, the Hawks will be much better off.

As for the top guys for the Hawks (Toews, Kane, Hossa and Sharp), they have gotten off to about as good of a start as we could have hoped for. Hossa already leads the NHL with 4 goals, Kane has looked as good as ever while adding a goal and a few assists, and Toews and Sharp both have a goal plus a couple assists between the two of them. The Hawks are going to need their top dogs to produce this year, and they are off to a good start.

As far as the defense and goaltending goes, both have looked good. The defense, especially in Phoenix, was outstanding. Hjalmarsson and Leddy both played great games, while Rosival added a great assist on Hossa’s first goal of the game. Keith and Seabrook were good as well, but they did nothing out of the ordinary (for them, at least). It is already apparent that the coaching staff is trying to limit Keith’s minutes, which should leave him with some more gas in the tank come playoff time. Corey Crawford looked really strong against L.A., and he is going to have to continue that trend moving forward.

Overall, I am very pleased with how the first two games went over the weekend. Regardless of what point in the season you’re at, getting 11 goals in 2 games is a good sign. This team looks determined to prove that they are better than what they showed in the playoffs last spring. If the can continue getting production from all four lines like they have so far, they are going to be tough to beat. At the same time, however, I don’t want to look too much into these first two games, seeing as how most teams are starting off rusty after a shortened preseason/training camp.

The Hawks play their home opener Tuesday night against St. Louis at 7:30.

Brandon Saad in for the Blackhawks

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Chicago Blackhawks’ 19-year-old rookie forward, Brandon Saad, was placed on the Blackhawks’ active roster following Tuesday night’s Game 3. He was called up from the OHL to take the place of Marian Hossa in the lineup.

The end of Saad’s OHL season could not have come at a better time. His team’s playoff run came to an end this past week, thus allowing the Blackhawks to bring Saad up to join the NHL team for the remainder of the playoffs. Most were not expecting Saad to get any playing time, but rather to simply be around the NHL guys and get some playoff atmosphere experience. However, most people were also not expecting Raffi Torres’ hit on Marian Hossa.

Due to the injury(s) that Hossa suffered from the hit by Torres, he has been forced out of the Blackhawks’ lineup. This left one spot open for the Hawks to fill. Rather than going with Jimmy Hayes, who has played a handful of games this year in the NHL for the Hawks, they have decided to dress Brandon Saad. Their reasoning? Well, Saad is more of a skilled player and a scorer.

In just 44 regular season games in the OHL this year, Saad recorded 76 points (34G, 42A). In the OHL playoffs, he recorded 8 goals and 9 assists in 12 games. Those are some staggering offensive numbers, especially for a 19-year-old.

The hope is that Saad will bring some much-needed offense to the lineup that was lost when Hossa left Game 3 with what appeared to be a head injury. Blackhawks’ coach Joel Quenneville has not disclosed his lines for tonight’s Game 4, but odds are that Saad will be placed on one of the top 2 lines for the Hawks. His style of play fits the play of those 2 lines better than it does on either the third or fourth line. My guess is that Saad will be on the first line with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. By placing him with the two most talented players in the lineup, Saad is bound to find himself with some scoring opportunities. Also, with the way that Sharp, Kruger, and Stalberg finished up the season together, it would be hard to imagine Quenneville splitting up that line. I am very excited to see what Saad will bring to the table for tonight’s game.

The Blackhawks are going to need their top 2 lines to produce points on a consistent basis from here on out with Hossa being out of the lineup. Even though he hadn’t been scoring many goals of late (0 in his last 10 games), Hossa is still one of the most dangerous players in the NHL, not to mention his skill on defense as well.

Tonight is a must-win game for the Blackhawks. They do not want to go back to Phoenix down 3-1 in the series.

Blackhawks Lose in OT

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I am not going to get into too much detail about last night’s Game 3 between the Blackhawks and Coyotes, because to be quite honest with you, I’ll get too upset if I think about it that much.

Around half way through the first period, Raffi Torres sent Marian Hossa to the hospital with a completely illegal hit to the head. A perfect example of what the NHL is trying to take out of the game. Less than a second after the puck left Hossa’s stick at about center ice, Torres launched himself off his feet into Hossa, sending Hossa down to the ice while possibly unconscious. Hossa stayed down on the ice motionless for about 5 minutes before the medical staff was able to get him onto a stretcher and wheel him off the ice.

With around 30 seconds left in the first, Patrick Kane’s wrist shot hit off the body of Andrew Brunette and made its way past Mike Smith to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

The second period featured a few scoring chances from each team, but no goals were scored. At the end of the period, Jonathan Toews shot the puck at Mike Smith right after the horn had blown, thus leading to a big confrontation between every player on the ice, including the goalies. Only Toews was assessed a 2-minute roughing penalty.

In the third period during a 4 on 4 for 2 minutes, 3 goals were scored! Rostislav Klesla scored the first one that tied the game with a slap shot that beat Crawford. Just over half a minute later, Michael Frolik scored to give the Hawks a one-goal lead. Then, just 32 seconds after that, Ray Whitney added another goal for Phoenix to tie the game at 2. At the end of regulation, the game remained tied and it headed to overtime for the third straight game in this series.

In OT, Mikkel Boedker scored from the goal line to Corey Crawford’s right to win the game and give Phoenix a 2-1 lead in the series. Crawford admitted after the game that this was a terrible goal to give up.

Now, let me say a few words about Raffi Torres.

This guy is a disgrace to the game of hockey. He has zero respect for any of his opponents, and now he has no respect from the fans. He simply goes out onto the ice head-hunting, looking to literally knock guys out. In fact, it was exactly a year ago last night that he put a violent hit to the head on Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook in Game 3 of the Canucks-Blackhawks first round series. Torres has been suspended twice in his career, with the first one coming on April 11, 2011. He committed a violent head-shot on Jordan Eberle of the Edmonton Oilers, and was suspended 4 games, including the first 2 games of playoffs against the Blackhawks. Then, this past December 31, he was suspended 2 games for charging Nate Prosser of the Minnesota Wild.

There is no doubt that Torres will receive a suspension for his hit last night on Hossa, but no one quite knows how many games he will receive, and that is why the NHL’s disciplinary system is so messed up. On a hit like the one last night, most people familiar with the game of hockey should at least have some idea as to how many games Torres will be suspended. Unfortunately, Brendan Shanahan and his crew have been all over the place this year with their suspensions, making it virtually impossible to predict their decisions.

I’ll just say this. If Torres gets 3 games or less, then this whole thing is a complete joke. My reasoning? Andrew Shaw was just given a 3 game suspension yesterday for his hit on Coyotes goalies Mike Smith. Smith was not injured on the play, and Shaw had no previous history of suspensions or fines. Torres on the other hand, does have a bad history, and Hossa was injured on the play.

Aside from the announcement of Torres’ suspension, look for Hawks coach Joel Quenneville to possibly get fined today for his comments last night about the referees. He said that they “were a disgrace,” among some other words.

Game 4 is Thursday night at the United Center. This is now a must win for the Blackhawks, and it is going to have to come without one of the best players in the world in Marian Hossa.

Thanks for reading.

Update: Torres’ hearing with the NHL has been moved to Friday. The meeting will take place in New York. Also, because it is an in-person meeting and not over the phone, the NHL can give Torres a suspension of 5 games or more if they choose to.