The last time the Blackhawks saw Ryan Miller was when they were eliminating him and the St. Louis Blues from the playoffs last spring. Instead of a repeat performance, a tired looking ‘Hawks team just couldn’t get past the Canucks, falling to Vancouver 4-1.
Vancouver got on the board first as Jannik Hansen scored right as a Canucks power play expired. Oduya got a little too aggressive going for a poke check, and when he missed the puck, Hansen was left wide open in front of Crawford, who couldn’t do much on the point-blank shot.
After two dismal power plays that only produced one shot, the ‘Hawks tied the game on a power play in the second period. Duncan Keith shot the puck and Kris Versteeg had a fantastic redirect for his 7th goal of the year.
The Canucks broke the tie in the third, when Jannik Hansen got his second goal of the night. Hansen tipped a Derek Dorsett pass, again from point-blank range, and Crawford didn’t really have a shot at this one either.
The Canucks got the dagger late in the third period as Radim Vrbata put in a puck that Crawford never really had good control on. Jannik Hansen got the empty netter to complete a hat trick and that was it for this one.
Other Thoughts
- Corey Crawford made his 11th consecutive start and had to stand tall in this game. He was still fantastic tonight, making some huge saves and keeping the Blackhawks in this game for as long as they were.
- The Blackhawks certainly looked like a team playing the second of back-to-back games and their third game in four nights. They looked tired, with plenty of turnovers and sloppy passing. The few days off before the game on Wednesday are certainly needed.
- Adam Clendening was playing in just his third ever NHL game and it certainly showed tonight. He had some rookie mistakes, but as he gets more games under his belt, hopefully those will subside.
- Jonathan Toews has certainly seen better nights. He ended up -4 and only won 38% of his face-offs in a forgettable game.
The Blackhawks thankfully have a few days off before taking on the Colorado Avalanche at 8 p.m. on Wednesday night.