My thoughts if this game had even been just two years ago – “Hey! Not bad. They kinda got outplayed there and looked sloppy but that Russian in the net finally stepped up and had a big game – bout fucking time. Good two points tonight. Glad to see we’re better than some other team.”
Today – that type of game is unacceptable. The Hawks got slaughtered in Vancouver and then didn’t seem to have any fire in tonight’s game either. Granted – I only saw the third period but from the highlights I’ve seen and the comments in the game thread – it doesn’t look like there was much to see.
In the third period the Hawks couldn’t clear the zone, Campbell turned the puck over on way to many possessions, Kovalchuk had a green light to carry the puck anywhere in the Hawks zone and if it wasn’t for Khabby making at least two highlight reel saves the Hawks could easily have lost this one.
It’s quite clear that Kovalchuk reads this humble blog. He was an absolute monster on the ice tonight and I’m going to blame Sam for that. Kovalchuk clearly was upset at Sam ripping on his team and decided to be a good captain and try to single-handedly will his team to victory. Too bad for him that Sam was right and just about everyone on that team (except Lehtonen) sucked.
Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good – and the Hawks had their fair share of luck in the game too. Kovalchuck missed making it a tie game by fractions of a second going into the second intermission and a referee lost sight of a puck that probably was in the net. Since the whistle was blown for that reason, and not because the goal came off its moorings, it was an unreviewable play.
Good to see Sharp and Toews get goals in the game – they’ve been held off the scoresheet way too often on this trip. In other good news, the trip is finally coming to an end. Just one more game in St. Louis and the Hawks come home. Of course, they play one home game against a Dallas and then head right back on the road for a week and 3 games.. but it’ll be a home game nonetheless.
5-2 on the road trip now – not too shabby.