You think that was exciting? O-du-ya?

Going into tonight's game against the Rangers, Blackhawks fans were very excited for an original 6 match-up and expected a great game. The actual game did not disappoint.

Before the game I said that the Blackhawks would need to strike first if they wanted to win. When the Rangers scored first with less than a minute left in the first period, I was a little worried. In the second period, Shaw scored. The game was tied going into the third period, and that's when things got interesting.

The Rangers scored without 13 minutes left in the game and I, as a stupid fan, tweeted that the game was over and the Blackhawks lost again. Then Sharp made me eat my words with about 8 minutes left in the game by scoring a goal. 62 seconds later Oduya scored to put the Hawks up 3-2. The Rangers pulled their goalie late in the game and Kane scored an empty netter. Unfortunately, the Blackhawks made a mistake again by giving up a goal after scoring the empty netter. The game should've been over, but the Blackhawks gave the Rangers a glimmer of hope. The Hawks did go on to win thanks to Oduya, who was the first star of the game and Kane who got the technical game winner.

Some other things that are interesting to me about the game is that the Hawks were outhit 40-20. The Hawks getting outhit is nothing new, but this shocked me because of the separation. If the Hawks really want to contend, they need to get tougher and start hitting more. There are other aspects of the game that are good, but hitting a little more and being more aggressive will help them against teams like the Blues and Canucks. Bollig fought once again and it was a pretty good one.

Blues beat the Blackhawks 5-1 and much more

First thing's first, the Blackhawks lost tonight. They played the Blues in St. Louis and the Blues played a great game. They did everything that you want a hockey team to do in a game. They played good defense, got a couple gimme goals, got a power play goal, and got a shorthanded goal. Halak was outstanding in goal and the only goal he allowed was a nice redirect by Andrew Brunette who was alone in front of the net.

Now that I've established the nice game the Blues have, let's look at the play by the Blackhawks. None of the forwards looked especially good. Hossa and Kane were trying to show off their moves so much that they ended up turning the puck over quite a few times. Sharp was extremely unlucky multiple times. The biggest problem that stuck out to me was either the terrible defense by Dylan Olsen or the bad goaltending by Ray Emery.

I'll start with Emery. The first goal was extremely weak and set the tone for the rest of the game. If he makes that stop, maybe the outcome of this game is different. Then he gives up a weak goal on the Blackhawks power play which gives the Blues a 3-0 lead. Finally, in the last 30 seconds a Blues player has the puck in front of the net and Emery doesn't even try to make the save. At least show some effort. That wasn't very veteran-like of him to just turn and look at the puck as it went straight into the net.

Olsen was another big problem for the Hawks tonight. I have never thought that he was ready for the NHL, but tonight just insured that I was correct in feeling that way. His first mistake was terrible defense on the Blues PPG and actually kicking the puck in during that play. There were no other major mistakes, but plenty of minor ones. A couple bad plays at the point and some mishandled pucks made him look like an amateur out there, which he is. I don't think he should be in the NHL, but I don't hate him. Give him another couple years in Rockford and then let me see what he can do.

The final thing I want to address about the game is the fight between Bollig and Reaves. We all knew that Bollig would get in a fight considering St. Louis is his hometown and fighting is what he's known for. The fight was probably the best fight I've seen in awhile. It lasted really long and despite Reaves being a great fighter, I'd have to say that Bollig won.

Aside from just commenting on the game, I have some other things to say. I haven't been blogging as much recently and I have decided that I am going to start being more regular from now on. Going to the game tonight made me realize how much I love hockey and writing, so I decided to come back to blogging. Therefore, don't judge me from this post because it's been awhile since I've written a blog post.

Chicago Blackhawks Year in Review

2011 was a pretty good year for the Blackhawks. There were things they did well and things that they could've done much better.

The first memorable part of 2011 for the Blackhawks was Patrick Sharp, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, and Patrick Kane making the All-Star game. Patrick Sharp was a write-in and won the MVP trophy for the night by getting four goals.

The next memorable part of the year was the Blackhawks final day of the season. If they beat their bitter rivals, the Red Wings, they would be in the playoffs. They failed to do so, however, and had to wait and see if the Minnesota Wild would be the Dallas Stars. The Wild ended up winning and the Blackhawks made it to the playoffs. They would be playing the Vancouver Canucks, a team they had played the two previous playoff years.

The first three games of the series were lazy, unphysical, and plain bad. In the next three games, the Hawks were much better. Game 5 was probably the best game for the Hawks in the entire series. Game 6 was won by a Ben Smith overtime goal. As Blackhawks fans, including myself, celebrated I secretly thought to myself that the Blackhawks had hit their peak in the series. Game 7 started bad as the Blackhawks gave up an early goal. They stayed behind the whole game until with about a minute and half left, on the penalty kill, Hossa and Toews lead a little breakaway and Toews came up from lying on the ice shot the puck in, fell again, and then got up and celebrated. It was a true showing of what the Blackhawks captain can do. Unfortunately, the Blackhawks would not win the game despite Corey Crawford being fantastic in overtime.

Next was the long summer, something that the Blackhawks hadn't experienced in two summers. Players like Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith appreciated the rest and stepped up their game. New players were added including Steve Montador, Jamal Mayers, Daniel Carcillo, Sami Lepisto, and Sean O'Donnell. Crawford, Frolik, and Stalberg were all re-signed. It was a good offseason for Stan Bowman and the Hawks were ready for a good 2011-2012 season.

The season started okay, but got much better as the first month passed by. The Blackhawks not sit atop the standings and were the first to 50 points. Crawford and Emery are both playing fantastic. Toews, Sharp, and Hossa are among the top goal scorers in the league. The Blackhawks are doing great and have a ton of room for improvement. 2011 was nice, but 2012 has a chance to be great.

Blackhawks win 5-1

With Sharp's baby girl in attendance, the Blackhawks bounce back from a loss with a big win at home. The first period was good hockey and neither team could pot a goal. The second period started bad as the Hawks had a bad penalty kill and gave up a power play goal. Later in the period Brunette circled around the back of the net and tried to dish to an open Toews, but Toews never touched it and Brunette got the goal. 21 seconds later Sharp led a breakaway, faked the shot, skated forward and shot the puck into the back of the net. This was the turning point of the game. Stalberg would score a third goal in the third period, then Toews scored the empty net goal to win the game. With about 30 seconds left, Stalberg led a breakaway and passed to Bickell who scored. It was a great game for the Hawks all around and a great way to bounce back from a disappointing loss in Pittsburgh. Corey Crawford was great in net today and got the first star of the game. 

Brandon Pirri was recalled from Rockford and centered Sharp and Hossa the entire game. He got penalty kill and power play time and proved that he deserved it. He had no points, but played a very good game. He will probably stay up as long as Kruger is out with a concussion and maybe longer if he continues to play so well. 

Now that Crawford had a fantastic game it will be a tough decision on whether Emery will start or Crawford will start on Monday. Coach Q has a lot of time to decide, but it will be a tough decision. 

Stalberg was good again tonight. This is his second good game in a row. Coach Q said that he moved him from the top line to see if he could help get the third line going. It worked as him and Bickell both had goals and Stalberg had two assists. It's nice seeing him succeed and hopefully he continues to play well on Monday.

1st Quarter Grades for the Blackhawks

We're one quarter of the way through the season and it's report card team. Which players have gone above and beyond and which ones have disappointed? I'm going to tell you.

Brian Bickell C+
Bickell gets a C+ because he did well earlier this season, but has played terrible hockey lately. He has some great linemates and prove that he could score early in the season. Lately, he looks awful and will likely be replaced by Ben Smith on the third line as soon as Frolik comes back.

Dave Bolland B
Bolland was also very good in the beginning of the season, but has had a few injuries and hasn't produced as much since he's been back. His line was the best one on the team for the first two weeks of the season, but hasn't scored as much since. Bolland is still trolling and being awesome, but doesn't quite get an A because of the injuries and fall off of his line.

Andrew Brunette B-
Brunette was signed to improve the Blackhawks power play, and technically has done that. The Blackhawks power play has struggled, but with 4 power play goals this season, Brunette has improved the power play by getting his butt in front of the goalie and getting some ugly goals.

Daniel Carcillo B+
When Carcillo was brought to the Hawks, many people, including myself, was not on board and thought that he would be a punk that would be suspended most of the time and not really contribute to the team. He has surprised, though, he is now on the second line that is centered by Kane and has been a solid contributor in the top 6. This is much more than people expected, but he doesn't get an A because he has had some bad games including the first game against the Canucks.

Michael Frolik B-
Frolik has played better this year, but still isn't getting the puck in the net. Along with his other linemates, he played well in the beginning of the season. Now he's injured, but should be back soon. With the possibility of a new linemate when he comes back, maybe he will start to produce again.

Marian Hossa B+
Hossa was great with Kane at the beginning of the season, but has been moved up to the first line. He's now with Toews and gets his chances, but hasn't been producing as much. Hossa always plays well and plays hard. I'm really happy that he hasn't had any injuries yet this year.

Patrick Kane A
Kane has adjusted to his new position very well. I was one of the doubters of putting him at center, but he has proved that he plays the position very well. He wins faceoffs, plays defense pretty decently, and dishes out the puck very well. Kane matured and improved his game a lot over the summer and is now a true leader on the Blackhawks. He is probably the player that I'm most impressed with this season.

Marcus Kruger B+
Kruger stepped into the role he was given on the Hawks very well. When Bolland was out, he played well and tried to produce. His efforts kind of killed the momentum of that line, but he still played good hockey. I think he has a lot of potential and the more experience he gets, the better he will be.

Jamal Mayers B+
He's been basically exactly what I expected. He has done well on the fourth line and has gotten in some fights. Him and Carcillo are doing a good job at enforcing and also contributing on offense and playing defense. He's been a nice addition to the Hawks and I'm glad he's here.

Patrick Sharp C+
Sharp got off to a bad start this season, but improved a little bit. I'm still not impressed with what he has done so far this season. Last season he went above the expectations and scored the most goals on the Blackhawks and maybe that's why this season looks so bad, but I just think he is underachieving this year. He can do a lot better than he is doing right now.

Ben Smith A-
With only a few games in the NHL this year, it's hard to say whether he has been good or not. He could have a good chance to produce with good linemates. There will be more to say about Smith after he has some more games under his belt.

Viktor Stalberg A
Stalberg has played much better than I expected this season. He has been playing on the first line and has actually been playing well. He is scoring goals and is accenting Jonathan Toews very well. Toews is being a good captain and center by using Stalbergs strengths, speed, very well. Thanks to Toews, Stalberg has become the player that most Blackhawks fans hoped he could be, but never thought that he would actually become. I am happily surprised by Stalberg this season.

Jonathan Toews A
Toews has played like the Blackhawks captain should. He has played very well both dishing out the puck and scoring. He has 19 points already this season and is 24th in the league in that area. He's been very good helping Stalberg become a much better player as I just mentioned. He's been playing good two-way play, as always and has flat out helped the Hawks win games.

Niklas Hjalmarsson B
Hjalmarsson's normal defensive buddy was not signed for this season and is now playing in Florida. It has shown on the ice, because Hjalmarsson hasn't been playing as well without Campbell there. He struggled with Leddy as his partner and still hasn't found his niche. He is still a good player and will probably get into a groove soon.

Duncan Keith A-
Keith has played some very good games, but has also had some very bad games. He will be back with Seabrook when Seabrook comes back and that might spark Keith's game and get him back to playing his best hockey. Keith is back to playing Norris trophy defense in most of his games. He leads the league in TOI and that sometimes affects his game, but will still be a Norris trophy candidate.

Nick Leddy A
Leddy has been very impressive this season and on certain days, is the best defensive player on the ice. He has improved a lot since last year and is ready to be a top defensemen. Hopefully he can spark Hjalmarsson's game when they start playing together again.

Sami Lepisto B
I can't really give Lepisto an honest grade because I haven't seen him play much. He played a little in the beginning of the season and looked fine. Nothing extremely impressive, but nothing bad. He's been just what the Blackhawks signed him to be. He plays in the third defensive pairing every few games and does his job.

Steve Montador A
Montador has been a pleasant surprise for the Blackhawks. He's a little slow, but has played good defense and has scored some very important goals. He's one of the reasons that the Blackhawks power play is starting to get better than it was before. He might start coming back down to earth soon, but I'm still impressed with the last few games he has played.

Sean O'Donnell C+
I haven't seen much of O'Donnell this season, but what I have seen of him has been bad. One of the biggest showings of his bad play was the first game of the season. It might have been because he was a little rusty, but I wasn't impressed. I haven't seen anything from him this season that should make me happy to have him on the Blackhawks.

John Scott B-
John Scott has been, well, let's just say that he didn't get a C because he has shown flashes of getting better. But he also doesn't deserve anything above a B+. It would take me too much time to explain all my feelings about Scott.

Brent Seabrook B
Seabrook has been playing well this season despite being away from his buddy, Duncan Keith. I think that he'll play better hockey when they are reunited later this week. I'd like to see a little better hockey from Seabrook, but he's basically done a fantastic job this season.

Corey Crawford A
Crawford has been playing amazing this season. He has had to play a lot more than he expected because Emery hasn't been a very reliable backup. There are no signs that he is going through a sophomore slump and he looks like a premier goalie right now. He has had bad nights, but has been a solid goaltender all year.

Ray Emery C-
Emery hasn't played very much this season, but hasn't looked very impressive when he has played. Granted, Emery hasn't had much defensive help when he's between the pipes. I'd like to see how well Emery plays when the defense actually decides to show up, but so far this season I haven't been impressed by Emery's play.

Blackhawks win 5-1 in Vancouver

The Blackhawks played much better in this game against the Canucks. In the beginning, they had troubled getting the puck past Schneider because he was playing so well. The Canucks were actually the first to score, but would not score again for the rest of the night. Andrew Brunette's power play goal tied the game and Kane's power play goal put the Hawks up and they didn't look back from there.

The key in this game was that the power play was working. The efficiency of the power play has been a concern lately, but with the help of Montador and Brunette, the power play has been much better. They showed it last night against the Canucks and hopefully carry that success throughout the whole "circus trip".

Blackhawks after 10 games

Through the first ten games the Blackhawks look impressive during some games and sloppy during others. Some old problems and some new problems are haunting the Hawks. They still don’t play in the third period when they have a lead, Toews has had another slow start, and they can’t seem to get the power play working. Granted, through the most recent games they have been better on the power play and third period play, they are still lacking in some areas. It’s a good thing that the good outshines the bad to this point. Kane at center has been very successful, Hossa looks to be back in it, until the recent suspension Carcillo has looked very good, the checking line is probably one of the best and yet unnoticed in the NHL. Corey Crawford is solid in net and there is no sign of a sophomore slump. All these good things and yet, the Blackhawks are under the radar. With the surprising success of the Leafs, the dominance of the Capitals, the failures of the Bruins, and the great play as always by the Red Wings, the Blackhawks have gone unnoticed and yet in those ten games they are 6-2-2. A pretty good record considering that fact that last year they were 5-4-1 in their first 10 games.

There is obviously more the Blackhawks could be doing and they probably will improve in the future. Toews is starting to heat up and Keith isn’t in as big of a slump as the beginning of the season. The Blackhawks only have two true losses. One of those losses was the very first game of the season, which was a preseason game for the Hawks and regular season game for the Stars. They were outplayed all over the ice. After watching that game, I was worried. Absolutely none of the players looked ready to lay and the big season I expected looked like it would be a disappointing one just like last season. The next few games were a little more convincing, but the game against the Bruins was a realization. The Blackhawks still had some of the same problems. They didn’t play in the third period. The Blackhawks have a good team that can go far in the playoffs. They have great players and great teamwork. This team can win the Stanley Cup if they fix some of their problems. If the Hawks continue to play the way they have, they will be very successful this season.

Hawks lose first game 2-1, play home opener tonight

I didn't get to catch the game last night, but what I heard from other fans, it wasn't very good. Q decided to change the lines as much as he possibly could. Even Montador got a chance to play wing last night. The team was crazy and everywhere. Confusion and Lehtonen are what killed the Hawks last night.

There were some positives, though. The Sharp, Toews, and Kane line was reunited and looked like the only line that wasn't completely lost. This means that Kane probably won't be playing center as expected. Q might use him there every once and awhile, but he can't deny the chemistry between those three elite players. Nick Leddy scored with 14 seconds left in the third period to prevent the shutout.

Hopefully the Hawks can get a win tonight at the United Center. They are playing the Stars again and maybe this time Q has his lines figured out. Kruger was recently recalled from Rockford and will probably be used at center on one of the lines. With Bolland and Smith out, the team looks a lot worse. When they come back, the Hawks should start clicking. But, as Patrick Sharp said, "2 points in October is just as important as 2 points in April."

Crawford didn't play extremely well and hopefully improves tonight. The Kane, Toews, and Sharp line should be together for most of the game and I predict that they'll get at least one goal. I'm predicting a Hawks win tonight.

Crawford Locked in for 3 Years, thats Crawesome

Turco was supposed to be the guy this year. When he couldn't get that done, Corey Crawford came in and showed the Blackhawks that they had a gem they didn't even know about.

I have to admit that I wasn't sure if Crawford would be a good goalie. I was afraid that using two goalies would kill both of them, because they wouldn't have confidence in themselves. Luckily, Turco handled this whole situation like a veteran should and became Corey's best friend on the team. The pictures of Turco mentoring and talking to Crawford after wins and losses were amazing. The leadership shown by Turco this year will be missed.

In the playoffs, Corey played even better than he did in the regular season. The first three games were a little shaky, but most of the goals were not his fault. He got into his rhythm starting in game 4 and in game 5 got a shutout in Vancouver. What happened in game 6 to force OT was not his fault and we got the win. His best game was game 7. He stopped so many great shots. The Blackhawks needed to win that game for him, because he played so well. He stopped everything. The OT goal was a breakaway and a great shot. There was nothing Corey could do. If he had made that stop, I would have married him.

Going into the off season the most important thing to do was to sign Crawford. They took care of this right away and now we have him for 3 more years. I predict at least one Stanley Cup team led by Crawford and Toews in those three years.

Crawford, Leddy, Smith, and Kruger were all super-rookies this year. Crawford is locked in for 3 years now. Leddy is here for awhile. Smith will be her for a long time, because there is no way Bowman gets rid of him. Kruger is not certain, but I think he will stay. I like the way the Blackhawks are going in the next three years. Smith has the same qualities as Toews and Kane on the ice and I wouldn't be surprised to see him on the second line with Hossa all year.

Crawford is a very important part of this team and will get better in the future. He did have flaws this season and even in the post-season, but he is young and will get better. He will get used to playing in the NHL and will become our franchise goalie. I don't think his play with the Blackhawks will end in 3 years either. If he plays well, which I expect him to, Bowman will be sure to keep him. I love Crawford and I feel so bad for doubting him in the beginning. It is obvious now that he is a great goalie and will help the Blackhawks win a lot more games than they did this year. 

Game 6 Preview

The Blackhawks put themselves in a terrible situation. They played terrible the first three games and had no heart in their game. Being down 3-0, they realized that this is their last chance to try to move on. They realized that they are good enough to beat the Canucks. The next two games they dominated. The problem is, one mistake could send them home now because they put themselves into that nasty situation. Now they have to play each minute like it's their last, because it could be. That is a tough way to play for four straight games. If any team can do it, this team can but the road to the next round is not going to be easy. The biggest thing they can do is take it day by day and just figure out a way to win this game in front of some of the best fans in hockey.

Prediction
I don't think Vancouver is too happy about being shutout and blown out by the Blackhawks on their home ice, and will look to do the same to us on our home ice to end the series. The Blackhawks still have the momentum and are looking good, but that can change in an instant. The last two games the Hawks have been doing almost everything right. They have passed well, skated well, shot well, killed penalties well, scored on penalties well and played good defense. There isn't much more you could ask from them. On Thursday, they played fantastic hockey. The problem is, they can't stop now. That game cannot be their climax, because after the climax there is the fall and no Hawks fan wants that to happen. They still have to be rising and hit the climax in game 7. Vancouver will not make it as easy as they did on Thursday, so expect a few goals from them, but I still like the Hawks to force game 7.

Other Game Info
Seabrook is back in the lineup today. He might be taking shorter shifts than normal, but will still play. The fans that say this is a bad thing really make me mad. They think that just because we won two games without Seabrook that we should keep him out. He is a great player and is going to help not hurt our team's chances of winning this game. Yes, he gave the Hawks something to fight for on Tuesday, but the win on Thursday probably did not have much to do with Brent. The Blackhawks are winning games because they care about the playoffs and realize that they are a good team that can go far in the playoffs if they actually play hockey. Brent is only going to add to this want for a win, so if you think the Hawks are going to lose for one reason and that reason is Seabrook you should reconsider.

In other news, Dave Bolland is a badass mother fucker.