Hawks Douse the Flames
Woohoo, the War Room in Toronto made another good call in the first 42 seconds of the Hawks/Flames game allowing Dave Bolland’s goal to stand. The issue was did Bolland “punch” or “bat” the puck into the goal off his hand. Toronto said no, and the goal stood.
Also, Jonathan Toews and Matt Walker put an opponent into the glass and held him there after Brian Campbell got a nasty check on the boards in the first period. FACE! Later on in the same period, Dave Bolland had an awesome assist (thanks to Troy Brouwer snatching the puck away from Dion Phaneuf) that set Andrew Ladd up for a goal mere seconds after the Flames scored.
Adam Burish scored in the second right before Patrick Kane nailed someone in the nose again, ending up in the penalty box for yet another double minor for high-sticking. That’s twice in three games that Kane has tagged someone up high, intentionally. Again, there is a difference between defending yourself and being a goon. Kane lately is being a goon and he’s making the team suffer for it. Kane’s penalty alone made up half of the eight minutes of penalties in the second period.
Like the first two periods, the third period was immediately electric when Colin Fraser scored a tricky goal only minutes into the period (still not sure how Fraser was able to scoop that in). A scrap ensued between Matt Walker (who has just been phenomenal these past few games!) and Andre Roy as a result of Fraser’s goal and the Flames’ mounting frustration at repeatedly meeting “the Wall,” Nikolai Khabibulin.
And, as the cherry on the sundae, Troy Brouwer scored an empty netter, on the penalty kill no less, in the last two minutes of the game. Wow, if the Hawks can continue turning in performances like this 5-2 victory over the Flames, there’s no reason the Hawks can’t lead the division.