Hockey can be such a strange game. At no point tonight did I feel like the Hawks were out of control or in danger. And yet it took a reviewed goal and overtime to glean the two points from what felt like a pretty overmatched Edmonton team. Maybe I saw it all wrong. But I don’t think I did.
To be fair, the Hawks did some of the things you can’t do against the Oil. They had a stumble on the power play, which let them in on a counter (also didn’t help that Shaw completely fell asleep on Petry there). They gave EdMo unnecessary looks on the PP, which led to a Yakupove goal (though it was off a broken pass, and was about the only time I notice good ol’ Yaks).
And without getting out of 3rd gear, the Hawks found their way back, and found their way to two points. It seems like they’re just always doing whatever to get the two points. So I guess I won’t bitch about that.
Observations
– If you had two penalties in the “When Will Q Pull Saad Off The Top Line In Favor Of Carcillo Pool”, please collect your winnings. Did Carbomb do anything up there? Of course he fucking didn’t. Was he way more effective as an energy, physical guy on the 4th line? Of course he fucking was. If he rolls out with Toews and Hossa on Thursday, in St. Louis where the likelihood of him doing something stupid is up around taxes level, I’ll probably piss blood.
– Neither Keith or Seabrook cracked 20 minutes. In fact, Oduya and Hammer saw an abundance of ice time, both over 23 minutes. It’s obvious Q knows who is carrying the mail right now. Though Keith did miss some shifts after tripping for the shorty and then getting clocked while trying to get up.
– Sharp took six of Kruger’s draws. He won four of them. Ahem….
– Patrick Kane had an utterly dominant first period. And then he wasn’t much to look at for the rest of the game. That’s odd.
– While he got the OT winner, Marian Hossa still has a habit of turning down shots to try and squeeze a pass into a blanketed teammate with no more than a virgin’s treasure of space available. I don’t really have a reason for this, it’s just happening.
– See Sharpie? Yakupov can do that on the PP, why can’t you?
– Going back to the point about Hossa, there are other Hawks who are opting for the pretty, let’s walk it into the net play. That’s getting a bit annoying.
– I’m sure if we had CORSI ratings, Stalberg’s and Bickell’s would be through the roof. The Oil simply could not handle them.
– According the Copper N’ Blue, the Hawks attempted 58 shots at even strength. The Oilers 21.
– Michal Rozsvial continues to show a hidden vision in his play, getting two assists tonight. He can’t skate much, but he just seems to find the right play, doesn’t he?
I don’t know what else I’m suppose to say about this one. There’s a part of me that wanted the Hawks to drop it because we know that St. Louis is going to be in a total lather now. And I really don’t want to spend the next ten years of my life listening to Blues fans compare the night they broke the streak to the multiple nights the Hawks won the Cup (yes, I think that’s what it will be). It’s in the same fashion that they think Backes is the superior captain because he fights and therefore nullifies Toews’s trophy cabinet.
But whatever. We’re here now, so make them look stupid on Thursday.
