Blackhawks v. Kings: Kings of Pain
Ok kids, I’m back. Sorry to leave my little hockeylings hanging yesterday, but as much as hockey is life, sometimes real life interferes. Luckily, I taped the game and was able to go radio silent until this morning so as not to hear the score. So here, belatedly, is your run down of last night’s loss to the Kings if it’s not still too painful.
The Hawks were a little shaky in the 1st period. John “Mad Dog” Madden flirted with the puck about 5 minutes in clearing it just to the edge of the goal line, but it was a no goal. (And were you all counting how many face-offs Madden didn’t win?) Niklas Hjalmarsson, too, almost snuck one between Kings’ goal tender Jonathan Quick’s legs, but Quick contorted his body like Gumby and swept the puck back out.
Unfortunately the Hawks did not shake off their shakiness in the 2nd period, allowing Kings’ Wayne Simmonds an open lane to score with relative ease. And still, the Hawks did not find their sea legs (or I guess their ice legs). The only point of interest came with less than a minute left in the 2nd when Wayne Simmonds batted Niklas Hjalmarsson’s stick out of his hand wherein it went flying up into the air and yet it was Hjalmarsson who was called for roughing and fingered for the ensuing mêlée. How exactly do you miss a stick flying through the air like that? Did it launch itself???
Despite Wayne Simmonds unceremonious breaking in of newbie Niklas Hjalmarsson, which should have lit a fire under the Hawks, they still had trouble getting chances in the 3rd. The Kings’ ‘D’ just shut the Hawks down. Then about 7 minutes into the 3rd, Jonathan Toews patiently waited on net which paid off when Patrick Kane set him up; Toews short-shot the puck for a goal to tie the score 1-1. Still, the Hawks didn’t have it in extra innings. Though both teams remained scoreless in the overtime period, the Hawks were 0 for 2 in the shootout while both the Kings’ shots made it in; the Kings took the game 2-1. Jonathan Toews was mumbling something that was sure to be derisive about himself to himself after his missed shootout shot, and Patrick Kane could only shake his head after he missed his. Tazer, don’t beat yourself up. You were the only one on your team to score. Kaner…well…your contract is all but a done deal. As you were.
And though Huet made some spectacular saves, including one without his stick, he had trouble this game covering the width of the net. He must resist the temptation to be drawn off to one or the other side leaving too much of the net open. But he’s been turning in such an outstanding performance lately, that it’s hard to have a bad word to say.
In addition to Huet’s consistently excellent performance, it is good to see that Coach Quenneville hasn’t settled on the power-play unit line-up. He keeps changing guys in and out trying to better the power-play scoring. So far, the right chemistry has eluded Q, but hopefully he keeps trying.
So, chalk the last couple of games up to fatigue, I guess. The Hawks are apparently road-weary and wanting to get back home. Hopefully they’ll be refreshed by Tuesday’s home game against the Blue Jackets. Get home quick boys.
P.S. I won’t waste too much more space complaining about Dustin Byfuglien, but I will say that I’m really tired of seeing Buff instigating with the opposition’s goal-tender. In a tight game, or a game when you’re down several points, like the last two have been, the last thing you need is a goal-tender interference call and/or a roughing/fighting call because one of your players got in a goalie’s face. Again, focus on your game Buff and stop jawing with and encroaching on the opposing net-minder…At what point does the Hawks organization take a serious look at players like Byfuglien and Brian Campbell and decide that they may be a waste of cap space?
November 29th, 2009 at 9:34 am
Buff, Campbell, Sopel and Ladd are ALL rumored to be dangles as trade bait…
November 29th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
From kuklas Korner on 11-29-09:
The Chicago Blackhawks will move Cam Barker’s $3-million US salary this summer because fellow defenceman Bryan Campbell and his $7 million salary is staying put.
The Blackhawks also have hugely underrated Swede Niklas Hjalmarsson playing 20 minutes a game.
Barker plays 14 minutes a night and teams are always looking for power-play pointmen.
November 30th, 2009 at 6:26 am
Thanks for your comment Hawks Fan. Boy have you ever opened up a can of worms with me talking about Brian Campbell. Brian Campbell has never been a proper defenseman and he is taking up way too much cap space; things that make him fairly conspicuous. He must have some clause in his contract that makes trading him at this point too expensive or near impossible. And that, folks, is why signing guys for too long a contract is a bad idea. What’s to keep that prince from turning into a frog, know what I mean?
Actually, in the Kings game, Hjalmarsson played over 21 minutes. That’s because he’s compensating for others who aren’t doing their jobs. The Hawks d-man situation has always been a sore spot with me because they keep overpaid/overpriced players like Soupy who is an impotent, wet noodle, and they let go of the really aggressive shot-blockers and heavy hitters like Matt Walker that we truly need. Um, hello, you know what the difference between the Blackhawks and the Red Wings is? Really stellar, aggressive ‘D’. You know how you get really stellar ‘D’? You retain and recruit more Matt Walkers and Niklas Hjalmarssons. There are plenty of hungry, up-and-coming Hjalmarssons out there. You just have to LIQUIDATE some cap space and go scout them! We need less offensive-minded d-men (like Seabs and Dunc) and more defensive-minded d-men (like Hjalmy).
In fact, I’ve been too polite for too long. Perhaps I should start lobbying harder. CAMPBELL MUST GO! And when the time comes to pay Niklas Hjalmarsson his due, he better not get the Matt Walker treatment! Hugely underrated is right!!!