2 points: Blackhawks
That settles that for now: ESPN Chicago
Dr. Q, says he’s okay so…: CSN (auto play)
They are allowed to kill the penalty: PHT
Longest game of Uno yet: PD
The Blackhawks beat the Wild 5 to 3 at the United Center. Goals came from all the cool kids, Seabrook, Kane, Toews, Hossa and they even let their little tag-along buddy, Ben Smith, get in on the fun with an empty-netter at the end of the game. Duncan Keith missed the game due to “illness” which of course everyone believes to be Mumps. I’m pretty shocked we haven’t seen one of those memes comparing toughness, since it appears Mumps are the only thing tougher than an NHL player.
- Herd Immunity: Wild Head Coach Mike Yeo and some random dude on Twitter believe the referees handed the Blackhawks the win. When an entire season goes by that features a team never drawing a penalty that was a bit questionable, I’ll start giving this argument a lot more credence. At this point, every team gets a call here and there that maybe it doesn’t really deserve. I don’t think the rule book allows teams to decline penalties for moral or sportsmanship related reasons, so they take what they are given and try to make the most of it. This is the way of the hockey world. The Wild have had a tough time doing that this season as their Power Play continues to flounder.
- Vaccination: Patrick Kane is the cure for all that ails you. He skated freely into the offensive zone on several occasions against a team noted to have a penchant for the neutral zone trap. The Wild didn’t trap very effectively during this game as Kane, Saad and others seemed to walk right in. Kane moved through the penalty killers while the Blackhawks were on the Power Play with ridiculous ease. He even tried the old “bank it off the back of the goalie’s head” move while behind the net at one point in the game. Vaccines are good for you and frankly I don’t think it is a coincidence that Patrick Kane is too.
- Pathogens: The first period was not very good for the Blackhawks. The Wild controlled quite a bit of the play and there was a lot of end to end action. This is one of the areas where Duncan Keith was missed. The mixed up defensive pairings had a tough time suppressing shots starting at the offensive blue line and working their way back.
- Booster: Quenneville sent the Blackhawks out in the second period with some changed up lines and defensive pairings. Seabrook and Oduya, Hjalmarsson and Rozsival, and finally Erixon and Rundblad seemed to work out much better for the team. The forwards were mixed up but all of them seemed to do a better job defensively starting in the second period. Kris Versteeg made several nice plays in the defensive and neutral zones that stifled the Wild’s attempts to create some offense. That’s something that was really missing from Versteeg’s game last season so it’s nice to see him improving so much.
- War-On-Ice
- Event Summary
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Game Time: 7:30PM Central
TV/Radio: CSN, WGN-AM 720
Don’t Want To Know If You Are Lonely: Hockey Wilderness
For the first time since Patrick Kane terminated their season 8 months ago for the second straight year, the Hawks will square off against the Wild. And Minnesota comes into tonight very much in the same limbo as the one that left them looking for any kind of answer over the summer.
The Rockford IceHogs ran their road record to 10-4-0-1 this week. The AHL’s Midwest Division leaders beat the Admirals in Milwaukee for the second time in six days Wednesday night. Rockford then split a pair of games at Lake Erie over the weekend.
Heading into another week of travel, Rockford is piling up points away from the BMO Harris Bank Center. One big factor in this road surge has been a dominating penalty kill. Come to think of it, it’s been pretty darn good at home as well.
In 2013-14, the Hogs were an absolute joke when shorthanded. They were dead last in the AHL in this department with a 72.3 success rate. Here are some numbers that show the dramatic change from a season ago:
What does winning look like to you?: Blackhawks
what they lack in experience they make up for in inexperience: PD
How much time do I have to formulate a comeback: ESPN Chicago
On a mission to civilize: Trib
You don’t need to go to WebMD to come up with symptoms: TSN
Considering the way the Flames play, considering both teams were on their third game in four nights in three cities, and considering the Hawks looked leggy last night, this one was never going to be shipped off to the Smithsonian as a great display of sport. And it wasn’t. This one was about perseverance, as the Flames concentrated on jamming things up in the defensive and neutral zone and just took what they could find at the other.
Thankfully, the Hawks really didn’t give them all that much after Hudler’s goal. They had to wait and wait for a crack, and they got one when Johnny Gaudreau (who was a threat all night) blew a tire at the blue line and Hjalmarsson was able to shove forward for Toews and Saad to have something of a 2-on-0. Saad didn’t make any mistakes. Two points gained. Move on.
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Game Time: 7:00PM Central
TV/Radio: CSN, NHLN (US), CITY (Canada), WGN-AM 720
Chet’s Nuts Roasting on an Open Fire: Flames Nation, M & G
Having played 10 of their last 12 games on the road, the Hawks will now close out December and 2014 with 5 of their next 7 at Club 1901. That stretch begins tonight against the visiting Flames to close out the inter-divisional season series.
