It was with great trepidation that I scanned over the gamethread, pretty sure of what I would find. Losses to Scum hurt, we all react accordingly. They hurt especially bad when you’re superior team on the night, and I highly doubt there’d be too many Wings fans who’d disagree. They’re probably in the unemployment line anyway. We’ll get to Huet in a moment, but there’s more to be pleased about tonight than disappointed by, but that always feels stupid to say when you come away with no points.
Let’s be honest, the game turned on both two-man advantages the Hawks had, especially the one in the 2nd. After a not-quite dominant 1st, the Hawks got the lead on a stupid (good sense of the word) pass by VERSTEEG! that left The Shooter with the simplest of tasks. The Hawks then had a chance to really put a foot in De-toilet ass. However, the strategy of the 5-on-3 was to fire wildly from the point, not make the lone Wing forward move all that much, and get you’re shot blocked. With as aggressive as the Wings try and block shots, Barker and Seabrook should have been more spread out to open up more lanes, and eventually gotten down to Toews or Kane to bring it right in front. They didn’t, and we didn’t get much out of it. Also, as big a Seabrook’s shot is, he has the same affliction that Wiz had, which is shot too windy-uppy.
You know how the movie goes from here. Some European pansy takes a dive (this time Pavel “ding fries are done” Datsyuk), both refs fight over who gets to call the penalty, a bounce goes their way, and everything is shifted.
Then we get to what you’re all talking about, Draper’s nightly break from blowing Maltby when he actually gets on the ice. I’m not going to try and defend this one as I did David Booth‘s last Friday. What’s infuriating is that if Huet stays on his feet, from that angle Draper would have had nowhere to go. It seems a simple solution, really. Huet needs to carry his glove higher, or not drop as quickly. Time will tell if he does it. Real killer though. Then came another PP goal when Huet was getting a good look at Tomas Holmstrom‘s prostate. I know it’s the Hawks system to sort of leave screeners alone, but not that mountain. He at least has to be breathed on.
The Hawks did their best in the 3rd, and carried the play once again. Versteeg…sorry, VERSTEEG! with a nicer goal than it first looked, and lots of other chances. Yet another goalie standing on his fucking head. Is this going to be a recurring theme? Well, it might be if the Hawks keep missing top forwards. How many chances fell to Madden and Kopecky tonight that will fall to Bolland and Hossa in the future? Hell, even a glorious chance fell to something named Radek Smolenak, and if Eager had been in the lineup, would he put that home? Can’t say for sure, but you know the percentages are more in our favor.
So, other than Huet’s glove hand, what’s to really get upset about? Who else stands out in a bad way? Can’t really think of one. Like I said on Friday, if the Hawks play like this all year, we’ll rack up an assload of points. Sometimes, you eat the bear…