The Blackhawks fell to the Capitals 4-0 tonight. A lackadaisical effort from the men of the four feathers and some decent goaltending from Halak spelled doom for the away team.
It took the Capitals a shade over two minutes to start the scoring. A Marcus Kruger hold put the Caps on the man advantage where Alex Ovechkin reigns. The sniper potted one passed Corey Crawford from the stick side dot. As the Blackhawks plodded along, the Capitals would score again at the 9:44 mark courtesy of Jay Beagle. Morin went to help in the middle leaving Orlov to waltz in to the danger zone. A dish passed Leddy found it’s way onto Beagle’s cue and into the back of the net.
Any hope Blackhawks fans might of had went out the window when the Caps would score their 3rd goal 1:19 into the 2nd period. Nicklas Backstrom shot it from an impossible angle and it banked in off of Crow’s love handle. Pretty much put this one in the rear view after that debacle. Jay Beagle would score again because why the hell not.
The third period happened and then the game ended.
The Blackhawks rang a couple of posts, but never really threatened. Halak made a couple nice saves, I remember a nice one point blank on Hossa, but that the game was in the bag already. Shut out for the fourth time this season. 81 down, 1 to go.
Quick Truculent Hits
– Hey, no one got hurt! The bright side!
– Not really much to dissect tonight. With the three spot in the division locked in and guys ailing after a long season, it’s a tough game to get yourself amped up. The Blackhawks were an step slow all night which is an eternity in the NHL. Some of the brain farts, like dropping three guys below the goal line on Beagle’s second goal, would eat me up inside, but knowing everything that we know….I…whatever.
– Duncan Keith was a healthy scratch. Probably for the best.
– For the love of Hossa, don’t bench Morin after his poor defensive positioning on the second goal. Let’s take a minute and reflect on how well he has played. Five points in his last five games, and been a beast on possession.
– So much shade thrown at Ovi by the broadcast crew.
– The lineup they rollout tomorrow will probably include Carey, Rundblad, and Regin. So make dinner plans at a nice restaurant with your squeeze instead.
– In a perfect world, the Blackhawks play a tight, well executed road game in Nashville tomorrow. The road hasn’t been kind lately, dropping 8 of their last 10.
No advanced stats tonight as JenLC was in attendance tonight. Feel free to peruse Extra Skater for your advanced stat needs. While it looks good, remember about those pesky score effects. Alternatively, you could go on twitter and criticize Jen’s alcohol choices.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-partner=”tweetdeck”><p><a href=”https://twitter.com/MikeStonecutter”>@MikeStonecutter</a> <a href=”http://t.co/o6WK5viqwP”>pic.twitter.com/o6WK5viqwP</a></p>— Jen LC (@RegressedPDO) <a href=”https://twitter.com/RegressedPDO/statuses/454771470242439168″>April 12, 2014</a></blockquote>