Did Pat Foley Jinx Khabby??
Nikolai Khabibulin almost had a shut-out in last night’s Blues/Hawks game. With the Hawks up 3-0 and three seconds left in the game, Pat Foley wondered if Khabby might just have a shut-out on his hands. Then, the unthinkable; the Blues scored at the last second. So, was it Pat Foley who jinxed Khabby right out of his shut-out?
Well, that’s ok Pat. We still love you. In the future, just please don’t say the “s” word again until after the game is over, kay?
Also, for all those who badmouthed Matt Walker, I think his return last night showed just how important he is to the Hawks. Like when Duncan Keith was injured, Matty’s absence was greatly felt. So hopefully some people can admit when they’re wrong and will join me in welcoming Matty back.
And horror of horrors, is Dave Bolland seriously injured??? According to the Hawks’ injury report on 4/1:
“Head coach Joel Quenneville said that Bolland is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury and will not play Wednesday vs. St. Louis.”
When did that happen??? What a cruel, cruel April Fool’s Day joke! (Troy Brouwer is also day-to-day.)
But to get back to yesterday’s game, the game against the Blues is what you want to see heading into the playoffs (assuming the Hawks make it). While the offense can have a few off nights like the games versus the Canucks last Sunday and against the Canadiens Tuesday, I think the biggest hole is the lack of defense on the net. That’s what was so great about Matt Walker last night. He was there, on net, to block shots. And that, including seeing big Dustin Byfuglien and even Patrick Kane checking (or in Kaner’s case, attempting to check) was a sight for sore eyes.