This game had me screaming at the tv all night up until the last 10 minutes of the third.

One observation I will make to go along with your high shot comment: It seems that the last few games, the guys have stuck too much to goalie scouting reports. I would rather see them get pucks from the slot and from the point on net then try and make that perfect shot in the top corner. Anything that hits the goalie has a chance to bounce back or get through. If you miss high, it does nothing but require yet another glass change at the UC(I mean seriously….how many pieces of glass are they going to go through this year?).

Having said that(a la Larry David), I think we got part lucky tonight. We were def. the better team, but the King seemed like he was going to have ‘one of those games’. When you can get two past a goalie of his caliber on a night where he plays like he did, you gotta be happy, neigh, overjoyed!

I think I was most impressed not by Buff’s footspeed, but by the fact that HE DIDN’T LOSE THE PUCK ON THE RUSH. omfg. I had to watch highlights of that goal first thing after getting home, just to be sure that I didn’t hallucinate it.

Duncan Keith said after the game that Toews’s goal was “greasy.” If by “greasy” he means “Jonathan Toews wading into quicksand and emerging with the elixir of life, because he’s Jonathan Toews and that’s just what he does,” then yes, it was “greasy.”

Does anyone else enjoy the delicious, life-affirming irony of Toews getting the welcome-mat goal and Buff dazzling everybody with ridiculous moves?

Oh, and everyone in my section who yelled SHOOOOOOOOOOOOT every time the ’Hawks entered the offensive zone can go get trampled by a herd of moose. In a fucking parking lot. aaaruugh.

Since the romp at the Shark Tank, the Hawks offense has been anemic. 7 goals against San Jose, then 9 goals over the following 6 games (Columbus was a shootout).

I feel like we’re getting way too cute with the puck, and our shots are producing no rebounds… or when they do, we’re never there. I know that can just be bad luck but since San Jose, we’re averaging 1.5 goals per game. So that’s got me worried.

it resulted in my maniacal victorious laughter at the end of the night

haha, me too! Accompanied by the words “Buff!? hahaha! Really!? hahaha!”

On the post game show with Judd Sirott – he basically couldn’t help asking Buff the questions we were all thinking – “What the fuck was that and why don’t you do that more often?”

Buff’s answer was something along the lines of “well I knew they were all at the end of their shifts so I just turned on the jets and tried to see if I could get something”

To which Sirott responded with “JETS?!? When the fuck did you get jets?”

He looked ready to go. He aggressively met whoever the Rangers player that brought the puck in at the blue line, forced him wide to the boards.

I remember thinking, “I haven’t seen Buff’s feet move that fast all year”. I believe it was him who forced the turnover, chased it down on the other side of the zone, and took off.

Insanity.

Watching that game my emotions turned from frustration, to exhiliration, to bewilderment (did that just happen?). Did Byfuglien really just do that? Could Lundqvist play any better? Are the Rangers that bad that Avery can be on their top line? It was a strange contest indeed.

- The overall offence needs to improve with only 7 goals in regulation in the past 6 games that has led to ZERO regulation victories during this stretch. The ’Hawks have the 8th ranked offence in the West which is good, but not good enough with the talent available to this team.

- I thought Andrew Ladd had a good game and was physical throughout while creating plenty of scoring chances. A step in the right direction for him.

- Lost in the euphoria of Byfuglien’s shocking development was the big stop by Huet just before that and Keith subsequent block after it. Although Huet’s save was pretty routine he must have been, however, ice-cold at the time with only 2 shots faced in over 20 minutes.

Strangely enough, I didn’t at any point get a sense of dread that they were gonna lose this game. Everyone stayed with the game plan, the shots kept coming, and you just got the feeling that one of them was gonna hit twine eventually.

Additionally, for a defenseman, isn’t getting left in a big cloud of Buff Dust one of the quickest ways to find your way to the minor leagues? I’ll bet the dude won’t sleep soundly for a week. “I got torched by THAT guy?!”

You are 100% correct in your choice for Player of the Game.

But I’m giving it to Buff. This is the Buff we ache to see nightly. If he played with that kind of confidence and effort every night (he had his best game since the playoffs, it wasn’t just the game winner), every single line would be better.

~

I’ve read about Buff being one of the more popular guys in the dressing room. You could really tell the team was ridiculously happy for him in that game-end mob. Anyone else get the sense that the team was reacting as much to Buff’s good fortune as they were to the win?

I hop out of my chair, yell, and maybe sneak in a fist pump.

Last night, I laughed. Not like an after the fact, “hey, buff scored that goal, that’s kind of funny” laugh, I laughed as Buff blew by two defenders, scored, and then slid into the boards.

The best part was when buff got up real fast and began celebrating excitedly, then remembered that his “thing” is just to stand there holding his arms up like he doesn’t care. Seriously, go back and watch the highlight again, you can see how excited he is then you can actually kind of see him go “oop, shit, got excited there, gotta calm down, it’s my trademark”

Buff, a handful of times throughout the year, you are the fucking man.

or are we having problems hitting the net with the puck from the point……..I understand deflections are part of the game……but geez…..

At my challenge, by the ancient laws of combat, we are met at this chosen ground, to settle for good and all who holds sway over the five points: us natives, born rightwise to this fine land, or the foreign hordes defiling it.

As per @reporterchris on Twitter.

Just fyi. I’m pretty sure this has little to do with how he let Buff outskate him last night, but I’d like to think it is anyway.

Had they not gotten too cute, the shot total would have dwarfed the 41 that was put up.

had they not had ANY Missed Shots, the shot total would have been: 58
had they not had ANY Missed Shots NOR Shots Blocked: 75
Certainly unrealistic to think No shots would be blocked/missed, but …

I love it when you hit those switches,
I keep all five boroughs in stitches